Reseda (notice them)

Good Evening, Awesome Lady,

I just got back from my walk. Did my little mini-workout, too, the first in a couple weeks. I love walking but working out I most decidedly do not love. It's good for me to do it, though, so even though it would be real easy to just keep skipping it, I can't. Gotta stay in shape, or a reasonable facsimilie thereof.

A basic day today, though I was out looking for Classic Reseda photo ops while Pearl was at the hairdresser. I kind of "lol" to myself when I post 'em, because I know some folks, maybe most, will go : "A coin-op laundry, what's up with that? Why take a photo of that"? And the answer is "just because of the Reseda-ness".

Reseda was always the quintessential Valley suburb in the early post-war period of the 1950s through the 70s. It was flat middle class, not upper or lower, and the shops, homes and citizens were so representative of those times.

But even more than Northridge, Reseda never changes. You'll see the same lawn-mower repair shop that's been on a certain corner since probably the 30s or 40s, and I mean : how does a lawn-mower repair shop stay in business for 70 years? Or an ancient upholstery shop with the same original hand painted sign?

So that's Reseda, where I lived from birth until 1967, and where Pearl has lived since 1953, in the same house. Reseda is just south of Northridge, which is actually an older community, but we've had more changes because of CSUN and the local shopping mall.

But Reseda is classic. It's old, and yet it's not slummy. It's been in a Tom Petty song, and Frank Zappa mentioned it on his "Live At The Roxy" album. It's the kind of place where you drive by a run-down coin-op laundry, and you just go, "now that's classic Reseda". And then you take a picture! :)

I hope you had a good day. I am gonna have something to eat and relax for a few, and I will write a little more at the usual time. I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)

11:45pm : The song you posted earlier today reminded me of Amesoeurs. Man, that was a great band, kinda off the wall with the Audrey yelling and the jazzy inflections. Well, my girl, just remember that you can photograph (or play, as in music) anything that is You.

Start to notice the Things Sensed that belong to You, that mean something inside. It's the coin-op laundry thing, though for me that is a minor example, one I might not notice if I did not drive by it every day.

However, I do drive by it, and I did notice it. Why does it catch my eye?

That is what you want to figure out, in your own cache of Things That Belong To You.

Take notice of these things, and observe their details.

Because you are an Artist (and I have said that from the beginning), you have These Things. Many creative people (most in fact) do not. Most have "styles" or belong to genres, and that is fine, too, but it is not as personal. You have individuality, which means that you express the things that matter to you - and it could be anything including an - *ahem* - old coin op laundry or a shadow on a sidewalk.

These Things will present themselves over time to you, so there's no big rush. But it's still good to start noticing them now. What do you notice, in small, seemingly unimportant ways? What do you see, in the repetitons of daily life?

Let them bubble up to the surface.........then add them to the ingredients of your Artistry. And remember, they belong to You, because You noticed them.

:):)