To Be An Ant

Someone just told me the other day about two different artists.  One of them was in a never-ending cycle of having these great moments of artistic clarity and creativity, directly followed by long, low periods of depression and heavy drinking.  The other artist, a writer, looked up to this woman and saw her as a butterfly, always blooming and spreading her beautiful wings for everyone to admire, but having very short lifespans.  But instead of being more like a butterfly, the writer had her own way of working - two hours a day in front of the computer, every day, whether she felt like writing or not.  She referred to herself as an ant, consistently building on what she had, and never stopping.  It may not seem as glamorous, but she was still a very successful writer, and was able to avoid several bouts of depression.

I'm trying to work like an ant, which is not as easy as it sounds.  Whether I like it or not, I am a very emotional person, and high emotions are hard to suppress when I'm taking pictures I don't like so much.  But, it is what it is, and I just need to keep putting one foot in front of the other until I find a good connection with something.

Here are a few pictures I took the other night in Kansas City, which has been swarming with crows.  There will be just thousands of crows roosting in the trees and on the buildings of a block, which is a pretty amazing sight to see.  I wish my photos could have done the experience more justice, but maybe I'll have better luck another night.

I've also been continuing to photograph trees - I'm still very caught up on the one behind my apartment. 

I've been spending a good amount of time just trying to pull my camera out and mess around, too.  Here are a couple experimental shots with the zoom, a photo from a day at the zoo, and another with Brian on a lazy Saturday...

And last but not least, a photo of Penny to bring in the new season!

These may not be the most glamorous or exciting shots, but to be an ant is not always an exciting thing.  Maybe, in a few days or weeks, my consistent work will pay off into an amazing feat.  Maybe.