CREATIVE outlets-

[another view]

Great idea, Natalie! First off, the picture is three years old and was the one where I figured out that you need to be really careful with preparing a subject for a shot like this (i.e. dusting!). Early experiment with shallow DOF too. Anyway, I'm a mostly-retired bass player which I've been doing for about 20 years. Retirement due to the inability to stay up past 11:00, that is! I played alot of different styles with different groups and played some pretty big stages opening up for touring bands and also got to do some recording studio work too. Nothing quite on the level of our own Charles Hess, but I got a taste of it. I have another CD project coming up (it's in the "planning" stage right now) so I guess I better start practicing again.

Could have used one of your scarves last weekend in the 30 below wind chill! Interesting to see what everyone else does other than photography. I've always heard stained glass is expensive to get into - and coming from photographers I guess I have to believe it!

[Jezz]

Well my other main output is Bonsai, which also helps me relax and put my emotions into something that will hopefully prosper, My other "other" output is designing furniture, that will also become a fulltime "money paying" job one day in the near future i hope.also when i get that inflow of money i hope i can indulge my other passion of classic car restoration? need money (lots) to do that well. and a lot of tools, The most important one is me!!

[natatbeach]

my son plays the bass---a similar shot was one of my first attempts at depth of field with my son's bass

tahnks for sharing--I can relate to the stay up past 11:00 thing hehe

[natatbeach]

you might be the type of person who'd enjoy bonsai. You have really beautiful things in your garden(I think it's you that's posted garden things) and besdies most people don't have ponds and such if they don't have a love for plants and nature...
cool

thnaks for sharing--maybe you could post some of your furniture design that have been completed or some of your mini trees

[walterick]

I walk my shadow on the Shadow Bridge
I watch my shadow as it comes to the end
I turn my shadow around and around
I laugh at my shadow as it falls to the ground!

[walterick]

But this you already knew.

[Peter_AUS]

Hey Nat,

With your knitting, don't pull the wool so tight especially around the edges. If it is loose at the edges then pull the wool a little tighter.

Did you check your tension before you started knitting the scarf, tension is most important to check before you get too far into something.

I have knitted several jumpers over the years, I mostly like cable knitting and also jumpers with pattens in them done with different coloured wools.

My mother taught me to knit when I was younger, she knitted by look hardly followed any patten at all. Used it to just check if getting a little too complicated. I was once offered $200 for one of her jumpers and that was like 30 years ago. The equivalent would sell for around $500. Of course I said no. My wife wears one of them now.

This is a really great thread.

[Spike]

Homebrewing is a fun, hands-on, creative hobby, assuming you like beer, which I do!

I used to sew quite well, but it's been so long since I've sewn that I'm afraid I've forgotten all the techniques. Fabric is no bargain here in Canada anyway.

One thing that I'd eventually like to do, but it is a big $$$ investment, not to mention space, is woodworking. Specifically, I'd like to learn how to make furniture such as shelving units and cupboards.

And I agree with you, stained glass looks like a lot of fun.

Spike

[mtbbrian]

[QUOTE=Spike]Homebrewing is a fun, hands-on, creative hobby, assuming you like beer, which I do!

Home Brew!

YUMMMMMY!
Brian

[Chunk]

I like your stained glass work, Nat. I've done a little of that too.

A little over a year ago I took up painting. Some of my stuff can be seen here.
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/...54&gid=1305402

[natatbeach]

I always wanted to learn the craft...I actually wanted to register at Homedepot(home improvement store) and can you believe a girl can't get power tools for her own wedding...

cool
nat

[natatbeach]

is one of those things I can't wrap my brain around and I would love to learn it especially oils and watercolor...I've tried acrylic and I'm terrible at it everything ends up gray and muddy (

that's awesome I would love to see more....

[walterick]

as my vehicles require.

[kafin8ed]

I've always drawn, and took classes through college but now I take photos pretty much exclusively. I attached something I did back in '91.

I also used to play guitar a lot but decided to concentrate on mountain biking more seriously about 6 years ago and rarely play any more. I do listen to music all the time though, that is still a huge outlet for me.

I've been know to weld up a few steel mountain bike frames when the weather is nasty and I'm stuck inside not able to ride. I like to build things especially when fire and melted metal are involved.

[Trevor Ash]

as my vehicles require.

That's a really cool photo! And a really cool photo of you as well.

[Trevor Ash]

I like solving problems. That's what's fun for me. I started learning about computer programming in High School and eventually found my way into a career using it. Many non-software folks would probably never guess at how creative one can be in coming up with new solutions to familiar and sometimes new problems.

Software design, even before writing a lick of code, is a highly creative process. Much like designing a new building or office space. Granted there are rules and boundaries to follow but it can be a lot of fun.

Here's a photo of me a LONG time ago when I was real heavy into writing a freeware application (which I get emails about to this day!). Heck, this was before I knew much of anything about photography!!!!!

Yes, ubergeek galore.

[Trevor Ash]

I like your stained glass work, Nat. I've done a little of that too.

A little over a year ago I took up painting. Some of my stuff can be seen here.
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/...54&gid=1305402

Great Chunk! I really like "Flight" and "Rocky River Wayside". Nice paintings.

[connellj]

People here are SO talented---it only leads me to believe that their talents must expand outward to other areas of life and be expressed thru other mediums----

so,what are some of your other creative outlets? post a pic or two or three or whatever of some of your projects

here's just two
the first is my poor man's attempt at stained glass using gallery glass(acrylic paint)...I would LOVE to eventually have the space and the time(and the money) to design some pieces...

and a scarf I've been working on (not the quickest knitter) since I just learned two days ago...

Look forward to seeing everyone's posts....

This IS my creative outlet. I've tried drawing, painting, piano, trumpet, banjo, writing, public speaking, drama, framing and mat making, calligraphy. Zip - Nada. No talent, no creativity.

And then - BANG! Digital Photography! Whoa. Now I begin to wonder if there isn't some remedial streak of creativity that hasn't been stomped out of me after all. I love the idea of taking a picture, putting it in my computer and then - TA DA - Making it BETTER! That's creativity.

Digital Photography is my outlet.

[Asylum Steve]

I've always drawn, and took classes through college but now I take photos pretty much exclusively. I attached something I did back in '91.

Nice. I love drawing, too. And though I really don't do much anymore, every once in a while I try to take a life drawing class if I can.

It's a nice change of pace, is MUCH more difficult to compare myself with others (which in this case I find both healthy and relaxing), and helps me "retrain" my eyes to really LOOK at a subject, which is a key to sucess in any artistic field, especially photography.

BTW, everytime I show some of my drawings to friends that know my photo work well, I always seem to get the comment, "wow, I didn't know you were THAT artistic!". This cracks me up, and simply shows that many people still don't view photography as a complete or as skilled an art form as drawing or painting.

Anyway, I usually reply, "Well, I've been drawing since I was four years old. I only picked up photography in my twenties..."

[natatbeach]

how talented everyone is and what a diversity of talents there are...that's all...just thought it was pretty cool.

[GB1]

I'm a hobbiest artist and work in a technical field, so photography is a nice blend of the two worlds.

As for the art stuff, I mostly draw but have dabbled with painting, multimedia, computer graphics, etc and now, computer animation (that's a steep learning curve, btw ... got a few hundreds of hours to use lying around?... That's what it takes).

Here's a few pix. The graphic is a still frame from a 3D Studio Max modelling and animation project I did on my Nikon zoom lens. The drawing was from a live model (Amanda).

-GB

[Chunk]

Great Chunk! I really like "Flight" and "Rocky River Wayside". Nice paintings.

Thanks, Trevor. "Flight" was based on a photograph in the Critique forum by Jerrry Litynski that grabbed me.
http://forums.consumerreview.com/crforum?viewall@103.ZmCDa7GgrYn^2@.efc3770
Jerry graciously gave permission for me to use it as a subject for painting.

[stew]

like darkman, i work with IC's, but instead of designing them, i analyze them using software (my company is cadence - darkman probably knows the name, for good or ill). i used to be big into music up until high school, but chose engineering over music (classical clarinet) for very shallow reasons. but hey now i have a nice camera. my hobbies now are my journal, reading, traveling, and athletics: recently, it's master's swimming (revisiting competitive swimming abandoned years ago), but i competitively rowed in cambridge up until a couple years ago. photography is a very recent addition to offset the more sterile creativity of my job.

it's fun to read what others here do... please keep posting! thanks, nat.

[stew]

i meant to say, i was big into music up until college (not high school). sorry.

[natatbeach]

We have firend's that swim competitively here in Beverly , MA...too wonder if you guys swim against each other?

BTW I really love the colrs in the friend cooking shot...I'm jealous you have lime colored walls

I would love to see you pursue a series or add'l shots with the flame fromt he gass tove and the lime walls...maybe incorporate some cobal blue or chartruese bottles or stem ware...I don't know maybe some oranges and reds too(how I don't know I just se things---not dead people----

thnaks for posting and sharing