Blooming

Bloom where you are planted ... that's what they say.  I think "they" are right.  But the key is being planted.

For many years, I have not been completely planted.  I've had the hope of being planted, but one can only flourish in small ways while hope is held at bay.  Proverbs was right ... "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." (Proverbs 13:12)

All this rightness is something I've missed for quite some time.  I kept thinking I could catch up, make up, adjust, connect, somehow get right again when my world was right again. But I kept losing my footing along the way, limping in a sometimes-lovely limbo.  But loveliness was a bit of a mirage.

So, I'm planting myself.  I think my dwindling roots had been loose and ready for quite some time.  But hope does not easily let go.  So when the time came, though the pain of change was sharp and hard and reverberating, drawing from rich soil has brought new life.  It's been two months and deep places are reviving from the inside and beginning to spread.  And now?  I'm finally feeling right, too.

Blooming is not without its challenges.  But it is infinitely better than lying dormant.  I think again of Proverbs 13:12 ... Blooming is longing!  And my longings are beginning to find fulfillment.  There is a sense of awe in the air, and I don't want to miss another moment to breathe it in.

So here I am ... before my beautiful Creator ... amazed by the beauty growing from what I thought I had neglected to the point of destruction.  It would have been enough just to breathe, but now I am blooming.

Winds 'n Roses

(Oops! I edited and published something quite old and thought it would retain the original date. Oh well!)

Exhausted, I lie here sleepless, listening to the wind. My thoughts drift and swirl like the sounds dancing outside my window.  They say a storm is coming. Knowing this makes the wind sound different. I listen a little closer. I hear a threat and a howl. I wonder what will happen ... if we will be prepared, protected.

But as I contemplate, I remember that wind is what one waits for when wanting to fly a kite. I remember that wind carries seeds to perpetuate new growth. I remember that sails were meant to catch the wind and propel a vessel.

So I wonder in a metaphor of life ... what am I holding to the wind? I realize that I feel fragile. What I hold is more like a flower than something destined for flight. I think maybe I have wrapped my wings around myself and they have become soft like petals. I imagine myself as a flower in the wind.  And I worry that the delicate layers will be quickly stripped and my hopes now folded and soft will have been dashed.

I write and let the wondering thoughts wash over me ... Silly me. I know that just as it would make no sense to display a boquet in a windstorm, it also makes no sense to try and fly a kite indoors. Both will result in some kind of destruction! There's a time and place for everything.

Nurture the fragile. Launch the bold.

Turning Entanglement To Art

Sometimes life is bland and flat ... other times it's a tangled mess ... it can be a party ... or it can be the residue from others that is left for me to clean up.  It can look like nothing or an intricate maze.  What makes life beautiful? Perspective.

Maybe my life is all tangled.
Maybe the bright splashes are to be celebrated instead of figured out.
Maybe daily life is a slab of ordinary underneath everything.
But it could be that if I look closer, maybe it's art.

I'm considering adopting a new motto:  Never untangle ... find the beauty.

Venetian Prisons

Decadent Glory
Crumbling Beauty
Cascading History
Decaying Grandeur

I feel this sometimes. Tonight I cannot sleep and feel more of the restraints than I care to admit.  I crave change, yet I feel powerless.

Desperately Seeking Thirsty

Aching For Change ...

Aching for growth, for change, for direction, for peace.  There's a sun that shines ... and it shines on all ... I'm aching to stop running to and fro and soak it in somehow.

I'm In The Credits!

This is the credits page in the 3DiCD virtual artwork for the launch of Imogen Heap's new project. Can you see my name? YAY!!!

Welcome In A Heartbeat

WOW! Now this isn't final artwork, but as of right now, my image is on the first page of Imogen Heap's new song!  The lyrics say "Welcome in a heartbeat ..." Part of Imogen's inspiration was the birth of her niece (her heartbeat is used in the song) coinciding with the birth of this project.  She became an aunt.  And I became a grandmother (2 days ago)!  So those lines almost give me the shivers, but in a very good way.  I hope this image stays!

Even more Imogen Heap Excitement!

This screen shot of the video concept has me wondering if that just might be my sunflower video projected on her back!  MAYBE!!!  I was catching up on the video blog tonight and in addition to this, there were some MORE specific photo mentions!!!  Imogen was sharing some of her personal favorites, and the second mentioned was one of my dirty rusty things, the third was of my "teal" dirty rusty things.

I'm beginning to think/hope that I might have a chance at being one of those invited to Imogen Heap's house on Monday!  I wonder if I could/should consider going as it is a once in a lifetime opportunity (should it happen, of course).  Hmmmmmm.

Here's the link to the video blog.  You can look for the following things in the timeline:
11:10 - "Somebody's Sunflower" projected on her back ... maybe mine????
26:30 - my photos of "dirty rusty things"
26:52 - bicycle things - not specific, but two of mine are bicycle images!
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13496853

By the way, her sketch of the video concept will be going on ebay with the $$ being donated and the person winning the sketch also being invited to attend Monday.

Imogen Heap Excitement ... UPDATE!

This is page one of the favorite images for Imogen Heap's new album project starting with "heapsong1" (and I LOVE the concept - everything released electronically as the songs are created) ... and 8 of my images are in it! WOW! I don't know if what I've done will make it to the final project, but I'm QUITE thrilled as is.  I'm trying not to geek out but I guess a blog post makes me guilty (blush).  IT'S JUST SO EXCITING!

Imogen Heap EXCITEMENT!

So ... I'm working along at the computer, listening to Imogen Heap's live video blog.  She shares about the song, where it's at, plays a bit (I'm loving it all), and then she and Andy Carne (I think) talk a bit about the images being shared.  I hear her mention spokes, he mentions "IndigoBleue" (GASP! ME!), and she talks a bit about liking the concept and how seeing things close up can convey such a depth and width of meaning.

I had to go back later to actually see the footage since I was working on something else ... and they showed my picture on the air!  How cool is that?  My photo ... and Imogen Heap right there.  For family and friends interested in seeing the little segment, here's the link (it happens at the 30 minute mark):  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13359689

Glad I got up the courage to go find a bike shop and ask if I could take some photos!

Sky Dreaming

We had an amazing opportunity to watch an eclipse.  Like most nights, I was pretty worn out.  I almost felt obligated to get out my camera, snap a few photos - just to say I did - and then go to bed.  I half-heartedly go outside with one of my cameras ... of course, it's the moon, and it's challenging (for me) to get an image I like.  That's all it took to get the juices going.  It was no longer sufficient to snap a few photos.

Suddenly, it seemed like the best idea in the world to camp out (in December) and watch the whole thing.  I dragged out all my gear and before long, I had a VERY comfy bed set up under the stars.  I was plugged in to chargers and had a few camera options on deck (you never know how quickly batteries will drain in cold weather).  Eventually, I got pretty cold, but there was no way I would go in and miss anything!  Once the real me kicks in, I just keep going and going.  My parents tell me I was like this from birth: if I could find something to be excited about (and I usually could) I'd stay up all night if possible.

And this night was pretty special.  Not only did I have the challenge of photographing something unusual, but I had hours and hours to look at the sky and dream.  I don't think I've done that in a very long time.

The lesson for me?  I could have had a normal, tired-out, run-of-the-mill night.  If I didn't take those few steps outside my door, I would have missed something amazing.  It was literally a handful of steps standing between me and a lifetime moment.  This time I can say I have no regrets!

VOTE QUICK! (you can keep my grinchy song - FREE!)

I'm a finalist! Enjoy ... and vote for me until Noon (PST) Thursday, December 17!
VOTE HERE (look for Ingrid): http://hightechdad.com/htdhpv
LISTEN HERE (can you guess the vocalist?): http://soundcloud.com/indigobleue/youre-a-lean-one-old-pc

Yes, I REALLY want to win. No, I won't tell the sob stories (though I am VERY tempted) ... but it is the holiday season! There's enough to be sad about already. And when it comes down to it, I've been so busy that I haven't had fun like this in a while. Enjoy the song!

YOU'RE A LEAN ONE, OLD PC

You're a lean one, Old PC. You've lost all your appeal. Your motherboard's a cactus, Your OS is an eel. Old PC.

You're a bad banana With a greasy gigibyte peel.

You're a monster, Old PC. Your hard drive's an empty hole. Your brain is full of spiders, You've got viruses in your soul. Old PC.

I wouldn't touch you, with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot widget pole.

You're a vile one, Old PC. You have termites in your drive. You have all the computing sweetness Of a seasick crocodile. Old PC.

Given the choice between the two of you I'd take the seasick crocodile.

And your router, Old PC. Can't connect your sinful dots. Your network's a dead tomato splot With moldy purple spots, Old PC.

You're a three decker software and hardware sandwich With arsenic sauce.

You nauseate me, Old PC. With a nauseaus ASCII-naus. You're a crooked jerky jockey And you drive a crooked horse. Old PC.

Your C-drive is an apalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable rubbish imaginable, Mangled up in MFT knots.

You're a foul one, Old PC. You're a nasty, Windows skunk. Your hub is full of unwashed socks Recycle bin's full of gunk. Old PC.

The three words that best describe you, are, and I quote: "Stink. Stank. Stunk."