Finding Inspiration

I didn't realize how much stress I was under until I just sat. That's when I realized how tense I was and how much was on my mind. On Friday, two of my friends came over to help. I appreciated the company a thousand times more. One friend invited me out to an art exhibit the following night. I agreed.



Right before I left home on Saturday evening, I decided to carry the camera. I hadn't taken any photos since Chinese New Year celebrations.

It was a great night for people watching! I love when I visit the subcultures of NY. The art was an eclectic mix of photography and paintings, some erotic and pop art thrown in. Some of the pieces reminded me of the art on the walls at Don Hills. I also could see my dildo art on the walls at a similar show. It was an art auction at Gallery 151. There was good music (that got better as the night went on) and an open bar from 7 to 1am. I only ended up with wine on my sweater once during the evening (I was the casualty of an enthusiastic bro-hug). I met the owner of the gallery, Michael Namer. He was a gentleman and lead me by the hand through the crowd to his gallerist, Laura, so I could get contact info, and he's a good dancer!

Back to when my friend and I first arrived. He went to the bar to get a beer. We avoided the hard liquor they had available. I love vodka-cranberry; they were serving Georgi. He's a whiskey drinker; not sure what the brand was they were serving. But they had Saumur. It's a white wine that I've fallen in love with. I have it quite often when I go to my "Little France" in the city... which is quite often.

I still wasn't "ready" to take photos, but I took the camera out anyway, snapped on the lens and started testing the lighting in the room. I didn't put the camera away until I got back on the train a few hours later. I don't think any of the photos are spectacular, but I do have some favorites. It's the same creative process I go through when I'm writing -- not everything I write is "inspired" or "good". But when I push through those moments and still write (or in this instance, shoot), I end up feeling better for having done it. And the final outcome isn't bad at all.

Few more images on my flickr page...