100 days of word fun

 

I am going to have FUN!

I am going to have FUN!

I’ve just signed up for the 100 Days Project – ‘cos I’m not busy enough at the moment, right?

So for 100 days – between 11 July and 18 October – I’ve undertaken to do one creative exercise every day and share the result on my project page and probably my social media channels.

I’m not going to bombard you all with every little doodle, but I am going to use this blog to reflect on the journey and share some of the cool things my fellow 100-day-ers are doing.

I’ve been pondering for a couple of weeks just what my creative exercise would be but somehow at about 5.30 yesterday morning, it all became clear.

Su on 100 Days

I work with words; as a copywriter, blogger, researcher. And over the years I’ve realised that I write better when I have a visual context for the words. That’s a fancy way of saying I’m crap at writing drafts!

I write better headlines if I’m typing straight into the ad; better website or blog copy when I’m on the page, and better reports and articles when I use a tool like Publisher that shows me how readers will see my words.

So for my project, I’m going to take a word a day and visualise it. Maybe take a photo or draw something; maybe put it with other words in some form. Maybe I’ll turn the word itself into an image. I’m not sure quite how it will work. I just know I’m going to have fun.

Su on 100 Days

 

 

 

Six word Saturday: coffee, toast and a good book

Lazy day breakfast. Photo: Su Leslie, 2014.

Lazy day breakfast. Photo: Su Leslie, 2014.

Six Word Saturday is a blogging prompt from Cate at Show my Face. Here are some other blogger’s Saturdays that I enjoyed:

http://elainemcnulty.wordpress.com/2014/06/28/six-word-saturday-hectic/

The Future is in the Past

http://retired-not-tired.blogspot.ca/2014/06/six-word-saturday_28.html

http://guidinglighths.com/six-word-saturday-62814/

http://www.ihearthoneytan.com/2014/06/six-word-saturday28-sushi-x-2-II-stamford-bowling.html

http://www.thereoncewasawoman.blogspot.co.nz/

http://whenwordsescape.wordpress.com/2014/06/28/six-word-saturday-62814/

http://katheworsley.blogspot.co.nz/2014/06/saturday-six-words-with-sunday-shadows.html

http://moonlightandmadness.wordpress.com/2014/06/28/6ws-62814/

http://sandraconner.wordpress.com/2014/06/28/six-word-saturday-7/

http://rainbowbakery.wordpress.com/2014/06/28/six-word-saturday-hen-do/

 

Wordless Wednesday: love is … someone who can make you laugh even when you feel like death

Helping others: it’s never black and white

As part of the campaign for Volunteer Week, I asked NZ Sculpture OnShore volunteers why they do it? This is me putting my money where my mouth is. Photo: Tom Gray, 2014. Shot on iPhone4, edited with Photo Editor by Aviary

As part of the campaign for National Volunteer Week, I asked NZ Sculpture OnShore volunteers why they do it? This is me putting my money where my mouth is. Photo: Tom Gray, 2014. Shot on iPhone4, edited with Photo Editor by Aviary

It’s National Volunteer Week here in NZ, and as the marketing person at NZ Sculpture OnShore, I’m trying to leverage the event to sign up some new volunteers to help at this year’s exhibition.

Riffing off of some other recent social media campaigns involving people and simple signs, I decided to ask our volunteers why? Why do they give up their time to help at our event? Why do so many come back year after year? Why do some (like me) get involved in the management of the exhibition.

Answers on a sheet of paper, in a photograph to be shared on FaceBook, Twitter, our website, etc.

To get the ball rolling, and show people the kind of stuff I wanted, the boy-child and I did some test shots. His counts because he has volunteered (read persuaded by his mother) to do some design and photography work for us. Does the sense of coercion show?

tom volunteer
The boy-child’s reason for helping out. Actually I think it was a toss-up between that and “I did it for the canapes and gelato.”
Photo: Su Leslie, 2014. Shot with iPhone4, edited with Photo Editor by Aviary.

My contribution to Sally’s Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Devices Photo Challenge this week is not really an experiment in photography, but in the way the growth of phoneography and non-SLR devices have changed the way we create, process and deliver information.

Because I can reliably assume most of our volunteers have a smart phone and internet access, I can ask for participation in a campaign like this, and know that it’s not going to be a huge hassle for people to take part. And as we become more and more used to instant photography, it changes how we process information — text become image. Because of social media, I can share this text-as-image information with a huge audience.

These images were shot in colour and I had intended to share them in colour too; but having stripped away the distractions of my pink and green top, and the greens and reds of the artwork on the wall; I’m not so sure. Perhaps black and white is right for a campaign that about the sincerity of the words and the faces of those who have written them.

If you would like to see how other volunteers responded to the campaign, you can visit our FaceBook page or, Twitter feed. Volunteer Week runs until Saturday 21st, and I’ll be posting daily until then.

And if you would like to see how other bloggers have responded to Sally’s challenge, check these out:

http://pictograf.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/phoneography-and-non-slr-digital-devices-photo-challenge-black-and-white-2/

http://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/phoneography-and-non-slr-digital-devices-photo-challenge-black-white-texture/

http://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/34039/

http://completelydisappear.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/loneliness-within/

http://angelinem.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/phoneography-challenge-black-and-white-on-the-ferry/

http://piecesofstarlight.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/phoneography-black-and-white-monday-with-wires-and-a-cat/

http://decocraftsdigicrafts.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/phoneography-challenge-black-and-white/

 

Six Word Saturday: even the mudflat looks good tonight

Sunset in Bayswater, Auckland. Photo: Su Leslie, 2014

Sunset in Bayswater, Auckland. Photo: Su Leslie, 2014

Six word Saturday is a blogging prompt from Cate at Show my Face. Here are some other posts on the theme that I enjoyed:

http://romisdg.blogspot.jp/2014/06/the-rainy-season.html

http://elainemcnulty.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/happy-robin-news/

http://magicalmysticalteacher.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/portal/

http://restlessjo.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/six-word-saturday-115/

My Favourite Summer Event is Back

http://rainbowbakery.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/six-word-saturday-time-flies/

http://rlavalette.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/six-word-saturday-150/

http://theheartdesires.com/2014/06/six-word-saturday-61414/

http://twincitiesblather.blogspot.co.nz/2014/06/six-word-saturday-14-june-2014.html

http://willreadtillidrop.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/six-word-saturday-2/

http://katheworsley.blogspot.co.nz/2014/06/six-words-and-shadowy-shots-june-14-15.html

http://whenwordsescape.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/six-word-saturday-61414/

 

 

 

Unexpected lakes

Submerged fields and fenceline, Kaipara, Auckland. Photo: Su Leslie, 2014

Submerged fields and fenceline, Kaipara, Auckland. Photo: Su Leslie, 2014

While life after Tuesday night’s storm has returned to normal for us, I am aware that for many recovery will not be so quick. Damaged homes and businesses will take days and weeks to repair, and although most of the fallen trees have been cleared, swirling debris is everywhere – spread by high winds.

It was a fierce storm, yet I was still surprised yesterday to find whole fields submerged when I ventured beyond the edge of the city, to Auckland’s rural north-west.

It was a beautiful day, and I was happy with the images I shot. But for those who own the land, and for whom it is an integral part of their livelihood, the artistry of blue sky and marshmallow clouds reflected in flooded fields is no compensation for the damage caused by nature.

This week Ailsa at Where’s my Backpack challenged us to show the unexpected.

Here are a few other posts on the theme that I enjoyed:

The Unexpected

Travel Theme: Unexpected

http://ilargia64.wordpress.com/2014/06/06/unexpected-my-golden-butterfly/

http://esengasvoice.wordpress.com/2014/06/06/travel-theme-unexpected/

Weekly Travel Theme: Unexpected

http://lenzexperiments.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/surprise-surprise/

http://nowathome.wordpress.com/2014/06/06/travel-theme-unexpected/

http://hamburgundmeehr.wordpress.com/2014/06/06/travel-theme-unexpected/

http://traveltalesoflife.com/2014/06/06/travel-theme-unexpected-the-co-ed-turkish-bath/

Travel Theme: Unexpected

http://figliodelgiaguaro.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/travel-theme-unexpected/