blog it forward | Stephen Austin Welch
Inspiration is a gift from the universe bestowed upon is. For me, inspiration will arrive unexpectedly, in a quick flash. Like a struck match, that illuminates the mind out of darkness, inspiration allows us to see new possibilities. It is inspiration that gives me my vision and love that gives me my will.
And even though I have explained that I think inspiration is a heavenly gift, it’s twin, named Muse, will often have to be wrestled to the ground. As an artist, it is my daily mission to bottle that inspiration. To take inspiration from something I internally feel, and turn it into a reality that is tangible to others.
The mediums I use: photography, filmmaking, graphic design & writing. The tools I use: keeping an open mind, listening, loving & trusting in myself.
Now that we have my pontificating out of the way... I must admit, that for me inspiration is more likely to strike while sitting at the counter in a diner, or listening to music (very LOUD) in the car, or gazing out the window on a rainy day—than looking at a framed piece in a museum.
Oh come on, I can be more specific than that! How about these favorite times of mine: candlelit breakfasts with my girlfriend, shaking craft cocktails that I’ve invented for dinner guests, honest conversations with friends, long walks in european cities bundled up in my coat & scarf, creating ‘new’ traditions and (wait for it...) good hair days!
After looking past the moustache in the mirror and deep into my eyes, here are a few [actually, closer to two hundred] of the particular things I have discovered in my life that register with my soul, put a smile on my face and get me in a good space to receive inspiration.
• FOOD » onion rings, Imo’s pizza, Kruta’s cheese horn, mini toasts, olives, organic rice tortilla, crab rangoon, Belgian frites, fish fry fri, croque madame, anise cookies, pink lady sushi roll, goose liver pate, oysters, extra sharp cheddar cheese, sunshine cake
• BEVERAGES » water, beer, coffee, kings road coffee, martinis, carrot juice, whiskey, lemonade, horsesneck, champers
• BEER » Fullers, Samuel Smith, Guinness, Bombadier, PBR, Meisterbräu, Weihenstephaner, Stag, Ayinger, half and half, pitcher, bitter, cask
• HOBBIES » conversation, photography, design, film, music, cooking, dinner parties, friends, short walks on the beach
• COLORS » #990000, pantone 1805, two hits of black, brunette, orange and grey, Adobe 1998, R254 G254 B254, any color but purple
• PASTIMES » shuffle board in an old bar, croquet, canasta, truth or dare, connect four, driving range, catch, ironing, ping pong, tour de france, St Louis Blues
• GLEE » kn, sunrises, awarded a job, advance checks, christmas morning, sunsets
• SMELLS » lemon zest, burning leaves, new shoes, un-shot film, Clarins body lotion, crisp autumn air, christmas trees, rain in the summertime
• MUSIC » The Church, Steve Kilbey, Marty Willson-Piper, Robyn Hitchcock, The Smiths, The The, Cocteau Twins, REM, National Skyline, NeilDiamond
• GEAR » Canon, Hasselblad, Apple, Mole Richardson, Kino Flo, Foam Core, pubcam, C47, steadicam, silks, soft but directional light
note: these lists continue below...
We can’t have all of these words without any pictures.
So, without further ado, here are some of the favorite photographs I have made.
btw, just click on any image to visit the gallery of these 27 photographs
• SEASONS » fall, then spring, then winter, then summer (in that order)
• FONTS » Avenir, Granjon, DINSchrift, Courier, Mrs Eves, Bazhanov, Erasmus, Univers, FeggoliteMono, Clarendon, Futura
• NATURE » clouds, rain, fog, the quiet of snow, dead trees, turning leaves, full orange moons, green hills, magic hour
• GARB » Levi’s 501 jeans, black Blundstones, black belt, black socks, white boxers, black long sleeve t-shirt, white button down, black & white polk-a-dot tie, trench coat, scarf, red fingerless gloves
• WEBSITES » SAW-ART.com, SAWville.com, KNphoto.com, DocterTwins.com, ToddBeeson.com, TheGreatCrusades.com, SteveKilbey.blogspot.com
• TV » Northern Exposure, Blues Hockey, This Old House, Mad Men, Braking Bad, House, Top Chef, Flipping Out, Medium, The Knife Show
• MOVIES » Three Colours Blue, Three Colours Red, All The Mornings Of The World, Groundhog Day, Some Kind Of Wonderful, The Professional, Amélie
• SPICES » thyme, black pepper, cilantro, alder smoked sea salt, ginger, smoked paprika
• SOUNDS » rain, thunder, wet gravel under the foot of my leather soled boots, laughter, shutter release, a friends voice
• DETAILS » unique handwriting, untied shoes, the right amount of parfume, having every song by a musician, calling instead of emailing, leaving notes for loved ones to find, saying thank you, organized socks
Now you know some of what makes me tick. What make you tick?
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Thank you for visiting my “blah, blah, blog!”
best, Stephen Austin Welch
March 2010
A grandiose thanks to Victoria Smith of SF Girl by the Bay for getting this “blog it forward” ball rolling. It was my pleasure to part of this 300 blogger mash-up. I am sure if you are here, you are already a fan of V, but if on the off chance you have not visited her epic site, I highly recommend it. Be sure to check out yesterday’s “blog it forward” blog: black white yellow and tomorrow’s: bliss.
p.s. thanks again for dropping by. here are the links to subscribe to my blog & to follow me on twitter. check out my about page, if you would like to know more about me and my work.
p.p.s. oh, and the “SHARE” button (directly below) allows you to share this post on any social networking site out there. cheers, SAW
