when in doubt, make it into a circle. then pretend that you were having thoughts about infinity, oneness, and world peace. works every time.

bits of autumn and winter 2014

2015 is very tiny and unassuming, but it’s there inside those acorn cups, which will ripen and drop next fall. then, in 2035, i’ll be 70 years old, and one of these acorns might very well be a mature pin oak, dropping its first generation of offspring onto the trail i walked today. i hope to be striding briskly that day, crunching a few of those youngsters under the aggressive tread of my fashionable cushioned sneakers.

baby acorns

rice creek regional trail, saint paul,  minnesota

the day after. the dishes are done. the gifts are opened. the coffee is made. clean slate.

snow covered balsam and spruce

saint paul, minnesota

one of the formative pieces of advice that lies at the heart of this blog is the recommendation from Austin Kleon to “do good work and put it where people can see it.”  that was from his wonderful book “show your work.”  but he wrote another book called “steal like an artist,” in which he advocates not just borrowing, not just allowing yourself to be influenced, but, frankly, stealing like an artist, because in the end no matter how hard you try to imitate someone else’s work, you will always make it your own, whether you want to or not. so let’s lay it on the table. i stole this this idea, and i don’t even think i did it as well as the original, but i love the cascade of autumn browns flowing diagonally across this image, which is very much, but not exactly, like the original image of driftwood and feathers that inspired me to try something both old and new today.

collection from the past year: bird’s eye drift wood, desert sticks, great horned owl feathers, bones, and quarts points

minnesota, utah and california