Art in my everyday...

Inspired by the artists at Feather Garden, Salty Pumpkin Studio, and Field and Fen, I am doing something totally impromptu and somewhat spontaneous, and have decided to challenge myself to look around, see the "art" in my everyday spaces (and maybe the not-everyday-spaces), and try to capture it in a photo.  The point is not to capture actual art, but to see the everyday things around me through an artist's eye, so to speak.  As best I can, anyway.  I'm not sure I have an artist's eye.  But I think this is about developing it, so we'll see if that happens. 

Actually, in thinking about this more, I'm adding this paragraph to say, I think what I'm really after is to recognize everyday aesthetics that often go unnoticed, most definitely undocumented.  Regularly documenting everyday aesthetics isn't what's ultimately important, but recognizing them is.  And this practice of documenting them will surely raise my awareness, and even cause me to look for them when I might otherwise move through my space and time too much otherwise occupied to notice or stop and appreciate them.  While I think it will become apparent, I'm also going to mention that seeing "beauty" isn't what this is about.  It's really about seeing things that interest the eye.  That spark an emotion even, for example... of delight or even sadness, or confusion...  We'll see what presents itself.

I have the idea that I may try to do this every day for the month of August or maybe just when it strikes my fancy.  Maybe I'll peter out before the month is over, or maybe this will last beyond this month.  As I begin, I am giving myself no guidelines for this challenge - only to try to capture in a picture something of interest - though I'm allowing for the interest to be in the style of the photograph at times, perhaps even more than in the item photographed.  We'll see what happens.

Beyond this first post, I will try to keep these posts short.  Even wordless at times - hoping the picture speaks for itself. 

To keep track of these pictures, I've created a tab just under the header at the top of my blog.  If I decide to remove the tab, I may make a link in the sidebar.  Clicking on the tab or link will bring all the posts together in one spot.  

 

If you visit me, frequently or occasionally, I hope you'll leave a comment about what you see in these pictures.  

For example, in the second picture I'm kind of enthralled with the brown staining, and what looks like a worn edge on the lid.  In person, I barely notice it, but in the photo (which is easily twice the size of the actual box) this lid edge adds character to this little box that sits on our computer desk.  This box has sat on the computer desk here and in our old house for possibly most of two decades.  At times it has held paper clips, at the moment it holds nothing.  It's granted space on the desktop totally on its own merit.  I don't recall where it came from (probably found at a thrift store), and it's become so much a part of the scenery I hardly ever notice it.  Maybe that's what this challenge is about, too - noticing things that have undeservedly become unremarkable.

Ok, ok...  I think that's enough explaining.  Can you tell I'm figuring this out as I go?

I hope you'll check back and see where this takes me!