Entry #1 A Picture's Worth

        Sometimes seeing it means so much, compared to just saying it. In todays world of media that seems pertain of a direct flow of peoples opinions developed on other peoples opinions and a variety of "news" sources. It feels as though it is almost impossible to sift through all of it and find the actual truth. Even after reading through stories from http://www.shakesville.com/ a feminist website that shares similar views of my own I can't help but to reflect on the given stories and wonder about the context behind it. For example, what bias's does the author have, what is the story of the opposing side, and also the history of the person who the article is being written about. After looking through several blogs and attempting to read many that all seemed to share the same theme of pushing some sort of political or social issue towards me I began to feel quite disinterested. I don't condone all of this information, but maybe if I had more time to invest into getting to "know" a specific author of one of these blogs I would feel more comfortable deeply considering the information they are sharing. I guess that's where the term I'll believe it when I see it gains it's truth.
           After taking a gander at many blogs on the top 50 blogger list I settled into some blogs that really captured my attention. These blogs were made up of images of people from around the globe, with little text. I must admit it is pretty typical of myself to choose this form of media whether in books, journals, blogs, or websites. The first blog that drew me in was the http://www.thesartorialist.com/category/style-profiles/. This blog consisted of photos of different characters dressed in unique outfits. I finished off looking at this blog feeling so inspired and that woke up the next morning, reached into my closet with my eyes closed, grabbed the first article of clothing my hand touched, and challenged myself to creatively pair whatever it was with something I wouldn't ordinarily wear with it. My closet looks sort of like the clothing trunk of someone from the circus or a theater company. No two articles of clothing in it are similar in fabric texture, cut, or pattern and everything in there is a compilation of garments from different decades and places in the world.
      Whilst viewing the previously mentioned website, I fell into a rabbit hole of fashion and after eventually escaping I found another blog made up of mostly photos called  www.facehunter.org/ . This page took me to Afropunk Brooklyn 2017, where the viewer can see a myriad of different unique and exotic styles from that festival. There is a certain truth I find within artistic creativity, as it takes a certain amount of confidence to be bold and stand out with your insides full of imagination exposed on your outside. As an artist myself, I am drawn into all the unique characteristics of these people. Images such as these tend to have less of an in your face kind of statement because no words are spoken. The viewer can establish whatever opinion they want, but the message is still out there for one to grasp at. Such blogs like these and http://www.darkroastedblend.com/    have that subtle message in common. One can simply appreciate the aesthetic value of the photos on this page or they can inquire into the history of these different photos ranging from abandoned places to military or even weird signs found around the world. Yes, photos can be edited and dilute the reality behind them, but I don't believe that was the authors purpose in any of these blogs. They seemed to simply just want to share the beauty they see around them.
         A picture is worth a thousand words, it makes me wonder what my loved ones picture when they think of me.

(Photo of the Grand Tetons, taken outside of my hometown in Idaho)