A Slice of my Mind - with Sautéed Mushrooms

 You ask; just what is the W.I.I.F.M. Bucket .. ?

Simply put it is the “What’s In It For Me Bucket”

This simple concept comes into play every day and in all aspects of our lives. In a restaurant we ask will I like the taste, texture and will it satisfy my hunger? When buying a suit we ask does it fit properly, is it the right color and do we like the style?

In business this can and should be considered very carefully. The simple answer is MONEY but money in not the only consideration.

 For the artist, photographer and writer there are many more things to help fill the W.I.I.F.M. bucket other than money.

One of the most important is exposure.

 Will the right people get a opportunity to see our work. I know many people of great talent that will submit their work to get exposure and expect no direct monetary gain from it. Be sure that when you do “donate” your effort and time you put your best foot forward. It is very easy to say I am not making any money off of this so I will not put much effort into this but that would be a mistake. The end result should always represent you best effort.

Another is experience.

The best way to prefect something you do is to do it as much as possible. For the writer should write everyday but a writer with no audience is … well unseen. Being unseen will not help one to improve. There is a Japanese philosophy called Kaizen. Kaizen is the art of continual improvement. For those of us in the Creative Fields we need practice and Critical Input to achieve Kaizen. To have our work seen and to have it critiqued is a very valuable commodity.

Of course there are many more compelling elements to fill your W.I.I.F.M. bucket with. Tell me what your W.I.I.F.M. bucket is or should be filled with.

Where do we go to fill our buckets?

For the writer they can go to any number of publications. Small local publications are always looking for talent. But remember your bucket will not be filled with money. You can also blog and participate is Social Media “wait .. that is what I am doing right now”.

For the artist there are small local art shows where you can showcase your work. Sometimes you will be asked to pay a small fee to help offset the costs of the event. Also many businesses will show art in there lobbies and other areas in their facilities. They are usually very happy to let your work be on display for a time. With both of these options you will also have the opportunity to sell your work to anyone interested in owning it.

For the Photographer you can use a combination of all of these ideas.

On Line Resources.

Many Web Sites have much to offer. You can get objective critiques and exposure. For the artist there are sites like DeviantART http://www.deviantart.com/ to post your work and see the work of others. This is not the only site of this kind but it certainly is one of the largest.

So remember: Pay Attention to your W.I.I.F.M. Bucket

Please feel free to comment ….

Today I had the pleasure of meeting many great people. While researching a story I met several Business Owners, a few European Tourists and the crew of a Train.

It started with a relaxing early morning drive up a winding mountain road. I find driving quite meditative. I met Tom … He owns and operates his own Train Line. When I talked to him I could tell he has a passion for what He does. It is very impressive what He and His family have accomplished, taking a Train Line that did not operate for the better part of a century and they breathed new life into it. We all can learn much from their vision and their determination to achieve their goals. His pride and joy is a pristine Steam Engine that is used on almost a daily basis. I find that amazing!

Then I met Ed the Engineer. With 33 years experience on Steam Engines he has lived a life doing what he loves. This should be a lesson to all of us! Do what you love and make life a priority. It is so easy to get caught up in the struggle of day to day life that we forget “Life is for Living”. This of course is easier said than done that is defiantly true. I had the pleasure of riding with him in the cab of the engine for the trip down the mountain and back. Listening to his stories and tales of his life on the rails was truly inspiring. I for one would love to have a book of stories and tales.

Also there were happy European tourists, a proud Hotel Owner and so many friendly people.

Days like today are invigorating. We all need days like this day to stay excite about the life we have been given. I feel so privileged to have a life that gives me the opportunity to meet interesting people and do interesting things. My old job kept me at a desk in an office with a window looking into a dingy shop full of people that were very unhappy doing what they do.

Take Stock of your Life; Make a Plan for the Future.

When you need inspiration ..  Find an inspiring person and spend some time with them.

This time of year we see them pass through our town in all types of conveyances. Their destination is a magical place in the dust. Trucks, Vans, Trailers and motor homes. The one commonality they have is bicycles .. bungee corded to there vehicles . They of course are going to Burning Man. A magical place 100 miles away in distance but a world away in reality.

Working in the small world has always fascinated me. This world is seen but seldom truly experienced. Take a look at the insect world.

This image was taken in my back yard in full day light. A 100mm Macro lens with Extension Tubes and a Flash set at a low setting on a Digital SLR, Hand Held.The real trick shooting this way is Focusing. What I do is to manually focus to the shortest distance and fine tune the focus by moving closer or farther from the subject. This is very hard to do when your subject is moving in an erratic manor and able to hurt you if they want. If your subject is stationary you will have more options.

For this shot I used a 100mm Macro Lens on a DSLR Camera on a Tripod with Studio Lighting.

I was able to use continuous lighting and a long exposure. The long exposure enabled me to use a small aperture and a greater depth of field. This is something i could not do with the insect photo and the difference in the depth of field is clearly evident.Next time you go out to shoot for fun set your camera up for Macro and just shoot small, you will be surprised with the outcome.Think big .. Shoot small

Thanks for taking a look at my first blog.