a rather pretentious but self-aware blog about nature.

so i was asked today how my blog is going. my answer was "it isn't." told myself i'd try to stick to this at least once a week, so here's my post.

instead of sitting aroung being crafty (well, beyond taking photos), i've been enjoying the summer as much as i possibly can. i've swum in a few rivers, gone camping, bbqed, screamed on rollercoasters and through haunted houses, picked strawberries, blown bubbles, celebrated birthdays, lounged in parks, watched the sunset, oohed and ahhed at shooting stars. one thing that's stuck with me when i was trying to see what taoism was all about is that you must enjoy the the way nature changes with the seasons. if it's snowing, go play in the snow. if it's sunny, go bask in the sun. if it's windy, go marvel at the multicolored leaves and visit the pumpkin patch.

for me it's been a time of clearing my head and being completely awestruck at how beautiful this planet is. i sound like such a hippie and i am one at heart, and i'm not sure why that's a bad thing except that the stereotype is that i would then also have to stop shaving, taking showers or brushing my hair. my dad used to call me one in high school when i wore baggy clothes but he never lived in humboldt for 7 years and by that measure, i believe, can not label me as anywhere NEAR being a true hippie. but i digress.

back to that sunset. ryan, christine and i were sitting around talking about how we don't often take time out of our lives to just sit and be. we're always going and going and forget how important it is to do absolutely nothing. but not nothing like sleeping in bed all day. more like an active meditation of really, really taking in your surroundings and letting that be all you need for that bit of time.

i find it hard to be creative without an open mind. sometimes it feels a little too open, like there's nothing to grasp onto to work from. but i also think a lot of the clutter of everyday life can really inhibit any sense of acceptance of innovative ideas. or maybe it feeds it. guess it depends on the person.

like everything else, i'll sometimes kick myself for not being creative enough. but then i remember how i photograph things, how i've written songs and performed them, how i make art projects from scraps of whatever, how i sew dresses, how i love going to shows and performances, how absurd my sense of humor is ...and i try to give myself a little credit - and a little forgiveness - for not always being creative. for letting my mind rest a little.

with that, here's a creative piece of art we found the other day at the lake made from natural objects - a tree stump and rocks. of course as soon as we saw it we labeled it a hippie sculpture - but damn it, i'm embracing my inner hippie and declaring this as pretty cool.