I’m Growing as a Person

Well, if there’s one thing this cancer’s doing, it’s building my character. Or maybe chipping it away. Either way, it’s starting to help me let go of stuff.

You know how awhile back, I came up with my new “It’s not Art” mantra? Well, sometimes saying is easier than doing.

I had gathered up all of our photos from the house inspection and started building a site to show them off. I came up with a nice clean, design. Then I decided I needed a graphic of a dogwood flower. A little research and some hunting for sharpies ensued. Then I had to find some paper. Next comes the dismantling of a picture frame so I can make an impromptu lightbox (don’t tell Barb). Then comes the scanning and touching up in Photoshop. A couple of hours after I get the idea, I have a flower I’m happy with. Of course, a flower that nice needs a better looking site, so I work on that a bit more.

All the while, I’m complimenting myself on following my mantra because even though I knew a few pixels weren’t in perfect alignment, I was going to let it go and not obsess.

I eventually came up with something I liked, only to realize that I had taken off designing without taking the 800×600 folks into consideration (a small part of my constituency, but an important one – all of our parents). So then I started creating two site versions, one for the 6x8s and one for the rest of us.

Because I wasn’t obsessing.

Finally the Hodge reared its head and sent me to bed. As I lay there thinking about how my arms had no energy and my head was spinny and hating the whole Hodge thing, something in my head clicked. That tiny little rational voice in my head that usually gets overwhelmed by Elivs Costello lyrics and all the other voices in there finally cleared its throat and stepped to the front of the queue.

“Hey – that whole ‘It’s not Art’ thing? That’s not what you’re doing. You’re still thinking like Very Important Design People are going to be coming by and judging you. Get over yourself and just get the photos posted, stupid.”

This made enough sense to me to actually drag myself out of bed and come back to the computer. I grabbed the inspection photos, upgraded my Flickr account and threw them all up there. Done. I’m keeping my layout concepts for the house’s site, because at some point, I’ll come back and make that. After all, it is real purty. So from now on, I have a new method for my madness:

1) Take photos
2) Try not to obsess over making them all pretty
3) Upload to Flickr
4) Worry about a pretty site some other day

Sure, people do this all the time. I, however, am a slow learner and this is a huge step for me. You can’t imagine how huge, but I’m sure Barb could tell you. Revel in the new me – I know I will be.

Now that I’ve said what I needed to, you can go look at our new house.