I've seen it all before ...

How often do you surf the web?

For your consideration... 

In just a few minutes of web surfing you can view hundreds (maybe even thousands)

of images, ideas, foods, faces, places, projects, products,  images, artworks, craft works, 

words, advertisements, complaints ... (head spinning as we speak)...... and let's not discount the exorbitant amount of piffle. At any given moment millions of people are interacting on a global scale  - watching, taking, using, creating, downloading, buying, selling.... you get the idea.

Recently I participated in a debate with a group (all female) of acquaintances regarding the internet and a number of issues that it presents. 

It began with privacy (or rather lack thereof) when it comes to social media and posting photos of your family, your children, your friends, their children, your art, your home, your location!

I'm sure you've seen those posts (on Facebook) warning you that your privacy is being

violated by (Facebooks') new terms and agreements - urging you to check your settings and change them to "espionage stealth status" so that your identity may only be revealed to those who already know who you are, where you live... even when you're home alone (tragic but true).

In a very spirited tone (I use that description in its' most demonic and poltergeist sense) we argued as to whether you had the right to demand rights or was the web a privilege to be grateful for and not challenged. Clearly I was the only person present at this debate who had studied philosophy for I was the only one happy to enter the realms of determinism, trees that fall in forests and chickens arriving before eggs. Many of my attempts to keep things friendly were loosely veiled in profound metaphysical suppositions that were usually met with blank stares annoyance and (often audible) grunts of disbelief. What can I say - I'm a pacifist. 

We debated (rather loudly I might add) as to the merits of keeping one's children out of the prying eyes of perverts whilst behind closed doors but not really having any control over whether or not they were being violated (not my word) on other forums - for example images taken of them by their friends and shared liberally. Everyone became quite passionate at this point but they seemed  - on the surface - to reach a unanimous conclusion: Our children needed to be protected from the absolute certainty that was the dangerous general public. (Oh and quite a few ladies were ignoring their children's cries for attention whilst ardently arguing to their rights as harmless (pffff) little beings... just saying) 

I was amazed at how opinionated people became over matters that they had no personal experience in. Sometimes I wonder whether people actually care that about the things that go wrong as much as they care about having an opinion regarding the things that go wrong.

We debated on the matter of etiquette when it came to posting photos of people without prior consent. Should you always ask? Even at family gatherings?  (one person said that she refused to having her photo taken much less shared on social media - yet she admitted that she looked at the photos of others without leaving comments or likes and would also post photos of others without showing them first - when asked if she thought this was rather unfair she said that she did not. Almost everyone disagreed with her but simultaneously admitted to having shared images without gaining formal approval first) Are we obliged to ask people whether they mind having their faces tagged & their lives shared via your daily post? Is it open slather if everyone's doing it? 

We touched on the rather sticky topic of what you should and should not share -  and how to tell people that their posts, images, tweets were distressing, distasteful, disparaging or (even worse) boring. Most agreed that you stopped following these offenders (or hid their timeline) whilst others suggested that it was best to let people know if they were "sh*t at all things social media" (not my quote... wish it was though)

We contended on the importance of teaching our children that ALL media forms have an agenda - usually money. Was it important to let them know this in order to empower them as further consumers devourers of the web? Do our kids even care as much about privacy as we do? 

Should we be teaching them about the importance of privacy?? (Ok... I'll admit that I threw that pigeon in amongst the cats... oops Freudian slip)

We debated on the matter of credit. The notion that when you take a photo of art (graffiti, public sculptures, buskers etc) are you always obliged to link the source? And what of your own ideas? If you were inspired by something you spotted on Design Sponge was it your duty to say so before you madly uploaded images of your mini kitchen reno?

Was it possible to be too anal? Too liberal? Are any ideas original? 

And what of all the posts, photos, competitions themselves? Is there anything original left to be said? 

Are we sick of slick shots of perfect cappuccinos and cake (guilty) or the flowers that decorated the table (guilty) or the funky decor (guilty) that clearly was not our idea and yet here we are receiving 47 likes for taking a photo of someone elses' styling genius (guilty!!) Or is this act of digital candour merely "sharing the biz love" (NOT my words) 

Is this a ridiculous waste of mental stress? Are we to accept that when they invented "screen shots" they destroyed copyright? And who is they??

Oh it was a colourful and enlightening debate (waste of an hour). I think some friendships are no longer on the same footing and perhaps a few Facebook pals are now unknowingly pissed off, shunned blocked. I left feeling that buzz you feel when you still have things to shout out self righteously say. More importantly I left realising that everything on the web was both unique and ordinary all at once. 

A sort of global school photo. When you squint and look closely you spot yourself but take a step back and you've seen it all before.

What are your thoughts people? 

Come on... speak freely! 

♥♥♥♥♥

Aside - I'm well aware of the fact this post is fraught with strikethrough text, parenthesis and frightening grammatical errors... that was deliberate and I blame social media. :-) xx 

Breaking the rules... all of them.

The Blue Window - Matisse

How many times have you told yourself "Well I guess that's how it's done" only to 

find out that in fact there are so many other ways to "get it done"

Anna Zborowska - Amedeo Modigliani

How many times have you felt like standing up in front of the crowd and yelling

"You're all WRONG!!"

The Park - Gustav Klimt

How many times have you stumbled upon a brilliant idea and then

sabotaged it within seconds ... usually by just ignoring it and not acting upon it

The Olive Trees - Vincent Van Gogh

Have you ever found yourself defending your viewpoint and then 

realising "Hang on! This a VIEWPOINT... how can I be wrong??"

Church at Murnau - Wassily Kandinsky

What about those days when you begin creating and the world just melts away...

....minutes turn to hours and you forget to eat your lunch....

... the light dims outside but your eyes are adjusting so you don't notice...

Road near L'Estaque - Georges Braque

.... then someone walks in and turns a light on and you realise that time

has stood still for you and that, for even just a few moments... you had melted into

the canvas of life and fused with all the other beautiful colours...

Illumined Pleasures - Salvador Dali

... but the dishes are dirty, but that idea has had it's day, but there's no time, 

but I don't have the money, but... but... but.....

La Goulue at the Moulin - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

In times of crisis they say we humans either fight or fly

I happen to think that some of the greatest art comes from these moments of crisis...

I still use brushes - Arman Pierre Fernandez

... and then what we see on the canvas, in the photo, within the statue...

Untitled 1980  - Cindy Sherman

.. is a symbol of flying or fighting...

Rocks Upon The Beach Upon the Rocks - Lawrence Weiner

I make so many mistakes when i'm creating and very often

when I look back on my previous works I realise I was my harshest

critic. Art has no boundaries people. Therefore it has to include the mistakes.

Repository - George Brecht

The greats knew... KNOW... this. 

An innate sense of what it is to express you're authentic itself

without caution nor concern for what the observer may say or do...

Self Playing Violin - Laurie Anderson

... a desperate drive to make, build, paint, sculpt, write, sew, 

speak, film, play... breathe the art that needs to be seen...

Elizabeth - Chuck Close

... that's the purest form of magic I have ever seen...

Colorado Springs, Colorado - Robert Adams

FACT: The greats broke the rules...

ALL of them.

Untitled - Urs Fischer 

My trip to the state gallery to see a guest exhibition

"Van Gogh, Dali and Beyond - The world reimagined"

had me in utter, speechless awe. 

Exquisitely curated and thoughtfully assigned it presented

works by well known and lesser known artists who all shared

a valuable common thread. The fine gossamer line of rebellion.

The "in your face" flip of the middle finger.

The careful, shy and deliberate thumbing of the nose.

The disdain for the norm.

The rules learnt, then shunned, then broken.

Peoples I cannot begin to sum up this exhibition and as for the photos taken

with my camera... well they are just token.

I will however, leave you with a note on the third last image.

The portrait by a man called Chuck Close.

A man who suffers from Prosopagnosia

Also known as Face Blindness.

Yes... you read correctly... a portrait artist who struggles to recognise

faces (and remember them even when he does) decided to paint portraits. 

A man who, at one point, threw away all his 

tools in order to force himself to undertake artistic challenges

he knew he had no facility for.

And ... wait for it... 

A man who in 1988 suffered a seizure which left him paralysed

from the neck down.

A man who now paints with his brush taped to his wrist.

*******

Today peoples let's all try something new...

....let's honour the greats...

Those who walked the walk before us, faced the 

ridicule and then turned around and taught us all a valuable lesson...

Break the rules... all of them.

Restless....

I woke up this morning around quarter to five...

... the wind was howling and the rain pelting down so hard 

that I was sure my chickens would be floating around in their run

(can chickens swim???))

I had to get up and move

The storm rendered me grateful for a gas hob

Here in the hills we lose power during storms regularly

Tree branches (and often trees themselves) crash to the ground

... taking power lines down with graceful ease

Then heroes - volunteering heroes - come out from the safety

of their homes to assist in the clean up that ensues

This would be one of those stormy days for sure

I wondered where Spring had disappeared to

Why was she so shy this year?

We need the rain and I'm a Winter loving gal

Yet ... today I felt...

 I would like to see the sunshine at least once....

♥♥♥

Winter Blues Reversed....

global warming has cooked things up a bit

changing tides, glaciers, hibernations... the whole shebang

thermostats all around the world are confused

the almond tree has blossomed

the poplar is following suit

native freesias have carpeted the nearby parklands

i’m scoffing pretentious soy chai lattes

in a desperate bid to hold onto cosy affairs

i wear “the onesie” in protest, but usually have to strip

halfway through the evening because I’m overheating

I have run out of period dramas to watch

and pod casts to listen to - i have books (of course)

but they’re not cosy reads - need to find a cosy read

(something set in Russia I think)

I didn’t knit enough

i didn’t sort enough

I didn’t have many picnics

(none to be accurate)

I wrote in my journal though

and I made lots of things

oh dear .... I’m rambling

It’s a spectacular day outside

I’m not exaggerating 

20 degrees - sunny and the bluest of skies

I know i should be out there enjoying it

I know I should be excited about the prospect of spring

it’s just that winter flew by all too quickly

and I don’t feel like I got money’s worth 

winter blues reversed

rare but real 

♥♥♥

A Winter of Content....

* Showering outdoors ...  you hurry to get under the hot spray of loveliness but linger to exit. You run inside chased by the wind and you melt in front of the heater. It's all about freezing your sweet patootie off in order to REALLY appreciate that cup of tea, that warm jumper, those toasty slippers. The contrast forces an absurd gratification and the reward is all the more sweeter for it.

* Food and Drink... it all takes on a new meaning for me when the weather cools down. It becomes sustenance rather than calories. I find myself seeking out comfort food like a truffle hunting boar. I cannot stay away from the pantry, I linger at the refrigerator, I don't even bother putting away the toaster. No Sir. It's time to fatten up. Hibernation is upon us and we must be ready to face Spring with a renewed strength to our constitution. 

* Making ... As the degrees descend I find it easier to locate that inner sanctum. The quiet place where ideas flow more readily and creativity entertains, rather than eludes, me. Words are everywhere like shells on the shore. Treasure hunting is fun. I am not taunted by the clock, instead it's ticking comforts me. I can make a brew... locate the chocolate stash (good for hibernation and creation) ... and then in a hedonistic state of catatonic rapture I am able to make things, write things, craft things and read things... and not for any end purpose either ...  No -  just for the sheer luxury of it. It's too cold outside.... best read a book.... it's raining... best start knitting .... it's wet and miserable... best make some bunting. Absurd to some. Completely logical to me. 

* Sunshine... an oxymoron to most I know - but Sunshine really is my favourite thing about a Perth Winter. It's all the pros and no cons... it's the blackcurrant lollies so rare in the mix... the lucky find... the gem. You can let it soak into your bones and there is not a bead of sweat to be seen. You can dry the linen naturally... you can spread the rug on the lawn... you can take tea in garden... with the chooks. The humble front patio setting, small and unassuming, quickly become the best seats in the house. The pooch knows it and will not budge for bone nor breakfast in a bid to savour every shard that comes his way. 

This is Winter for me peoples. It just feels like a time to be inexcusably content. Running from vehicle to front door in a downpour - content that you are sheltered. Thermal underwear - content that you are warm. Gardening - content that there are no flies. Appeased, fulfilled, smug, gratified... all synonyms for CONTENT.

What does Winter mean to you? What emotions does it evoke from you? Do you even like Winter? Is yours a wet or dry one? Do you have activities that you love undertaking when the cosy factor is increased? Are you a "big scoffer of all foodstuffs" ... as I seem to be? Family traditions? Bonfires? Favourite films? Do share. ♥