Project Lavender Moon
I can’t really tell the name of this project until it’s
released. But I’m excited, and here’s
why.
Last semester, I had an idea. A great one, actually. I took
photography class for my journalism degree, and to my utter surprise I fell in
love. I thought it would be all artsy talk about pictures of flowers and our
feelings, but it was really technical and challenging. I also had a wonderful
teacher who paid as much attention to how we planned to use our photography as
she did the curriculum. I came out of it learning about shooting landscapes,
animals, people and portraits through the eyes of the students who were
passionate about them
.
We had to create a portfolio as a final project. I drew up
some great ideas, and that’s where this one was born. I knew right away I had
found The One and still knew it was too big for the assignment at hand. I got
an A in the class (for perspective, please realize the last art class I took
was in 1989) after some hard work and remedial studying, and then I began to prepare
for this.
I can’t tell you what it is yet. But I can say a few things
and not spill the beans too much. It’s my first self-published art ever, and
the concept is pretty special. Writing journalism is rewarding but you spend so
much effort keeping yourself out of it. In this case I get to bring my own
passion and vision into it but still maintain factual integrity. I also get to
bring my other love into it. And at this point, photography is a love. The
honeymoon is over. I’ve slogged through wet grass for a shot and hurt myself
crawling around dancing people for “the” shot of a drummer. The love endures. I
have a lot to learn but thanks to some generous people (including that amazing
teacher) I have some folks who will help me succeed.
My writing life in general has entered a new, peaceful
phase. The work for CBS Local is steady and rewarding. I learn a lot and I get
to do tons of research and learn about random and unpredictable things. That’s pretty much a Bon kind of deal.
Examiner.com is also steady and I have full creative control. Though I report
to an editorial team, I pick my own assignments and can continue to gain
valuable experience. Unite Publications is personally satisfying, because I am
contributing to a cause I believe in, a major principle I try to live by every
day. Steady work, no need to hunt for more, and actually turning down work
because I am pleasantly occupied. This frees up a lot of time. I no longer have
to write query letters, follow up with editors and mail endless packets out to
publishers. I just write. Now I can do this justice.
I have conducted a few interviews, and have some coming up.
The subjects are getting better and better, and I am learning how to interview
in an entirely different way. I am in talks to interview someone I have admired
for years, and have met the most amazing people through the conversations. It
is my job to record people. Their stories. Not just news, or scandals. What
makes them who they are. Their perspective and experiences are unique, and
there is so much to learn from one another. I realize as I’m doing it that it’s
my best work to date, but in another surprise I didn’t expect it to change
me. My mind and understanding of people
has grown so much in the past few months that it is unreal.
I’m going to write about my experience of putting this
together in my blog. Not to tease people with upcoming releases, I won’t link
to them at all. You will have to sign up if you want that level of detail. I
have several artist friends who want to learn the publishing end of this, so I
am going to help them understand on a step by step basis. If you would like to learn how, I will gladly
help and answer questions along the way. Self-publishing is usually not
recommended, especially for traditional fiction. However, for art it is perfectly acceptable,
and that is how I plan to approach it anyway.
So there you have it. There will be more coming. I am going
to work it hard this summer, and hopefully have it down to editing and tweaking
before school starts back up.
More coming soon,
Bon
