Reverb 10 and my December “blogathon”

I’ve been craving a prompt to get back into the swing of writing my blog – just to get ideas flowing again and redirect myself to this project that means so much to me. With my final exam for my (first ever!) college course just a couple days away, I feel a sense that I will soon have back some time to write. In addition, thanks (NOT for the first time!) to my blogging guru for bring “Reverb10″ to my attention. You can learn more about the project here, but in a nutshell, it’s a series of writing prompts intended to help you look back at 2010, and create intentions for 2011. I’ve liked the prompts that Amanda has posted in her tweets, and today’s got my writing juices flowing again. Note: I should be studying. *wink* I’m taking this on as my December “blogathon” – but without the pressure to actually post every day, just the prompts to keep  my mind alive to the possibilities.

December 4: “Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?”

Amanda tweeted this while I was standing in a metro station this morning. I pondered a little, and my reply was: “Not deliberatly, but I could say that summer nights on the balcony with wine were the moments most likely to infuse me with a sense of wonder.” She tweeted back, “Say more! Why wonder?”

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Creative exhaustion

In hopes of being inspired for today’s post, I looked back at my post on “What Success Looks Like”, my catalog of hopes for this blog when I began it at the beginning of 2010. I wrote:

"My latest posts are oysters."

One/Week is my creative incubator. It is a motivation to write, and a place where I can expand on new ideas that inspire me. And, by the end of the year, will reveal the themes I am most passionate about, guiding my future writing. It is a motivation to keep my photography fresh, to show the beauty of the things around us every day, and practice the art I love. It is also a way to put my craft in front of the eyes of others, and I hope it brings me more opportunities to make photos for other people. It is a motivation to find my voice – in words and pictures.

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Jumping in with both feet

There is a lot to be said for impetuous acts. The impromptu weekend road trip, the blind date, the improv class. I’ve never shied from these impetuous little acts and they’ve typically paid off well for me. I can attribute my photography career to an impetuous enrollment in photo school, my marriage to an impetuous first date, my current charmed existence to an impetuous move to the big city.

To be impetuous – and to have that end in delight and not in tears – requires, I think, knowing when you’re ready, and pouncing on opportunity. Let me clarify:

Impetuous + unprepared = disaster.

Impetuous + prepared = magic!

May 1: Blogging on the balcony.

So, my most recent impetuous decision was to sign up for the 2010 WordCount Blogathon. (You can see the eye-catching logo there to the right.) My friend and blogging spirit guide Amanda signed up, and like a true disciple, I followed suit. The object: to blog every day in the month of May.

This clearly defies the title of One/Week. Will you bear with me, readers, while One/Week temporarily becomes One/Day?

A few rules for myself:

• Not every post can be about food.
• Not every post can be in essay form.
• Every post must still include a photo I shot.
• Every post must still fit the description of “things that matter to me” – no posts on what a boring day it’s been or why homemade popcorn is better than movie theater popcorn.

One/Week is just over four months old, and I’ve really gotten attached. I’m ready to jump in with both feet and play with her every day for this month and see where each of us ends up.

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