For the past couple weeks, I’ve had an idea for a blog post knocking around in my head and notes for it jotted on various scraps of paper. I’ve been thinking about writing about minimalism and how it’s good for creativity. I may have thought about this one for too long, because today in various social …
photography
The Scariest Thing in the World
During a recent bout of procrastination, I realized that blank pages are the scariest thing in the world. Not because writing is difficult (though it often is), or even because what I consider my best writing is painful for me to produce, let alone for me to show to others. Blank pages are scary because they …
Creating After Success
I’ll be honest: I’ve been putting a lot of pressure on myself over this post. It has to be great, I tell myself. I have to write something that people will like, because they liked my last post, and now I don’t want to disappoint anyone. That’s why this post has been two weeks in …
The Person I Don’t Want To Be
I’ve spent a lot of time in the past few months thinking about the person I really want to be. Part of that process has been thinking about the person I don’t want to be. Trust me when I say answering the second question is a lot easier than the first. I live in …
More Thoughts About My Calling
As soon as I published my last post, I started thinking different thoughts about my search for my calling. My mind started with its usual bullshit. Who do I think I am to undertake something as grandiose as finding my calling, when I don’t even have a job that will last past September? My job will …
Thinking About My Calling
I have been thinking a lot about finding my calling. That “one” thing I was put on earth to do. Part of me says there is no cosmic chalkboard anywhere saying Kimberly VanNostrand, crazy cat lady who takes pretty photos, and that my calling is whatever I say it is. The rest of me says …
Pick a Project
When I’m lucky, I can settle down with my laptop and dive into writing, accomplish what needs to be done, and then move on to any copyediting work I happen to have, after which I can sort and catalog some photos. On a really good day, I even take some more photos. Today is not …
My Why
I’ve been asking a few people to take a look at my website, mostly my family, friends, and random coworkers (and I appreciate that you took the time to do so!). Because you looked, I’ve been asked why I started this website. There are a few reasons. First, I want accountability. This is a self-imposed …
Art vs. Craft
I know a few people from my previous years of blogging who get pissed off if you refer to them as practicing a craft. From Dictionary.com: Craft means “an art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill, especially manual skill.” That’s not bad, right? It doesn’t indicate you’re doing something important with colored paper and paste …
Fear of Failure
I wrote for years without showing my work to anyone because I was afraid of the reaction I would get. I wasn’t prepared to hear that my work needed work. And I really wasn’t prepared to hear that my work was good, that I should publish it. When I did start sharing my work, I …