Word and deed, image and imagining
For better than a decade I flew around the country (and even the world) being well compensated for having written a book beloved by a lot of people.
This came about because of talent (maybe), perseverance (off and on anyway), and LUCK (anyone who tells you luck plays no role in their success is either a liar or an idiot.)
Flying around a lot I got to take lots of pictures of clouds from above them.
When I first started posting writings online, like many others, I didn’t know quite what I was doing, and I’m still hardly an “expert.” But it’s such a cool thing and I eventually figured out a few of the tricks of the trade.
Posting cool pics is a glorious adventure in self-aggrandizement.
Artsy “cool” pic of wife Patti and me (in reflection) taken by the author
I’ve always loved photography. It’s always been as a close second to writing as a favored outlet for creative expression.
Ruins of the Cathedral at St. Andrews in the mist in the UK.
The arrival of the absurd clown Donald J. Trump with all his mad energy on the political/cultural scene in ‘Merica, aside from being a DAILY nightmare, added an enormous thread of memes and mocking, cruel, enraged images to my huge collection of pictures saved for future enjoyment.
So, during that mad political season, I was able to write anything I wanted to write and decorate my postings with outrageous images that sometimes even appeared to have something to do with the words I was writing.
Since Trumpism has died down a bit, I am now using pics I’ve taken myself or pics from fine arts photographers that they let me use.
Blending images with my writing, I lean a tiny bit (ok, totally) towards laziness and recalcitrance. I’m not very good at homework, never have been, and ain’t about to start now.
Laziness example, taken of the author by A.S. King, under the Arch in St. Louis, circa 2010 from the author’s private collection
Soooo, for most postings that I submit, I’ll be using mostly pics from my own collection of selfies, and many decades of snapping pics and mapping the fabulous waste of time others might call, “My Life.”
For some stuff I post online I also use images lifted from Twitter and anyplace else I find them, and I’ll just wait to get in trouble.
I’m an anarchist and pro-Antifa. If and when I bump up against rules or regulations that make sense to me and/or are easy to follow, I do that happily. The rest of the time I do whatever the hell I feel like doing.
All images used with permission and/or belonging to the author.