Fossilization

Today I got paid. I was really really excited about it, to say the least. I don't know anyone on earth who doesn't like payday. Well, I had to run a few errands, aka find a Father's Day present (which is on Sunday, FYI, it sure snuck up on me!), and amidst all of that I happened to stop in at the Fossil store in Park Mall. I genuinely went in there because I had a question about my watch. The pin in the link seems to have broken, and they guy said he may or may not be able to fix it in the store without having to send it off. The next thing I know, I'm browsing watches and end up walking out of the store with $100 less in my bank account and a snazzy new watch and second band (to mix it up, you know?). Want to know something funny? Yeah, I already own two Fossil watches. This makes three. I just love it so much. At any rate, you get to choose a tin that houses your watch for safe transport, and the guy who sold me the watch was kind of funny... he asked me to choose a tin, and as I browsed he goes:

"Yeah, there aren't any manly tins..."

Sure enough, there aren't any overtly man-oriented tins, but I thought this one suited me fine. I really liked all of the snazzy little illustrations on the side (particularly the one of the camera), so it's all good. No photos of the actual watch today, I'm still struggling internally if I'm willing to officially part with the $100. I'm famous for buying something I love but don't actually need, and then returning it because I like the thought of having that money back in my bank account. Well, we'll see if that rings true, because I really love this watch!

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Corded

This old phone at work makes me laugh. But there is something refreshing about keeping it simple. It's a cool throwback to technology of old.

"Reaching for the phone 'cause I can't fight it anymore..."
-Lady Antebellum, "Need You Now"

Dishing It Out

There I am, unloading the dishwasher, when it hits me - dishes always have cool lines. I love lines and patterns. I haven't always. Only since I started the photography journey. But I really liked today's photos, even if they're totally random.

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I fixed my painting. The gray book looked more like a blob. It's a little more rectangular now! Haha. It's very simplistic and very remedial in comparison to some other talented artists that I know, but that's okay. I'm going to hang it in my den, along the walls lined with books when I'm older. It is the manifestation of my love for books.

I really do think I'm going to keep going with this - at least one more. And hopefully I'll do something really cool. I'm going to put a quote on the top of this one in all of that empty space too, so it still isn't quite finished yet.

"Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures."
-Jessamyn West

Normalcy

I love seeing completely normal things and making them something much more. For instance, my blinds, which have now become objects of two separate posts are very ordinary (click here and scroll down to see the other one). But this photograph is absolutely one of my favorites that I've ever taken.

A week or two back my English teacher took us outside and had us observe everything around us. Afterward, we discussed the things we saw. While everyone saw people, shadows, each other, cars, grass, I saw patterns, the lines made by the mortar between the bricks, the interesting angles that the metal stairs and safety rails created, and the geometry of the nearby parking garage. The point of the discussion was to get different perspectives on the same things to help us analyze a text from a different or more complex view point, and my professor seemed genuinely intrigued that I had such an artistic outlook on the environment we were in.

I see the world in such a visually different way now that I'm so focused on taking pictures everyday. I look at almost everything and think, how can that be turned into a visually dynamic image? It all stems from me trying to keep things new and not repeating angles, styles, subjects, lighting, etc. It's challenging, and I often find myself repeating angles, styles, subjects, lighting, etc, but has been really really rewarding.

"To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about
finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've
found it has little to do with the things you see and
everything to do with the way you see them."
- Elliott Erwitt