Creatures of Habitat: Adventures in Mapmaking

Awesometastic maps by Herb Lester Associates.

I signed up for a fun new class a couple of weeks ago, Map Making: Learning to Communicate Places Beautifully. It's my first Skillshare class, and I'm thoroughly stoked! I'm a huge fan of maps and will admit to being one of those troglodytes who decried the spread of GPS and e-mapping. I don't like having a machine telling me each step to take. Have you ever had one of those things change its mind on you? Also, what if I want to see where I'm headed? Too complicated! Give me a paper map to plot my course on any day. Can you tell I have a frustrating experience with Google Maps on Friday? :-) The one nice benefit of having a map in my phone is that I suddenly look like less of a tourist when I'm trying to figure out where I'm going in a more urban environment (i.e., where I want to look cool and like I fit in).

This class isn't about turning you into a cartographer. It's more about exploring the beauty and creativity mapping can unleash.

How does this fit in with this month's Girl Goes Green theme?

As part of the class, each student creates a project to develop as they move through the lessons. I'm a huge fan of the way maps allow us a creative outlet for communicating concepts (beyond the traditional "this is how you get from Point A to Point B), so I decided to work on creating a map of the various creatures (both human and aquatic) that have relied on the Patapsco River throughout history. Here's a brief write-up I created to kick off my project...

The Patapsco River Valley was first settled by the Piscataway tribe and home to what are crazy historical fish like American shad, alewife and blueback herring. As Europeans moved in, the valley became a hotbed of industrialization with textile and flour mills littering its banks and small mill villages popping up. While traces of much of this history is gone, the modern day valley still provides habitat for thousands of park visitors each year who float the river, picnic along its banks and cast a line for those historic fish. I want my map to illustrate the rich life this river brings to the region and the human and ecological communities it serves.

Plus, as you guys can probably guess, I'm totally making a coffee map of Northern Virginia if this first project doesn't wind up looking like a hot mess.

P.S. You should totally take the class with me!

A year to be proud of

Twelve months ago I threw down the gauntlet, declaring that 2013 would be the year I would spend less time consuming and more of it creating. I would give the ideas on that personal to-do list a home in the real world. Judging from my watching and reading lists I posted yesterday, you would think I slipped, that I was conquered by all of the books clamoring to be read, but you would be so wrong. I managed to find time. Granted, I gave things up and chose to make sacrifices. My gym attendance got spottier and spottier the further we got into the year, and I pretty much gave up meal planning and cooking for the week by the time we got to June. Also, despite my love of good TV, I couldn't tell you what happened on Breaking Bad and only know the Dexter spoilers because of a podcast. I missed Orange is the New Black, Orphan Black, and House of Cards, and I couldn't talk to you about Betty Draper.

In their place, yes, I read more books, but I also created two podcasts. They may not be professionally recorded or perfect, but we created them. They are getting better and better, and for that, I'm proud.

I also wrote an essay and submitted it for publication. While the publication wasn't the right choice for this particular work, actually writing and submitting it was the goal. It scared the crap out of me to do it.

I wrote 95% percent of my first novel and definitely surpassed my 50,000 word count goal. It's not done done, but I'm counting it!

I developed a business idea (a bit strange for me) and began drafting a business plan.

We finally filmed a sequel to Reader's Advantage (to be edited in January 2014).

Yes, this year was a good one that was filled with family, friends, and travel. I can only pray that the new year will be as good.

Three rock star e-newsletters you should subscribe to now

I love email. Several of my favorite relationships went from average and satisfactory to having a real intimacy and closeness thanks to the conversations and dreaming we did over email. Of course, these days it can be hard to keep up with all of the email coming in. Up until three or four months ago, I was deleting 15 to 20 emails--ones like Groupon, Terrain, and Artomatic--every morning without even opening them. Fed up, I finally spent 30 minutes doing a digital purge and unsubscribing to all of the newsletters and updates I kept automatically deleting. I figure I'd given them enough of a chance to wow me.

Three fabulous newsletters that remain are listed below! When I see an update from these rock stars, I almost always stop what I'm doing and dig in. I draw inspiration from the links and thoughts they share, even if the topic may have nothing to do with whatever I'm currently working on. In fact, it's often better if it doesn't.

• Austin Kleon's dispatches tie directly back to what he's currently working on, reading, watching, etc. His voice is one that really resonates with me, and his reading recommendations never steer me wrong. 

• Marc Schiller's Bond/360 updates are letters chock full of advice from an experienced marketer. The best thing about Schiller is his no-nonsense, no-holds-barred attitude. He doesn't coddle and is most likely smarter than you. He is also one of the geniuses behind Wooster Collective. 

• Kam of Campfire Chic's newsletters are motivational. Her focus for the year is bravery, and she's pushing her followers to make their own brave choices. Stories of her outdoor adventures always encourage me to step away from the computer. 

The way in which these newsletters complement the authors' websites and/or other online outlets inspired me to try my hand at creating my own. I can't promise to keep a regular schedule (this might even be the only one), but I will try to keep it interesting and a bit more raw than the blog. I also like the idea of an outlet to talk about things that just may not be appropriate for this space. We'll see.

Sign up below to get the inaugural issue. I talk a bit about coping with shyness, as well as give you the low down on what I'm watching and listening to.


Subscribe here to receive my newsletter!

Kam's disposable camera swap

Several weeks ago (yes, I'm running a bit behind schedule), Kam of Campfire Chic decided to host a disposable camera swap as a way to kick off her third year of blogging. What? Receive surprise pictures from a stranger*? Count me in!

I was lucky enough to be assigned Maryam of Pamplemousse1983 as a swap** partner. She's certainly no stranger to the camera, so I was excited to see what she came up with. Her flipbook-style photos were begging to be made into a little stop action video.




*When I put it like that, I feel like I should have been leery. ;-)
**The film pics I shot aren't viewable yet seeing as how I only put the camera in the mail today. See running a bit behind.

Train travelogue, final notes on my journey

You may remember a little (*cough* 53-hour) train trip I took from DC to Texas in December. I've been waiting until I sorted through some of my video to write more about it. Of course, if you follow me on twitter, you probably already saw my train travelogue. I took a similar trip a few years ago and loved it. It should then come as no surprise that I went into this trip completely romanticizing the journey.

Maybe it was because I'm almost ten years older or perhaps because the train was a lot more crowded, but it didn't turn out to be the inspiring trip that I expected. Despite the unexpected, there is always so much to take away. I've grown to love the Texas countryside after years of craving mountains, greenery, and trees.


I didn't realize it until I was midway through my trip, but one of the things I like most about trips like this is people watching. Trains are chock full of a variety of different characters. As I watched the way they interacted with each other, it occurred to me that I was developing plot lines around this not-so-merry band of travelers.

Spending as much time as possible in the observation and cafe cars, I left myself open to random conversations with my fellow travelers. The conversation that will stick with me most is an early morning chat over coffee with a Chicago nun on her way to West Virginia to visit her sister. Her demeanor was infectious, and her stories of bear spotting and dancing at midnight in a meadow are the reason I'd consider doing it all again.

Some of my favorite notes (made to myself on my phone) include:

"Love gained and lost. Plaid pajama pants. Smoke break relationships."

"In real life, people who hook up aren't always attractive. The unfortunate and downtrodden also seek solace in each other."

That last note might seem a little harsh, but you weren't witness to the things I was during the witching hour in the observation car.

Walking in a winter wonderland

I finally sprinkled some Christmas cheer around my apartment on Sunday. Because I'm leaving for Texas in less than two weeks, I decided to not put up my tree. Instead, I had visions of a white winter wonderland. I've been slowly amassing a collection of brush bottle trees and got it in my head that my apartment needed a forest scene. Who needs a kitchen island?




I also ended up wrapping lights around my tripod to create a more modern tree. I'm kind of a fan. How did you decorate for the holidays?

Small Demons

Piece by Shaunna Peterson snapped by me at Art Whino last year

I think I just had a pop culture orgasm. I snagged a beta invite today to Small Demons, and I'm already in love. Imagine a site that takes the books we love and maps out their broader links to people, movies, music, and places referenced within its pages. As someone who has been known to fall down many a rabbit hole following the little eggs left throughout shows like Gilmore Girls or visit music clubs referenced in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, this site has potential to be such a fun tool in broadening the way we experience books and the universe the characters we read about inhabit. 

Do you read The Other Boleyn Girl and find yourself googling Anne Boleyn or the Tudors? Visit the site and snag yourself an invite.

Sustainable fashion?

The fall issue of Bust Magazine has a spread dedicated to eco-friendly fashion, and I have to admit that it made me want to go all high fashion (and maybe frolic in the woods). Cozy. Stylish. Edgy.



Skirt: Study NY
Philosophy: Believes in ethically sourced material, no-waste patternmaking, and sustainable design.



 
My favorite!

Vest (photo 2)/dress (photo 3): Suzanne Rae
Philosophy: Evidently owes her eco-friendly label to her use of hemp and wool fabrics. Original photographs by Glynis Selina Arban in Bust, Oct/Nov 2011

September Photo Challenge Day 21: pretty pattern

I am obsessed with stripes. Seeing them automatically triggers my endorphins, making me even happier. I know I've mentioned this before, but I practically stalk two local companies who have the most pleasant stripes running alongside their work vans. One day I'll manage to photograph them in the wild. The photo above was snapped earlier this summer at a school in Waynesboro, Virginia that has been converted to government office buildings.

I really am an easy girl to please.

August List #10

Some of my favorite So You Think You Can Dance routines:













Okay, I have to stop. This could go on forever. Tell me. Which ones are your favorites?

August List #8

photo by David Biesack

 I've been on a major lavender kick lately. Ways I've added a little lavender to my life:

Trader Joe's Lavender Body Oil - Spray and go. Perfect for the lazy girl.

Lavender brownies by the Homesick Texan - You want me to make these for you. They are fan-freaking-tastic. I even managed to make them gluten free.

The Lady Lincoln at Lincoln Restaurant - gin. prosecco. lavender. drunk.

August List #7

Photos I didn't take:

- the pink sunrise as viewed from the top deck of my apartment complex
- the gentleman waiting for the bus, seemingly homeless yet dapper
- an empty lot with nothing to show for itself except a vintage bakery sign shaped like a teepee
- fog settling between the Shenandoah mountains after an early evening rain
- all the graffiti along the red line

August List #6

photo by Richard Whitby

Outdoor blog bits I'm enjoying this week:

Declination: Brogue Wave, a.k.a. Surfing Scotland - Gritty and dirty. It's made even better by the visceral way he relays the Scottish accent.

The Epic California Rock Climbers of the Seventies on The Selvedge Yard - Proof you can be a hippy and still sport a six-pack.

The Little Fishes - An ode to the minnow on the Caught by the River blog.

The Most Stylish Environmentalists of all Time - Shared by the folks from Cold Splinters over on GQ.

Grass Doe

August List #4

Despite the everyone sitting death watch on the publishing industry, there are some mighty fine magazines out there. Some of my current must-reads include:

• The Gentlewoman - Rich format, thoughtful articles about smart women, fashion
• Matchbook - A relatively new e-pub a tad on the preppy side. Don't read it for the articles; peruse it if you feel like appeasing your consumerist side.
• Garden & Gun - 100% not what you think. I've only read the month above, but the articles had me wanting to roadtrip down south.
• Next American City - Reading this one screams dork, but I love it. I never fail to walk away with at least a few ideas after reading it.
• Preservation Magazine 
• Kinfolk - See Kinfolk.

Kinfolk

These days our lives often seem mired in "social" media with relationships being kindled, flourishing online. We've even developed acronyms (IRL) for friends and acquaintances we've spent physical time with. I've been feeling a bit like an anachronism lately for craving more in-person hang time and conversations.

An outing a couple of weekends ago only served to confirm the importance of meeting and getting to know our online "friends" in person. While having an online presence can let shy people have the opportunity to open up and be themselves, it's also all too easy for people to only give you what they think you want to see. Turns out charming, nice and seemingly caring online can be pompous and self-involved in person. Blatant calls for attention combined with constant commentary on body language and an attempt to "read" the rest of us at the table.

This isn't meant to be a rant. I've met some lovely people online. It's more a shout out for the genuine, small gathering. While I can't spend quality, in-person time with all of the people I love due to that pesky thing known as distance, taking time to connect and fellowship is where it's at*. I know I'm not alone. A group of mighty creative folks recently launched an online magazine in celebration of the small gathering. The debut issue of Kinfolk Mag is a beautiful homage to the communal experience. I was hooked the minute I read the first pull quote from the article by Saer Richards.

"It didn't take long for me to learn that my heart was endeared to small intimate gatherings, those that are defined by good food, great background music and honest conversation."

Let's hang out, shall we?


* Yes, that is a preposition I just ended on.

Bones and book plates

AMNH photo by Sean Ng via Flickr

I've been developing a preternatural obsession with the American Museum of Natural History and the New York Public Library and the amazing hidden collections they hold. I love stories of dark hallways, historic treasures and rooms filled with historic documents waiting to be rifled through. I like to think I'd have the research stamina to pour over documents in search of that one piece of evidence that would make my argument. There's also a little part of me that likes to dream that one day my personal papers will end up at a place like this and be part of someone else's research expedition. I even draw little doodles throughout my notebook specifically to entertain future generations ;-)


AMNH photo by Charlyn Wee via Flickr

My fascination has partly been triggered by the Special Agent Pendergast series I've been reading by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. While working at a bookstore for years, I continually passed these books by with no more than a glance. Thanks to a free e-book included with another purchase (great ploy, guys) I was introduced to their writing and the series. Fun! The two books I've read involve mysteries surrounding the museum and take you intimately inside various nooks and crannies of the building. There are even a couple of trips to the New York Public Library for research.


NYPL photo by Timo via Flickr

My desire to make my pilgrimage to the New York Public Library (NYPL) was further fueled by a couple of recent articles. Did you know NYPL has over 40,000 menus from around the world? I never would have guessed they catalogued seemingly arcane bits of paper; however, they make an intriguing case about how analyzing these menus can tell us a lot about different regions and the eating habits of people. I love it. Anyway, they're looking for help in transcribing some of the menus they've scanned in, and you can help. The second article was one of The Paris Review's cultural diaries. The writer Amelie Nothomb was treated to a private tour of NYPL and got a chance to check out some of their treasures, including unpublished letters written by Marie Curie, a chemistry paper written by a sixteen-year-old Hemingway, the desk where Charles Dickens wrote, and Virginia Woolf’s cane that was left on the banks of the river where she drowned herself.


NYPL photo by an untrained eye via Flickr

Seriously interesting stuff.

Odds and ends

I snagged a second View-Master to revamp like the one I sent out at Christmas. You can also see the $2 lace curtain panel I draped over one of my tables. I think I like how it adds a little something to the table. :-)

It was the best of times

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

What a great time to be alive. To be surrounded by such creativity and opportunity is truly a blessing. The world seems full of people fighting for change, lifting others up and creating beauty in places where hope is sometimes absent.

Two recent reports from Good magazine got me pumped. The intersection of street art and education at Manual Arts High School is a good example of what can happen when people are willing to step outside their comfort zone. In a school where gang activity and lockdowns are not unfamiliar, some teachers chose not to bury their heads in the sand. Instead, they sought creative ways to reach kids likely labeled at-risk.

While reading Dickens is a valiant exercise, I feel like it's clear how forcing everyone into the same box won't work. Bringing street artists into the school and supporting the arts program gives kids the option to explore other strengths and, judging from the article, inadvertently learn collaboration and respect. It gives the students another way to be special. Anyway, I think it's cool. I'm supportive of any teacher doing what they can to inspire and educate.

Want to know what else is cool? It's the collaboration between Google and Red Bull that allows you to peruse Google maps and view street art around the world. I'm going to have to forget I know about this site, or I'll waste hours on the hunt.

Girl picking mushroom in Norway? Why, yes, it does exist!

Oh...you think I'm a little Pollyanna? I thought I should throw a little positivity out there before my political rant tomorrow.

Painting the roadtrip

Modern art doesn't have to be scary. I love modern art (and I really do think I mean love). It's part of that inspiration addiction I keep talking about. I sometimes feel like there's a growing trend in 'shock' art*, people creating the weird or disturbing simply to be weird and disturbing. I realize this is actually nothing new and that plenty of artists we (i.e., me) now embrace that were considered disturbing back in their day. I like more than my fair share of offbeat artists. Still, there is something sublime in an artist who can paint what your eyes see and your heart feels in such a realistic way.

When I picked up the latest copy of BLUECANVAS magazine and saw the pieces by Brian Martin, I found an artist who does just that.



He paints what my eyes see in the world around me and that I can't seem to make my camera capture.



I see and feel in his paintings that same thing I get when I cock my head a certain way and gaze at the horizon or that random row of houses.







All images are from Brian Martin and The Broadstreetstudio.

*Think of them as the shock jocks of the art world.

Go forth and do!

I have been crazy inspired by people and places this weekend. I've alluded to this before, but inspiration really is like a drug. It takes you high...high...higher...to where you feel invincible. Ideas come at a record pace only to be surpassed by the next idea. The weekend so far has been spent trying to consume these thoughts, feeding off of them in gluttonous abandon.

One of these finds is the Dear Sugar column over at the The Rumpus, specifically, Write Like a Motherfucker. Seriously. It's brilliant, uplifting and much better than Nike's Just Do It. Get over your aversion to a little colorful language and absorb the message.

"I didn’t know if people would think my book was good or bad or horrible or beautiful and I didn’t care. I only knew I no longer had two hearts beating in my chest. I’d pulled one out with my own bare hands. I’d suffered. I’d given it everything I had.

I’d finally been able to give it because I’d let go of all the grandiose ideas I’d once had about myself and my writing—so talented! so young! I’d stopped being grandiose. I’d lowered myself to the notion that the absolute only thing that mattered was getting that extra beating heart out of my chest. Which meant I had to write my book. My very possibly mediocre book."

"Writing is hard for every last one of us—straight white men included. Coal mining is harder. Do you think miners stand around all day talking about how hard it is to mine for coal? They do not. They simply dig."

"So write... Not like a girl. Not like a boy. Write like a motherfucker."

Honestly, I just wanted to copy and paste the whole thing. So many of my friends have stories inside of them, and this, my friends, you should read. 

*I snapped this photo in the bathroom because I thought the light was lovely.

**Happy belated birthday, Abe.