I See Stuff

TN State Fair

2006-09-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

As most of you probably know, I entered 6 photos in the TN state fair. It was scary because it marked the first time I have ever solicited unbiased opinions about my work. Up to this point I had only showed it to friends and family and whoever stumbled upon my blog. It opened yesterday, and we went today. Turns out, I made a mistake and entered all my photos in the professional division instead of the amateur. But it turns out that I won some ribbons anyway! I took one first place, one second place, one third place and two honorable mentions. Discovering the ribbons one by one (the first place one was the last we saw) was so cool. Very few moments in my life actually rank up there with it. My wedding, winning the teaching award, beating my wife to win the fantasy football championship...You know, other important things like that. Anyway, here's me with the winning photos, and full size links to them here, here, here, here and here.

Us and Todd

2006-09-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

NAZAR

2006-08-28T20:48:00.000-07:00

I'm an English major. Not just in training, really, but in personality. I was an English major before I ever even knew what college was, and I would be an English major even if I had been born 1500 years ago before colleges even existed. Therefore, I get unduly excited when a word describes something perfectly. I came across one of those words tonight in the book I'm reading. The book is titled Nazar: Photography from the Arab World. A book like this is necessary not only because the Arab world is the subject of so much of our current events from the past 20 years (at least), but because for much of the history of photography, the medium has been discouraged (sometimes to the point of criminality) in many Arab nations. Collecting the images that do exist from the very brave and talented photographers is a way of not only exploring creativity within constraint, but also of supporting a burgeoning photographic community.

The word Nazar in Arabic means "seeing, insight, reflection." I can't honestly think of one word which so accurately and fully captures what photography is. First of all, ever photographer must "see" in order to make an image. Every photographer will agree that the photographic eye is the single most important trait that a photographer must posses, over and above all the technical skills combined. Good images are those that provide some "insight" into the subject of the photograph or the society the subject and photographer share. When we look at images, especially portraits, we want to feel as though we know and understand the subject in a way which would be impossible without this picture taken by this person at this time, and we want that knowledge to reveal something about not only the subject, but also about the society to which he/she/it is connected. Finally, photography is "reflective," at least when it is done well. Images reflect the value system and personality of the photographer. His/her beliefs, prejudices, and ideologies are reflected in the face of the model or in the selection of setting. Photographs are at all times a commentary on the photographer as well as the subject.

Nazar.

If I ever get a tatoo, that will probably be it, as much for it being an example of a perfect word as for what it actually means.

Chester

2006-07-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

Two things this summer that have really helped me with the photography. First, I've been traveling around a couple of states doing some research for my dissertation. This inevitably requires me to approach strangers in a strange place and ask them for something (in this case, their time). I've managed to develop some pretty good skillz (I know, Napoleon would be jealous) in this area over the summer, but that doesn't mean that it gets easier. It's really like an out of body experience still. When it's happening I feel like I can see myself doing this and I think, "That's not me. I don't do that." And while this kind of self-consciousness is strange/unhealthy for me, it's pretty much the only way I can make this work, so I practice it in small doses. Okay, so approaching stangers, that's number 1.

Number 2. I've been reading a TON about photography and have come to realize the importance and utility of being intentional. The idea that a photograph can be an artistic commentary AND a social document AND an aesthetically pleasing work of art has finally become clear to me. It is not the case, as so many have tried to suggest, that photography does any one thing better than any one other thing. Some photographers do certain aspects better than others, but the medium itself is powerful and unique precisely because it can do all of these things. The issue then is finding places/people/images that are strong in all of those components.

This all came together for me when I was talking to a friend of mine on the phone the other day and found myself saying that I'm only really concerned and interested in photography to the extent that it puts me in relationships with other people. But I'm not satisfied really with taking pictures of mountains and being in relationship with someone who thinks that the mountain picture is pretty, just as I'm not really interested in photographs that operate as artistic commentary, but is not socially engaged with the real world or a photograph that is aesthetically pleasing but has nothing to offer beyond itself. I'm interested in taking pictures and developing relationships that operate at all of these stage simultaneously. I need images that are powerful enough to put me in relationship with the subject, the viewer, and other photographers because it is a social document, an artistic statement and visually pleasing. I think I took one big step toward that just the other day when I took the following picture of Chester and his 100 year old hat. Like all of us, Chester has a story, and I think he may have been there to buy his hat new. It was great to have this experience with Chester on the streets of Minneapolis and while it wasn’t completely satisfying, it was a step in the right direction for me, maybe the first step. Thank you, Chester.

Photo v. Painting: Round 1

2006-07-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

Roland Barthes

2006-07-03T07:13:00.000-07:00

In short, the referent adheres. And this singular adherence makes it very difficult to fouce on Photgraphy. The books which deal with it, much less numerous moreover than for any other art, are victims of this difficulty. Some are technical; in order to "see" the photographic signifier, they are obliged to focus at very close range. Others are historical or sociological; in order to observe the total phenomenon of the Photograph, these are obliged to focus at great distance. I realized with irritation that none discussed precisely the photographs which interst me, which give me pleasure or emotion. What did I care about the rules of composition of the photographic landscape, or, at the other end, about the Photograph as family rite? Each time I would read something about Phtography, I would think of some photograph I loved, and this made me furious. Myself, I saw only the referent, the desired object, the beloved body; but an importunate voice (the voice of knowledge, of scientia) then adjured me, in a severe tone "Get back to Photography. What you are seeing here and what makes you suffer belongs to the category 'Amateur Photographs,' dealt with by a team of sociologists; nothing but the trace of a social protocol of integration, intended to reassert the Family, etc." Yet I persisted; another, louder voice urged me to dismiss such sociological commentary; looking at certain photgraphs, I wanted to be primitive, without culture. So I went on, not daring to reduce the world's countless photographs, any more than to extend several of mine to Photography: in short, I found myself at an impasse and, so to speak, "scientifically" alone and disarmed.

Barthes (1980)

HCB

2006-06-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

"The debate over the place and rank we should confer to photography among the plastic arts has never concerned me, because this problem of hierarchy has always seemed to me purely academic in essence."

Henri Cartier-Bresson
1985

Why Photography?

2006-06-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

What’s the point of taking pictures? I’ve been to a number of photography exhibits here in Texas this summer. Almost inevitably I leave wondering, “Why?” What’s the point of this? I don’t mean the question about why art, but rather “Why photography?” How does this medium help to communicate the artist’s particular message? The larger question, of course, is to ask what photography is especially well-suited to contribute as a medium?

The answer which obviously jumps to mind is through documentary work. Photographers can capture events “as they happen.” But beyond that, why do we see photography in art museums as fine art? Honestly, I don’t think I’ve seen anything this summer that couldn’t have been just as effective if it were a painting. Susan Sontag claims that one of the most important aspects of all photography, as art or otherwise, is the element of time. Photography appropriates time. It captures it, controls it, and frames it. Consequently, it gives power to the person doing the photographing. It is this element which lends the authority necessary for documentary work. So how does this affect me? What are the ethical consequences appropriating a piece of history, a piece of someone’s life? How do I make sure that I’m being fair to the people I’m photographing? I think the answer lies in the relative vulnerability. I need to figure out a way to make sure that I am as vulnerable in the photographic process as my subjects are, regardless of who they are. I’m not sure yet how to do this, but I feel strongly that it’s the key to the process.

Ultimately, I think that’s the important thing that photography has to offer to the art world. Photography is unique in that it communicates something about both subject and author. It communicates relationships in a way that other mediums cannot.

On Photography

2006-05-22T06:02:00.000-07:00

The point of my photo projects is to think about taking pictures around a theme or an idea. When I found that I was growing unhappy taking pictures of pretty things, it naturally led to two questions. First, am I just unhappy with photography? The answer to this question was the same after an a period of intense examination that it was when I first posed it to myself, a resounding “No.” I do like taking pictures. I’m not disappointed with the medium or even with my ability to produce images I’m pleased with. Though I could always improve, I’ve reached a point where my technical and artistic abilities do not frequently stand in the way of me capturing a specific image. The second question is not dispatched with so easily. If I don’t want to take pictures of pretty things, then what do I want to take pictures of? If individual images of interesting or pretty or unique objects don’t appeal to me, then what does? This is a much harder question to answer. In order to begin dealing with this, I’m forced to answer what value or use I think photography has specifically as a medium in general and for me in particular.

Let me be upfront about the fact that I don’t know that this is a question which ever gets resolved. I could be refining, revising and completely re-writing my response for the rest of my life. I have every reason to believe that my response will change as I change and that the pursuit of the answer will change me as well. I also firmly believe that the best way for me to seek this answer or at least journey toward it is through contemplative action. The essays and books that I’m reading on the subject of photography are a great resource, but probably not very useful for me unless I’m coupling them with experience in the field so that I can truly begin to think of my photography as being in a conversation with other artists ideas and pictures. This blog will become the repository where I can begin engaging with these ideas in a permanent, ongoing way. I'm sure my ideas will change and that someday I'll look back on this and realize how silly, naive, and generally unsophisticated these early responses are, but I have to start somewhere.

So for the first part of my answer, I think I can confidently say that I want to do three things:

1. Think of my photography as a voice in a running conversation.

2. Take pictures of ideas, not of things. This applies even to portraits. I would be unhappy with a group of pictures of interesting looking people. There needs to be some common thread beyond that. I don’t think that physical location is going to be enough either. So while there might be a lot of interesting people who live in West Texas or New England, I want something more. There needs to be another commonality or theme to make a subject appealing to me.

3. I’m a writer at heart. It is currently impossible for me to think about photographs apart from captions. Thus, my work will almost inevitably involve some sort of writing which I’ll dub extended captions for my purposes. I would almost always rather have these captions be the words of someone else, ideally the subject, but I understand too that that may not be possible as I cannot expect people to think about themselves in the same way that I do. However, I hope to be able to get what I need through conversations, relationships, and interviews.

One

2006-04-23T22:04:00.000-07:00

So this is it, the last blog. Thanks to all of you (the 5 of you) who read this thing regularly. At first, I was willing to do this even if nobody read it, but for the last 4 or 5 months the only reason I kept on doing it was because of the overwhelmingly positive feedback I was getting from ya'll. It was that feedback which encourages me to take this hiatus from photoblogging. I'm convinced that this is a good medium for me for a lot of reasons (many of which I'm sure I will blog about in the coming months), so you can be sure that pictures will one day return to this space. In the meantime though it will be thoughts posted about specific ideas, concepts or themes about photography that I'm trying to work out (what some sociologists call "memos"). As always, feel free to leave thoughts, comments or suggestions on these posts. I welcome all feedback, positive, negative, constructive or otherwise.

I hope it's been as fun for ya'll as it has been for me. Thanks again, everyone, especially you, Megan for putting up with this "hobby."

jp
April 2006

2

2006-04-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

Many years ago as I was preparing for a week of camp (I was the counselor, not the camper), I decided to have the kiddos do an exercise which would get them to think about the origins of their own faith and how those origins might connect to their daily lives. I asked them to spend some time thinking about how they would rewrite the Bible if it could only contain elements from their own lives. How would they each communicate the central messages of their faith to others throughout the world across centuries? The bonus was that their "Bible" could take any or multiple forms, not just written. The discussion which came out of this was one of the best of summer, and in the years that followed I've found myself doing this exercise from time to time. It's sort of become like a way for me to see if and to what extent I had changed since the last time. So, here's a few things from my current list:

I would include the way that I feel when I eat my grandmother's cookies. I know, I know, this is so mundane and trite, but that doesn't make it any less true for me. Eating her food in general and cookies in particular makes me feel safe, taken care of, reassured and accepted. I think that's an essential part of Christianity, and those are certainly feelings that we could do with more of.

I would include a series of conversations that I had with a friend of mine from roughly September of 1998 to April of 1999. My friend was patient enough to work with me as I struggled through a series of questions about the nature of my faith in particular and religion in general. At each turn, he would press me to consider the intersection of faith and action. What is important to me about these conversations is not the conclusions that came out of them (if there were any) but the fact that they happened at all. They were a critical component for me developing an active faith as opposed to static beliefs. In large part due to these conversations I'm still engaged in conversations about the same set of questions.

Finally, I would include the movie "The Thin Red Line." Beyond the aesthetics, which are important, the movie introduces a large amount of skepticism and doubt into the role of God in this world. And, it's funny to see John Travolta in a mustache.

What goes in your Bible?

III

2006-04-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

Just got my first shipment of photo books in the other day. Thank God. Something to read other than school books. I haven't opened them yet. I love them. So much potential. I've often thought about collecting an entire library of books on a subject which I have no intention of reading (say, ancient roman history, or model boat building) just so I can have something different to look at on my shelves. But that won't happen with the photo books. I swear.

Four

2006-04-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

I always find myself thinking of Judas this time of year. This doesn't make me different, it is holy week after all. Lots and lots of people are thinking about Judas. I've heard the story a hundred times since I was a kid, and the name "Judas" has become lodged in our culture as synonymous with betrayal. It was Judas' tip that led to Jesus' capture and ultimate death (and resurrection, if you believe that part). And so we villify Judas. We hold him in such contempt. We tell the ultimate story of Christianity in such an un-Christian way. To me, the way we have historically treated Judas encapuslates so much of what is wrong with Christianity.

Somehow, we manage to paint Jesus as the tragic figure despite the fact that he has divine powers, and we leave Judas, the weak and insecure one, to the wolves. Why do we focus so much on the murder of Jesus while completely neglecting, seeing it as only appropriate, the suicide of Judas. After all, when Jesus dies he knows God is on his side (except, perhaps for Matthew 47:26, but we mostly choose to ignore this point as well) while Judas surely feels that his soul is doomed to eternal damnation. Why would we treat Judas this way if Jesus compels us to consider the least powerful first? Why, at this critical juncture in the history of our faith, as we celebrate the one who gave us the message of love for everyone, do we lose sight of exactly that message? If this is the way the most important parts of the gospels are taught, is it any wonder that the criticism so often leveled at us, that we're hypocritical, often rings so true?

Five

2006-04-09T22:28:00.000-07:00

My wife recently left town for an extended period of time for the first time since we got married. Before she left, she took the time to point out the benefits of having the house to myself. The first thing she listed, the very first thing, was "Well, you can poop with the door open." And I thought to myself, is that it? Is that all that separates the married me from the single me? Does living with someone for two years mean that the boundaries between public and private self disappear gradually so that all I have left in the private sphere is bowel movements? Or, and this might be worse, does it mean that living so intimately with someone means that the private side ceases to exist? Neither of these are attractive options. Some private things are best kept private (see postsecret if you really need proof), and while she was gone I rediscovered a few things that I'm going to keep to myself for a while at least. Not secrets, really. Not secrets at all. Nothing that I would intentionally try to hide from her, just the things that make alone time different from together time.

I've never lived with someone this long, romantically or otherwise, and it is time to reevaluate private time. I used to define it as the absence of the other person for better (i.e., nobody complaining about my video games, or the sports on T.V., or making me feel like I should take out the trash) or worse (nobody to rub my shoulders, or cook me food). Now, however, I'm in a place where alone time is not defined by an absence but rather by a presence-the presence of a different part of my personality.

The Countdown Begins

2006-04-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

Wow, it started to feel like I put this blog to bed with that last post (I know. I'm funny.). Well that is half true. Here's the story. I took a break from the blog for the last two weeks or so, but not by choice. I didn't have time to take pictures, update the site or do any other damn thing, like the dishes as my wife can attest to. But that's only half of it. When I started this blog it was a way for me to accomplish a few things with my photography. It would force me to shoot a lot if I was going to have enough material. It would provide a way for me to get feedback, but given the nature of the blogging world (we express dissatisfaction usually by opting out, not with vocal criticism), it would not be damaging to whatever artistic ego I pretend to have. In short, it would be public display with kid-glove criticism. Finally, it would allow me to share and get used to taking pictures with an audience in mind. I think this blog has accomplished all of those things for me. However, I find myself stuck. I find that I'm taking pictures with posts in mind. Most frustrating is that I find that I'm just taking pictures of pretty or interesting things. I don't really want to do that anymore. I'm not sure that I ever did; it was just the most convenient way of entering the field. But now I've progressed to a point where that's just not good enough for me.

So here's what is going to happen. I'm going to make 5 more posts on this blog in the traditional (and by "traditional" I mean "of the last 9 months") way. Then, I'm going to go away for as long as it takes to put together something I'm really proud of. I have a birthday coming up at the end of April, and I've been asking people (wife, parents, in-laws) for books from this list, (I share it with you all so that you might make further suggestions, not so that you'll buy me stuff) so that I might start to get a better idea of what work I respect, why, and what about it could be better or how it could be extended.

My hope is that this space will transform from individual posts to a space to offer periodic (once a month?) exhibitions. The text that you all know and love will stay. I just can't imagine taking and displaying pictures without accompanying text (more on this later). But I hope to present an overall product that is more cohesive. I really feel that approaching photography in this way, by engaging in "conversations" through visual presentation, is the next step for me. I understand that the people whose work I will be responding to will never read this blog, but I'll approach the project as though they are.

Hopefully, I'll be able to start making these posts in September at which point I'll be hitting up all my friends who have blogs to give me some pub. so that those of you who want to keep up will have a way of knowing when to come back. Of course, you could always use the RSS feed to the right to keep you updated. Until then, I'll post some of my thoughts about photography and invite your feedback, but these will be sporadic, frequently technical or specific, and highly autobiographical, though never (or rarely) inaccessible. For example, I anticipate exploring more about why I see utitlity in including text with pictures which so many "artistic" photographers disdain. Indeed, this is one of the things which characterizes the difference between "art" photographers and photojournalists (with the photo-essay occupying a sort of middle ground).

Thanks to all of you who have stuck with me, encouraged this blog, and provided feedback. I've loved doing this. It has, at times, been the only thing I really enjoyed doing. I'm looking forward to challenging myself and seeing what I come up with, for better or worse. Hope to see you there.

Enjoy the last 5.
Josh Packard

Clockin' Zs

2006-03-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

So this whole 7 hour thing is really, really, hard. Last night I finally had to give in and sleep for 9 hours. I was starting to get dizzy. I couldn't concentrate. My stomach hurt. Oh yeah, I was irritable too since I had a headache all day. Feel better now, though so I'll start this up again.

Spring Break

2006-03-04T09:59:00.000-08:00

We're off to Flordia today for Spring Break. Recently, Florida announced that it had a surplus in the state budget. Jeb wants to do three things with this surplus. First, he wants to reduce the tax on hotel beds. Second, he wants to give every homeowner $100. And finally, he wants to reduce the tax on alcoholic beverages purchased by the glass. Is he really fooling anybody with this crap? How much more blatant do you have be before poor people realize they're getting pissed on?

Lent

2006-02-28T16:47:00.000-08:00

This is how I celebrated the end of Lent (otherwise known as Easter) last year. Ya'll remember Lent, right? You're supposed to give up something. I know a lot of people who take the opportunity improve themselves through denial. Hence, they give up smoking or dessert or soda, or something similar. Inevitably they end up healthier and/or happier if they're able to stick with it. But I'm not so sure that doesn't miss the point. Giving up something is only one of three ways to traditionally observe Lent. The others involve taking on a discipline, such as prayer, and giving, usually to the poor. The point of all of this, it seems to me, is to connect us with the historical Jesus Christ and remind us of a time when it our faith was not protected, indeed was punished, by the State. I'm not clear how giving up chocolate makes that connection. People have frequently commented that the things I give up are silly, or crazy. But there is a method to it. One year I gave up forks. Another year I gave up not shaving (I had to shave everyday). Another year I gave up talking on the phone with my left ear held to the reciever. (I always coupled this with a prayer at the point of temptation. Thus, whenever I started to put the phone up to my left ear-a habit which I never broke-I stopped and said a little prayer.) The point is, they were all daily, constant reminders, and this seemed to work better for me than other things I had tried such as giving up soda which gave me the shakes during the first few days but was ultimately very easy after I adjusted my lifestyle and got rid of all the soft drinks in the house...remove the temptation. But I just couldn't do that with forks. I was eating at the school dining hall at the time and we passed the silverware on our way into every meal. Hey, different things work for different people. So what am I giving up this year? Sleeping more than 7 hours at a time. That's right. For the next 40 days I'll only sleep about 7 hours a night. I might take naps during the day, but probably not any more than I do right now. And each time I yawn, I'll be saying a little prayer for all the people for whom poverty, fear, or other circumstances dictate that they never get to choose their sleeping schedules. What about ya'll? What are ya'll going to give up?

Livestrong

2006-02-25T18:54:00.000-08:00

So my dad is one of my heroes, but for a lot of people it's Lance Armstrong. I written about Lance before, but due to recent developments, I feel that an update is in order. Let's recap the dominant events in Lance's recent past. First, he becomes a professional cyclist. Then he gets roughly 93 different kinds of cancer, sees the white light at the end of the dark tunnel on more than one occassion, fights his way back, and starts riding his bicycle again. He becomes the greatest cyclist ever, world famous and universally beloved (except by the French). Then, he divorces his wife and kids who helped him recover from the cancer and moves in with a rock star. Finally, he breaks off the engagement with said rock star just months before she announces that she has breast cancer. Hero? Really? Not according to my math. It just doesn't add up.

Guts

2006-02-23T19:36:00.000-08:00

I used to take stuff apart all the time when I was kid. I just liked to find out what was inside. I had no intention of ever putting the thing back together or really any interest in how it all worked. I just wanted to see it. Curiosity, pure and simple. I'd really like to get back to that. So I ask you, faithful viewer, what should I take apart?

Too Good to be True

2006-02-16T18:09:00.000-08:00

Sometimes life is almost too good to be true. For example, just the other day I was feeling a littel bit down. Don't know why, it just happened. The problem was that I had a lot to do, and my mood brought on a lack of motivation. Then, as I stopped to get gas something happened which made me laugh and cured my doldrums. On the front door of the convenience store there were two signs. The first one read: Help Wanted-Night Shifts a Must. The second sign, literally 6 inches away, was a series of 5 photographs of different men obviously taken from the security camera with the caption: If you have any information on the series of robberies occuring January 15-February 10th, please contact the store manager.

This is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. In all of the pictures it was clearly dark out and in one, the robber is pointing a gun at the clerk. I've been needing some extra money. I think I'll apply for the job tomorrow.

Church

2006-02-13T07:03:00.000-08:00

Church, originally uploaded by jryanpackard.

Did you know that at any given time there are over 60 armed conflicts taking place in the world? That number floored me when I first heard it a couple of weeks ago. I knew there were more than the two or three we regularly read about, but I didn't know there were that many. I guess I'm not praying enough.

Cold Cows

2006-02-06T05:24:00.000-08:00

IMG_3759, originally uploaded by jryanpackard.

Every once in a while I get tired of working inside all day long, using only my brain. I long for manual labor and tangible results. But then, when I worked for Habitat for Humanity for a year I was bored out of my mind after about 2 months. I don't really know what the solution to this division of labor is, but I know I need to find one.

Pick-up...Trucks

2006-01-29T19:47:00.000-08:00

I'm off to Houston this week to pickup a pickup. That's right. I'm trading in the Subaru so my wife can live out her truck driving fantasies. It will be hard to let Ed (the Subaru) go. It's the first car I ever picked out on my own, and it's been a champion. Alaska and back sandwiched in between 60,000 on top of the original 45K. So long, Ed. You'll be missed.

Resolutions Dos

2006-01-23T08:43:00.000-08:00

Every New Year's Eve my family gathers on the beach on Amelia Island where my aunt and mother live (at least part of the time) to watch the fireworks and hunt for shark teeth by flashlight. We all pretty much think there is one in this picture. Can you find it?

Okay, on to my resolutions for 2006. Feel free to hold me accountable.

1. Be friendlier. I generally tend to think that social friendliness is way overrated. You know, the small talk (Where are you from? Oh really, I have a cousin who lives there.) crap that pervades and wastes so much of our lives. So I generally try to avoid engaging in this activity at all costs, because I think people can sense when it isn't genuine. For years, people (my wife) have gotten on to me for not participting in pleasantries with someone who was just trying to be nice. I tend to be aloof and non-responsive in these situations when I'm at my best, and disdainful and arrogant at my worst. I really have no problem with this. What bothers me is that over the years I've allowed this behavior to get in the way of me stepping outside of my comfort zone to talk with people I am really interested in, and that needs to stop. So I resolve that this year I will get back to starting up conversations with complete strangers whom I have some reason to believe are interesting.

2. Exhibit this photography in a public space. Sure, the blog is public, if you count the dozen some odd visitors per day as public, but something more accessible to critics and other photographers would be good for me...and scary. And that's a good thing, too.

3. Passion through simplicity. My life is too cluttered, and it's sucking away my energy from the things I care about. In short, I'm spread too thin. I hereby resolve to eliminate, as much as possible, those things not having to do with art, books, school, and music. I can hear my Xbox whimpering as I write this.

4. Read more. Graduate school ruined me on reading for much of the last three years, but I'll be damned if that's going to continue. This necessitates #5.

5. Watch less T.V. Really about the only thing I watch right now is sports. Am I seriously resolving to watch less sports?

6. Dunk a Basketball. I swear, this is the year.