Wilson's Words and Pictures

Moving from Blogger!

2008-03-24T09:15:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone,

Please update your reads, feeds, and what-nots. I have a new home! You can now find me at:

http://www.wilsonswordsandpictures.com/

First up - I have a juicy little article for you on how to get started on WordPress. Second up - To finish all the good work I have started on this site.

Feeling a bit sentimental, but I will not miss the odd way that buggy Blogger has behaved for me.

Thanks for stopping by,

Ellen

Spring Cleaning

2008-03-14T08:58:00.009-04:00

No matter how much I dust things off or rearrange the furniture in here I still feel confined in Blogger. Some of my fellow Bloggers, like CatalystBlogger, Words at Home, or Words for Hire have beautiful sites. I have had problems from day one.

So, I need to step it up a notch and get a new house. I'm starting to move today over to Word Press and will be very busy setting that all up. I will let you know how it goes.

Just when I update all my links too. Of course I will take you all along with me.

The Art of Seeing

2008-03-10T19:31:00.002-04:00

I told my eight year old daughter to turn off the TV, because too much TV was bad for her. She replied that she would eat carrots while she was watching TV. Because carrots are good for you. Thereby negating the bad effects of the TV.

That was pretty damn funny.

It seems we do this to ourselves a lot, though. We spend too much time online, digesting silliness. Or watching junk TV. We waste ouselves and do not give ourselves time to recharge. Instead, we divert our attention towards media goodies.

Of course we aren't perfect. We just want to relax and not think about anything sometimes. But our society keeps us on hyperalert, claiming if we pay attention just a little bit longer, we can have it all.

It's all an illusion. And I believe it! I for one am caught up in this online addiction. I think, oh, my, what does she say; what is he saying; I just know I'm almost on top of it all; and please, I must keep up!!!!

You really can't. But because I am all new to this I throw myself into the delusion with gusto.

What a fool.

When I was little I learned the Art of Seeing. My dad is an artist and he used to take me to art shows and galleries. I used to go into his studio and push my hands into paint, sticking them onto canvas, rubbing them all around.

The art of seeing is three dimensional. You have to soak it into your entire life.

So, I say, turn off the damn TV. Go to an art gallery. Art will teach you much about life. Learn what an artist is thinking through her paintings. Feel what he has to say through the observation of his work.

But it is not passive observation. And that is the point. The artist is transmitting something extremely important to you.

We can look at photography and writing the same way - the Artist's Way - the way of seeing. But that is for tomorrow.

Time is Passing Me...Please Buy!

2008-03-07T15:20:00.008-05:00

Cano Scan 8800F Problems
No, those aren't sunbeams or the beginnings of rainbows in the corners of this picture, they are a problem that I don't have a solution to. Yes, I checked this slide under a loupe and it is technically perfect. But I can't sell it. A possible solution is having it scanned to a disk in a commercial photo lab. At $ 1.00/photo it can become a little pricey. That's why I bought the Cano Scan. I have hundreds of negatives and slides that need to be scanned. It seems it is with the slides I encounter this problem.

Sorry, I don't have an answer to the problem, but I will let you know when I do. If you have a solution to weird sunbeams in your slides using the Cano Scan, let me know.

The Digital Revolution is Here!
Digital technology is progressing so fast I have decided to wait a few months to purchase a new camera. That, and I just don't have the money. Photography is an expensive pursuit, but you can easily recall your expenses of digital camera equipment if you're a good photographer.

Just think, no more expensive slide film or processing costs to pay for!

If you are a writer, but have a keen eye and think you might be a good photographer, then by all means get a camera! You can easily double your money with pictures.

Time is passing me by, and I'm getting antsy.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words...
Do you remember that National Geographic photo of the Afghani girl with the amazing green eyes? I bet you do. And if you don't, you will remember you will when you see it. With the technology in digital camera equipment increasing exponentially, it is getting easier and easier to take these great shots.

In the future I will give you some tips on getting excellent photos.

And to think I started out with my clunky old Pentax ME Super...which I still love by the way.

Wave Your Flag!

2008-03-02T10:32:00.017-05:00

I don't care what country you are from, you should proudly wave your flag over at Elance.

Or, maybe not.

I used to enjoy strolling over to the Water Cooler. It was a great place to meet other writers from around the world. We could all share our commonalities and concerns.

But recently, it has become veeeery quiet.

Apparently Elance wants its Providers to police themselves over at the Water Cooler. Interesting theory. I searched their guidelines and could find nothing on how to accomplish this.

To make a long story short, writer's have been complaining about having some of their concerns met that haven't been addressed. Elance has been continually vague (to their own advantage) on various issues.

Basically, they are making things up as they go along.

But if you say anything critical about Elance, watch out! - they are apt to throw you off your horse.

There recently has been criticism of Elance over in the Writer's Section of the Water Cooler. Lo and behold, some Virtual Assistants came over to "police" us. They threw flags up all over our little comment plots.

I started saving them the work of planting flags in my little comment plot by throwing up my own little flag.

All of this symbolic flag waving just begged the question: Just whose Virtual Assistant are you? Elance's?

I made the comment that these "Virtual Assistants" could be made up by Elance. And that it all sounded very reminiscent of a movie called The Stepford Wives. If you recall, the original Stepford Wives were automatons that policed all the other wives in the neighborhood. They were good little robots that did their husband's bidding.

Elance said they would not dignify this Astroturfing theory with a response. Well, they did dignify it by taking down the entire thread that criticized what was going on behind all of this "policing."

What I don't understand is that Elance wants to learn more about how to make their company a better place to do business with. They have a Suggestion for Elance section.

A few days ago a writer voiced the concern that Elance might remove the writer's category. And then another provider mentioned that the "top" 25 providers pull in a lot of money ($56,000 over a six month period) so therefore, Elance wouldn't be shutting down the writer's category, to which I responded:

That is very interesting analysis Niel, but that covers only 25 writers. What about the rest of us? As of today there are 11,479 writers. Add all the service costs associated with the rest of these writers doing business as Elance as the broker. I think it equals A LOT more then $56,000.

Suppose these 11,454 ( I subtracted the top 25 writers) pay $ 24.99 for a basic 40 connects/month membership. That equals $ 286,235.46. Over a six month period Elance membership profit equals $1,717,412.76 from these writers. Notice I haven't added in the percentages Elance skims off the tops of projects.

So, in the main, $56,000 over a 6 month period is chump change to Elance. The writing masses are the driving force behind all of Elance's profits.

Actually, I think this writer was really talking about Elance shutting down the Writer's Section of the Water Cooler. They may very well do that.

Don't get me wrong, if anyone says anything sexist or racist their comment should be removed. And there is always a constructive way to disagree with someone without cutting them down or harassing them. But people need to know the reality of doing business with Elance.

Elance wants to be seen in a favorable light, but in my opinion this does does not make them shine. It just makes them look arbitrary, capricious, and intolerant if they remove threads that criticize them or simply state reality.

Promo for Me and You

2008-02-27T18:21:00.008-05:00

Speaking of all this nature and wildlife stuff...

I found a new venue to write for called matadortravel.com. Not only is a paying market, but they have a handy tool where you can upload your pictures into your account, which is essentially your portfolio. At your account you can also create your own blog, which is advertised at the site. So for all you aspiring travel writers out there, check it out!

The article I recently wrote for The Traveler's Notebook is "How to Become a Wildlife Biologist." Okay, my last name is not Ney anymore, and the cute girl in the corner is not me. Hopefully we can get that fixed. Anyway, if you are considering nature and wildlife photography, becoming a wildlife biologist is something to think about. The two professions go hand in hand.

Check out what editor David Miller has to say about corporate culture, traveling, and freelancing.

I think I'm going to like this place. A lot.

Writing the Wild Within - Part 1

2008-02-23T20:19:00.007-05:00

Sooner or later you will have to get wild. You will have to shed your skin, and find the writer within.

Skin Keeps us Safe

We hide within a realm of things. We hide within society, and what we think our place is in it. We hide within ourselves, and who we think we are.

Sometimes we hide within our egos, or within our pain.

I'm sure you can think of many reasons to hide.

And although hiding can serve a purpose, it can also hold us back from being true to ourselves.

It is a constant balance between what we need as individuals, and what we need as a society.

Learn the Way of the Wild

I started out as a wildlife/nature photographer. I spent many hours crouching in the mud, and standing perfectly still while being consumed by black flies. How else would I catch my prey?

I was shooting pictures, and not game, but it is, and will always be, the same.

What I have learned is this:

There is a certain rhyme and rhythm to nature, and the creatures who dance in it.

Although we have seemed to have forgotten this flow, we can get it back.

The natural world can teach us much about conserving our energy, and giving it back to society. It can also teach us how to hide, and how burst out in full flame.

Perhaps we have lost these traits due to too much domestication. Too much civilization.

We can get it back...

Care to join me on the journey?

Thank you very much.

Number Crunching at Elance

2008-02-21T09:17:00.007-05:00

Alright class, take a look at the overhead above. This little chart is self explanatory. But if you have any questions, please raise your hands.

I started compiling my data set on 2/12/08, and have been at it only 8 days. And what do we have? Writers increasing, jobs deceasing. The ratio of writers to jobs is therefore increasing.

What is going on? I vaguely remember that there used to be around 4000 writers vying after 350-400 jobs in December.

Now, is this a product of the American economy taking a downturn?

Is this a product of MFA programs shooting up all over the country like wild writer weeds?

I really don't know. But, because I am forever trying to figure things out, I thought it would be interesting to gather some data and put forth my hypothesis.

I haven't come up with a hypothesis yet, because I don't have enough data. I have decided to gather data for a year and see what happens, because I can't surmise too much from a week's worth of data. You can look forward to future reports. I may add more variables to my data set.

So what are you ideas? Let me know, and maybe I can incorporate them into my research.

Oh, and incidentally, Blogger does not support any type of cut and paste activities like charts, tables, or graphs. I had to enter the data in Excel, print it, scan it (turning it into a jpeg file), then give it to you.

Somebody really needs to get busy and fix that.

The Long Haul

2008-02-17T18:45:00.005-05:00

It doesn't matter if you're preparing for the U.P. 200 or the Iditarod, there are many factors that you must take into account:

Your Dogs
Mushers know their dogs. Dogs will make you or break you in a race. Each dog has a distinct personality, and each dog has its own favored set off conditions. Some work well in a leader position, and some would prefer to be in the back. But each dog must work perfectly in tandem with every other dog.

Are you prepared for the long haul? Do you understand your writing dogs? Perhaps one of your dogs likes writing in the morning, while another would rather surf the Net when distracted with frustration. Learn to haul your dogs in so they all work in tandem, or else they will snap and bicker among themselves. Each dog must be placed according to its greatest strength.

The Weather
Sled dogs love the snow; they are bred for it. It doesn't matter if they are Alaskan Malamutes, or Siberian Huskies, they will run in the snow all day long. So it is with writers, we love to write. But are you prepared for all kinds of weather? How will you suffer rejection, or lack of initiative? You will face both of these scenarios as a writer and you must get used to these conditions. Learn to write in all kinds of weather and you will be proud that you did.

The Trail
Ideally, mushers know the trail they will be traversing like the back of their hand. But it isn't always so. Sometimes they must rely on their dogs to get them through some tough terrain.

When you start freelancing you will not know the trail like you would like. But if you take care with your writing dogs, they will run ahead and sniff out any potholes or quagmires you might run into. And if you treat them well, they will act as the instinctual force to protect you from future danger.

Fine Tuning for the Race
Awhile back I compiled my laundry list of objectives of where I will concentrate my writing efforts. I am quite busy writing online, for magazines, and finishing my novel. There is also the photography aspect of my business I must attend to. I am now in the process of adjusting this list.

Elance is a bidding site that I have been considering dropping. I have been compiling a week long survey of the ratio of jobs to providers of which I will share the results with you soon.

I am looking into the greatest payoff for the least effort. All natural beings work like this. No one wants to be worked like a dog.

Incidentally, a leader dog of freelance job web sites: Deb Ng. She definitely goes the distance in posting you new job leads in all kinds of weather.

Life IS like a box of chocolates...

2008-02-14T16:43:00.015-05:00

Bounded by a Feather

My hero, Forest Gump.

Some people called him a fool. Some called him ignorant. But he was a person who retained the innocense of being a good human being. He knew what was right, and what was wrong. And oh, how he loved his Jenny.

Love is innocence, and love is pure.

On Valentine's Day, with our gift of chocolates, and loved ones who give them to us, let us remember this gift of creativity. Creativity that radiates outward.

Do we ever know what our lives will bring? Who we we will touch? My hope is that everyone can have a little chocolate.

"Of course there is temptation. The pull of the mortal and material needs never cease. It's a constant battle to retain the purity, the innocence, the child like playful quality of creative talent."

Shekhar Kapur - Film maker

Unbounded by a feather...

Let it fly!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

Your Assets

2008-02-12T16:33:00.000-05:00

Your Mind

As a writer this is your only asset. Learn to protect it. Fill it up, and then empty it out. The problem is is when you traverse the Web and find your self frazzled and filled with content you're not quite sure what to do with. There is a lot of inspiration out there, but sooner or later you have to reel it in and do something with it. Filet it? Fry it? Stew in it?

Discipline it. Become the master/mistress of your mind.

Today I was popping around the Net like a pinball out of control. Even though I have devised myself a schedule I must adhere to. Or else I just wander. Well, if truth be told I was procrastinating because there is an unsavory matter I must attend to. But this is a journey and I am documenting it.

I hope you can learn from me and my mistakes.

As a photographer you operate on a different set of principles. Everything is visual. Your mind is not racing trying to put wiley words on a page. There is the big picture. You are more at peace. I long to get out with my camera, but I'm currently doing the download via my CanoScan. Upload the assets before I shoot any more.

London Calling!

2008-02-09T16:29:00.000-05:00

Consider the Market
My fellow Americans, heed the call. The British are coming! And they want you to work for them. Why? Because we're infinitely sexy that's why. I was going to blog about something else today, but in a moment of synchronicity (remember I was speaking of synchronicity earlier?) I had to get this post up and running. Oh, I had planned it for later, but my friends the Brits rallied in London to speak to you. For your viewing pleasure: Yahoo! (You may have to Adjust the settings on this clip. Mine work best at 100k).

It's all About the Pounds
The British may laugh at our excess weight and greasy food, but make no mistake, they are loaded with pounds. So let them shed some of those excess pounds and give them to you! The pound is very strong compared to the American dollar. So if you get 100 pounds sterling for writing an article for a British publication, that translates to approximately $200.00. If you aren't an American, don't worry, check out how your currency compares to the pound here: currency converter.

It's all About the Culture
Make no mistake, the Brits love our culture. And they are on a constant look out for ways to shed their pounds. So peruse the various magazines out there, and see what you can come up with. Where do you live? What's your specialty? Can you write some interesting piece that would intice someone to want to come and visit your locale? Just some ideas.

Gotta go, my mate wants to go have a lager. Cheers!

2008-02-06T15:03:00.000-05:00

Crossroads

Eric Clapton sang about it, and now I'm standing at it. Which way to go? Now that I am sinking into my foundations I believe the road diverges into five major paths:

Online work: I started out hoping to make a little money so I could practice my real passion. So I signed up at a bid site. I signed up at Elance at the wrong time! In December. Those of you who suddenly got caught in this major overhaul know what I'm talking about. Most of the time I feel like I'm doing a dance over at the Elance. Competition is stiff and you are judged by the little tag that follows you everywhere called "feedback." Unfortunately my little feedback tag won't be fed until I get paid on Feb 26th. Until then I feel naked. Oh, and the little "new provider" tag follows you everywhere too. For three months.

Blogging: Blogging also fits into the above category. Other people like you to blog for them and at them (interesting content drives traffic to their sites), and, you can even get paid to do it. If you are a busy body chatterer this is the job for you! Blog gigs tend not to pay all that well, so learn to type fast. And I can't forget my little baby blog here that I must take care of: feed with loving content and groovy pictures.

Magazine Submissions: This is where you can make some serious money if you find the right magazine to sell your photographs and story ideas. I sat around last night thinking of good ideas I can pitch to editors regarding fishing and Michigan. When you organize your photos think of how you can use them in various stories. I also haven't finished scanning all of my work and this is a major endeavor.

Suite101.com: I'm a contributing writer at Suite, so I have to keep up with my commitment there to write ten articles every three months. That doesn't seem like a lot, and I aim to have posted at least thirty articles in three months.

Dirty Little Secret: My novel. I estimate I only have approximately 100 pages left on my second novel. I can't give up on it.

So that's my laundry list. I'll add some links in the near future where I go to look for jobs and get freelancing advice.

Foundations

2008-02-04T20:08:00.000-05:00

Today didn't go as planned, and I'm tired. I just need to rest my head and daydream awhile. Today is the kind of day I have to ask myself where I'm heading with my plans. Enough of this crazy activity. I have been working non-stop. What kind of roots am I laying down?

When you build your dreams, your business,your whatever; you must have a firm foundation to rest it on. Or else you find your self blown every which way. Roots are good and will give you a firm sense of who you are.

I struggle with this because I am a wanderer. I love to travel, but I need a place to call home. Home is inside you, as much as it is outside you - in the community.

I'm old fashioned; I like Victorians. They have been around a long time and are well rooted. Although the kitchens are tiny, you can still manage to cook a good pot of soup. Want some? Food for the soul. Welcome to my home.

All the World's a Stage

2008-02-03T14:12:00.000-05:00

Players we are. All. I admit I love acting and the stage. I love feeling the energy of the crowd and mirroring back that energy. Truly, there is nothing like it. And I admit I feel more then a little perturbed when there are those who wish to bask in the glory and give nothing back. Look at me! Look at me! They shout. They posture.

Life is an energy play. Relationships are all about giving and receiving. If it is all one way it doesn't work. There must be a constant dance of energy or else there is stagnation. Learn to help one another - pat eachother on the back. Julia Cameron took a lot of flak for this in her book The Artist's Way. A fellow writer wondered why she was encouraging people who weren't "real writers."

If you write you are a writer. If you take pictures you are a photographer. If you wash dishes you are a dishwasher. You get the picture. People are looking for validation. They don't feel they have made it unless they are published or get a paycheck. You'll get there. I promise. Just be diligent and focused. Only you decide when to give up on yourself, no one can make that decision for you.

Today I thought I would climb up on the stage. I feel good that I was given an Editor's Choice Award at Suite101.com for my article "Shakespeare in the Classroom." It made me feel good, and it gave me encouragement to go further. I also found it ironic that I received the award the day after I published the previous blog post containing a picture of the masks of comedy and tragedy. Yeah, there are a lot of highs and lows to freelancing. There is a lot of synchronicity. More on this later...

Okay, exit stage left. It's your turn.

2008-02-01T20:28:00.000-05:00

Are You a Fool?
I am. I jumped right into freelancing. Oh, don't get me wrong. I did a little research. But when is enough already? You will learn much of what you need to know along the way. Life is a journey and you never really get there. Where is there anyway? It's always changing. Put your foot in the stream and find out.

Foolish Wisdom
There are many references to fools being wise. In Shakespeare's plays for instance. And jesters in king's courts were given freedom with their word play. They said things that made everyone laugh, but at the same time contained a kernel of wisdom.

Foolish Words
The cliche, The Pen is Mightier than the Sword, holds true. Be careful of what you say online. It might come back to haunt you. I especially need to watch this one. I'm philosophical by nature and like to make people think. But some people may find this approach rude or abrasive. I walk a fine line between word wisdom and foolishness. I hope I don't fall off.

Serving it Fresh From Michigan!

2008-01-31T12:36:00.000-05:00

Learn to look at things with new eyes. See the shadow play on the water and the light infiltrate through the trees. Can you capture the image? Do you have an idea what it will look like on film? I rarely pose things, but...

Fish Food for Thought
So I play with my food. I know, I know - we are told not to. But food shapes sell right? Think Sponge Bob cereal and Animal Crackers. Where could I use this photo? The image story went like this:

Me: Where did you get that perch on the plate?
Mate: It wasn't perch. It was blue gill.
Me: What lake?
Mate: I'm not going to tell you that so you can broadcast it on the web. Too many people are lazy and want to know what lake to fish in so they can drop a line. Let them work for it.

Trade Secrets
There are none. No one can wave a magic wand and make you an excellent writer or photgrapher. You do it all yourself. You decide how badly you want it and how much energy you have to devote towards morphing yourself into a successful entrepreneur. You can learn all the tips and tricks you need by educating yourself.

Me? I'm goin' fishin'. Gonna pull me out one perch of a story.

2008-01-31T09:31:00.000-05:00

Meet the New Boss…

Do you like being watched? I don't. My forays into freelancing have begun for various reasons, and this is one of them. I didn't want to work for The Man any longer. Though I'm still trying to find the free in freelance. Freelancing requires a lot of diligence. No one is standing over you telling you you have to get back to work. Your day isn't planned out for you. You have to organize your day yourself. I constantly feel like I never have enough time. And you have to be very conscious of how you spend your time. For instance, I have spent most of my day fiddling with this blog, but this blog is part of my business - though it hasn't yet created revenue for me. I have to juggle the process of getting quick work, versus working on projects for the long term. Working for yourself requires a lot of education, creativity, and ingenuity.

Blog Advice

My aim is too entertain and inspire. I can't help it. It's the teacher in me. I have recently purchased a Canon CanoScan 8800F to organize all of my slides and negatives. I think this machine does a good job for the price, but is is slooooww! And scanning all of my work has taken a lot more time then I thought it would - and I'm still going at it.

Organization is Key

I organize my thoughts around my photos. I'm primarily a visual person, and I'm sure you are too. We are hard-wired as humans to be visual beings, but as a photographer you have to organize all of this visual stimulus. I was sitting in front of the British Museum with my camera and a group of uniformed school kids were running around on the front lawn. I knew there were some excellent photo ops inherent in the situation. I needed to wait. I needed the kids to arrange themselves into a good photo, into a good composition. Perfect alignment, and then, Snap! I felt like Luke Skywalker popping off the final shot into the Death Star in Star Wars: Ahhhh! Elation and Relief.