Hey everyone,
Happy Sunday to all of you! I hope you have had a great week and a relaxing weekend too. It is hard to believe that summer is almost over. My kids are getting ready to head back to school. A new semester is ready to begin at my work too. Time is moving so fast — I wish there was a way to press a pause button from time to time. This week’s newsletter is quick and to the point as I am finishing up a few big projects that are due in the next few days. If you have time this week, I would love to connect with you about what you are working on now or plans you have for your creative pursuits this fall. Drop me a line in the comments below, via email or a DM on Instagram.
Warm regards, Jeff
FROM MY PHONE’S CAMERA
This week I am sharing a single photo I took on Friday. It is a snapshot from my 4th floor office window. I have taken photos like this many times from this location. It is always fun to wait patiently for an interesting subject to cross the ground level parking lot en route to their car in the parking deck. Someday, a subject will enter the patch of light from the point on the right. Wishful thinking — I hope to photograph that moment. This scene signals the finish of summer here in Minnesota as the wedge of light is only available in late summer and early fall.
ON MY COMPUTER
I have been working hard during the last few weekends on my course called “The 10 Cs of Light & Shadow Street Photography” for the 2022 Call Me Artist Retreat on September 23rd through September 25th. I hope to finish it up today or tomorrow in order to meet the September 1st deadline for review by the organizers. If you were wondering about the 10 Cs, they are: Camera, Conditions, Candid, Composition, Control, Contrast, Color, Characters, Cropping and Consent. My course materials are coming together pretty nicely - more than 80 pages in all. It is definitely a lot of work but has been fun at the same time.
When I work on projects like this, I always wonder why I don’t do this type of work as a full time career instead of dental academia. The time always joyfully flies by and it does not feel like work. My course will be provided as a downloadable PDF for retreat participants. I look forward to doing a live Q&A about the course during the retreat. I will also be participating in the live event as a panelist during a photo critique session on Saturday September 24th. There are 16 instructors from a range of photography genres. The final schedule of events should be posted soon. You can register for the retreat via the event website. I am an affiliate for the event. Please use my promo code to get $10 Off Your Ticket — Promo Code: KARP10
IN MY HEADPHONES
This week I started and finished a fantastic 10.5 hour long audiobook written and read by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris called “The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity.” Dr. Burke Harris is a pediatrician, a public health leader, and a pioneer on recognizing and managing the impact of adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress on health. This book is written through a healthcare lens but it is really a book about society, community, and frankly humanity in general. It is a book about kids. It is a book about adults who used to be kids. It is a book about all of us. If I have peaked your interest, start with Dr. Burke Harris’ 2014 TED talk called “How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime.”
INSPIRATION
I have been following Vratislav Pecka’s instagram account called @posterlad for a while now. While learning how to use Adobe Illustrator and make posters over the last few months, I have been reviewing Vratislav’s posts more closely. He has built a huge library of posters over the last few years. I have enjoyed seeing how Vratislav uses social media to share his work and market his online print store. His website has a very clean style. I like how his shop is organized and very searchable too. Vratislav shows me that an online store focused on posters and other wall art is possible.
A PRODUCTIVITY TIP
Finish the “hardest” task first.
….and then take a moment to enjoy the sense of relief and accomplishment!
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