Faster Than The Speed Of Light

Just a quick note to let all (eh, um six) of you know that I haven't forgotten about ye old blog. I've just been printing a lot and working hard on getting the new catalog ready and new cards in the Etsy shop. I've also been doing some letterpress printing for Paper Rock Scissor, an invitation studio in Minneapolis. I love them.

You know what I've also been loving lately? No, not Pinterest. Well, yes. Pinterest. But that's not what I was going to say.

The band Wilco. I've been listening to their new/not so new record "The Whole Love" - I must confess I haven't heard any of their new work for a long long long time.

I used to listen to them A LOT in the mid-1990's. And I was a huge fan of Uncle Tupelo. I guess I got into some other stuff and put Wilco aside for awhile. Until the other day when I saw this really REALLY bad parallel parking job. My husband and I were sitting in front of a restaurant sipping some Rosé and waiting for a table. And in front of us was this exploration in parking that was really REALLY special. When it was all said and done I was singing in my head a little song from Wilco called "I Must Be High". The next day I gave that record a listen. Then I moved on to the new record. Needless to say, I have a lot of catching up to do. One could say it's like finding out about a new/old band. You have an entire catalog of music to dive into. So I've been diving. Diving and Printing.

The Etsy Sellers Uphill Battle

My Etsy shop is a constant work in progress. If you have an Etsy shop you know that with every challenge comes a reward. And if you have ever talked with me about my experiences using Etsy I always say, "you get out of it what you put into it." I've had my shop for 3 years now and am just coming 'round the bend to my 1000th sale. I'm elated to say the least but I also know that I have so so SO much work to do.

Right now I'm focusing on adding more items, and of course, the ever evolving challenge of cohesive photography.

For example: I'm really liking the way this photo laid out. It's slightly off center. It's not exactly white on white. Yet, the item stands out. 

My husband and I always talk about the difference between men and women and how they tackle photography. We are both photographers and have very different approaches. We always say that (usually) women work with instinct and (usually) men work with technique.

How many times do I have to ask about F-stops and Depth of Field? Many times and many more to come. Wing Young Huie, an amazing photographer in the Twin Cities once told me, "If you are going to be a photographer you'd better figure out how to use your camera." I scoffed. That's a man's point of view for you. Here are a couple of my photographs (non Etsy, non Vandalia Street Press related): 

My favorite photographs have always been these sort of drive-by shots. My landscape work, my work as an artist is "horizon meet object" photography. Photography in motion. If that makes any sense. So, I guess, yes I've learned how to use my camera. Only in a way that works for me to get the results I want. 

It's the other work - the staged objects, the flat pieces of paper that need to look like someone might actually want to buy it. It's the "I can't be confined by a tripod"
photography that I have to work on.

That is the challenge. How do I mesh instinct with technique? Answers to follow.





Please visit the beautiful photography of Wing Young Huie here.

Step One: Promote Business

Should I be talking about Vandalia Street Press? It's the main reason I'm starting this blog, and believe me when I say that this is not my first attempt at starting a blog.  Like many people they start 'em but they never go anywhere. I don't know why I'm even saying that. I'm quite sure you already know how these things play out. This is however my most sincere and serious approach to blogging. I even did some "at-home" work shop stuff to purge ideas and interests out of my brain and onto a piece of paper. Turns out I'm into letterpress printing, food, wine, cooking, tacos, private investigation, screen printing, art, driving, detective shows, and printmaking. In addition to the fascinating topics just listed, I will indeed be talking about my little letterpress printing company, Vandalia Street Press. I have big big plans for us in 2012.