Frustrated

Well...after having my new camera only a couple of months, I have to send it in to the service center of my choice on either the West Coast or the East....I kept getting "Error 30" every two or three shots, and occasionally it would happen every shot, so it made getting any decent shots even harder than usual because I was having to turn off the camera and turn it back on constantly. Everything I have checked on it says its a shutter malfunction and that new products are more likely to malfunction, well now it gets sent in under its warranty, of course the cost for insurance and shipping is mine, at least to the manufacturer....better that than lose almost a grand in camera equipment I guess. Frustrates the heck out of me as i won't see my camera again for at least three weeks.....maybe more, but its only three months since I got it ...or thereabouts. Will try to remain positive, and take my pieces down to ROAR next weekend......weekends seem shorter now I am technically working full time, but the days seem to fly by.

Another good talk

Another absolutely brilliant talk about creativity.

Progression

I have been student teaching for almost three weeks now, I am thoroughly enjoying myself and looking forward to some of my lesson ideas to see how well they do and how well they are enjoyed. I have lettering in the morning (otherwise known as artistic typography) and drawing, both are small classes and I feel lucky to have been able to start with them, despite some communication issues in the earlier class. I will be working with painting, Intro to art and crafts as I progress....the crafts class is the biggest and probably the most onrey, as it is the last class of the day and the majority of the students are freshmen...fun fun. I missed one day due to a migrane which I was annoyed about, and I am waiting for the FHSU education department to finish the new KPA, because I would like to get started on it. My university supervisor liked my first reflection even if the person who I'm supposed to turn them in to wasn't entirely happy with it....something about following a conceptual framework, which I thought I had.....but I guess that's the problem with conceptual things, if one is unaware of exactly how it needs to be framed or structured. Anyway, I will be doing lots of photography, though mostly of the journalistic variety, being Kappa Delta Pi historian and all, and trying to be involved in school events at my sponsor school and taking yearbook pictures along with the students. Financially, things are already beginning to be uncomfortable, and we are having to take a tougher stand with our daughter to try and get the message through to her that misbehaving and tantrums are not something she wants to pursue. I have also entered this years Photographer's Forum College contest, Popular Photography's contest and American Photographer's contest as well, though I can't shake the feeling its money wasted, you can't win if you don't try. Now I just have to figure out what I want to submit to R.O.A.R. and The Five State, go deeper into debt entering and printing/mounting the images I want in, then patiently waiting to see what happens. Guess that will do for now, I teach two photography classes for yearbook next week so I am stoked for that.

Disappointment etc.

Well, it seems I never made it past the finalist selection in a couple of places, that tends to be disappointing, but we move on and keep creating. I don't expect that I'll really get a lot of recognition, I always seem to be good, but not good enough. I know I need to get out and shoot/draw/paint more, and after my student teaching I really want to try, I also want to get some more tools to help improve the quality and impact of my work, both software and hardware wise. I also have to keep reminding myself that art and how well it fares is completely subjective, and I'll be pretty happy to find a teaching job where I can impart passion and skill to even a few kids, pay all my bills and allow us to live comfortably....that's the really important thing, and something I lose track of while trying to be competitive. I have accomplished more than some people ever get the chance to, and if I had just a little more raw talent and/or time to add to the skills I've developed I might actually manage a little more. For this reason alone I am looking forward to my grad studies, so I can have that time to work on things that I feel will help give my images just a little more impact, both photographed and drawn

Fall Semester Looms.......

Well....it doesn't bode well for fall....it'll be pretty lean as far as making ends meet. Not to mention that I'd like to submit to ROAR, The Five State and Photographers Forum again....each of which will cost me at least $120 total plus another 25 in gas to get to Russell and back. I am going to hold some finances in reserve from disbursement, but bills come first as always. I have been selected as a finalist in two competitions, but I am wary to say more than this for fear of ruining my chances at even an honorable mention. I will be thrilled to get anything of the sort, but that shows I am doing something right so far as my photography.....I have one or two other sites to get pieces on so I can get my images seen, and I need to get more on Flickr as well. I will be riding my nieces scooter to student teaching, losing that $600 work study per month really does hit hard, but working and doing student teaching I'm told is something that would likely burn me out. If things are pretty easy to manage, I might apply for an evening job at Hastings...hey books and DVD's....and it's walking distance from home. I have been learning as much as I can about curves and layers, and I hope to be implementing them more effectively in the near future, making my already pretty spiff pics even better.

One of the best talks I have ever heard

I think that maybe I should look into showing this video at one of the beginning design classes or something, or maybe see if the Creative Art Society could get her to come and give the talk in person. That would be spiff.

Hard Times to Look Forward to....

Well, as this month draws to a close, we have July to look forward to.....we should be able to barely make ends meet. Then Student Teaching begins at the end of August, without the workstudy money it'll be pretty rough......we have all our money planned out for the next five months and its going to be a tight run. No extra activities, or going out to eat, such is the price we pay for trying to make sure we have something for once I graduate. Looking forward to spring semester and starting Grad school, we might be able to get the rest of my studio gear through these two years, then even if I can't get a teaching job right away. I will also be sending all my paperwork to the BC Teachers College to get approved for a license in BC, a mere expense of around 600 cdn. I think if we can get through these next five months, even though Christmas will be a little sad, we aren't going to be able to do as much as we'd like for Sandy's Mom and Dad or Rhi.....I think if we can do this, we can accomplish virtually anything....especially if I get off my butt and start working on learning as much as I can about the stuff I've been putting off, and get more confidence in my own drawings and such......I think my mediums of choice have drifted into graphite, ink and marker. With the occassional painting.....which I do rarely because I have started doing partially sculptural paintings, which take four times the effort to prepare, before I even get paint on them.