drawing

 i can see the end of summer now and i can feel myself getting ready to be back making indoors. and, coincidentally, this got thrown up in my feed. i don't draw much these days, at least not representative drawing. and it hadn't occurred to me that when i did my pencil technique was completely different. asemic writing, it turns out, really is still writing! check this out. if you're already doing it it's a nice conformation but if not, loosen up that crampy hand and give yourself more freedom!

examined life

and after yesterday's post, here's this! of course not all of it may be for everyone but, as i remember (it's on my watch again list), the points here are clearly discussed, interesting and thought provoking.  how annoying i find it, the modern preoccupation of so many that i hear, to only listen to perspectives they agree with, be unchallenged, to blind oneself to other possibilities. a shame! 

i'll report back if this isn't how i recall it but in my mind, it was a great watch

cornel west

 

i don't know if the doco examined life is floating about in the streaming world these days but, back when i still watched media, i did watch it with some enjoyment, especially this segment with cornel west. i really enjoy the positivity of it, hear echoes of things i say at work to my juniors (these days almost everyone! lol)

developer

currently i'm to lazy to be thinking about how i'm using developer but it's quickly becoming something that will become an issue, especially as, inevitably, a place in the house where i can fit an enlarger/uv box as part of a dark room set up forms itself in my mind.  

dark room getting started

 i set myself up a wee dark room recently. i don't have an enlarger etc (all of that disappeared in my last move) as it's really for pinhole/alternative process work. and it needs to fit in a cupboard. it's not hard but there's technique points that i have gaps in. so these ilford vids are great 

tetrapak printing

i've got this on the backburner for trying out in the winter 

lichens

 

it's irksome to me that my knowledge of lichens, bryophytes and mosses is so limited but i was loving a conversation the other day about the common names of lichens in different languages which, if nothing else, is a reminder of just why binomilas are so useful.

i did find this, which is a great wee resource for british lichens. but, i also found this, which is both challenging and lovely to read, replete with strange and wonderful french words to get my tongue round. also, i feel the frecnh one may have better pictures.

for the book inclined, i'm not long after reading robin wall kimmerer's gathering moss, a natural and cultural history of mosses, which i really enjoyed. i do have the british bryological society field guide which is as indispensible as it is intimidating. but again, a deep dive into a different world of creatures and language.

balance board

i picked up a balance board the other week partly (and wrongly) to rehab an ankle but also to help improve with core stability, balance and proprioception. all of the latter have been instantly useful and i've only taken one header - it was a sore one it has to be said, so my tip of the day if using one of these is leave enough space to have a fall! here's some vids (look in hobo  dan's video list of you want to see how to make one)

you can do tricks on them but you can also use them to support other core based moves. best dial in your skills first tho - i took the aforementioned header doing a squat like move!

in short, i'd highly recommend some version of one of these particularly if, like me, the years are ticking by and you're noticing that your balance isn't what it used to be. you don't have to get one of these larger boards - you could make a wee thing you could stand on while you're doing the dishes. five to ten minutes of this a day and you'll notice improvements in your core stability (no. this doesn't mean you'll get abs!) and, despite it being a fail on rehabbing my ankle, i still feel it's useful for improving proprioception in your joints

stipa caproni

 just back after a wee history break and came across mention of this. there's a nice wiki article with good associated maths that's worth a browse. obvs there's a lot of war going on in this wee doco but those were the times - it's brilliant to look back and see what what being done. not that i'd want to try one of these. and i couldn't design a spoon! lol

solaris

 a classic! 

stallion theory

this was a happy little pop up on my yt algorithm the other day not least i was just after what i was planning on doing over the course of the next six to eight months. most of what he says in the vid is self evident but seeing as my personal deadline is now within the foreseeable future being unshambolic about getting things done has taken on a bit more urgency!

morton feldman

 

arvo part

 

silk road mountain race

 

cuba libre

 

three peaks and in between