Recognize!...on Record Store Day!

   I’d like to begin by, “recognizing,” the fact that this post is a rather transitional piece.  A careful observer may notice that some of these pictures are larger in size than others.  The reason behind this is that I finally took my phone, “out on location,” with the intention to shoot a few blog photos.  Little did I know that in future posts my phone would be taking all of my pictures.  I know I’ve said it before, but I really can’t get over how portable my hobby has gotten since acquiring this miracle gadget!

   That being stated, the original reason I titled this post, “Recognize!...on Record Store Day!,” is because I took the pictures on…yep, you guessed it…record store day.  Deep, I know.  Okay so there’s a little more to it than that.  To elaborate, on that specific day I decided it was finally time to bust out what is quite possibly my favorite thrift store find ever.  The vintage boots I’m wearing in these pictures are something I acquired from Savers about a year ago.  I literally shrieked when I saw them.  With shaking hands I grappled to get them on.  The whole time I swore I would make them fit even if I had to bind my feet in order to do so.  By some miracle of God these boots, that in my mind were worthy of the likes of Stevie Nicks, fit my feet perfectly.  Upon further inspection I noticed a small, “Made In Italy,” logo embossed on the inside heel.  This was too good!  Boy howdy…was I going to pay for this kind of karma later. 

   Of course the reality of this situation was the whole event almost was too good.  Unfortunately, I put these treasured shoes on such a pedestal that I became almost terrified to actually wear them.  “What if I get them dirty…What if it rains…What if one of the heels becomes lodged in a crack in the sidewalk and it rips off…What if I go to someone’s house and they want me to take them off when I walk on their carpet...HA! as if,” I thought.  Finally last month, in celebration of record store day, I decided to get over my mental block.  I reasoned, “It’s a day to celebrate music and what better way than to flaunt Fleetwood Mac footwear?”  That day I felt proud to, “recognize,” some of my rock heroes.

   Returning to the word, “recognize,” lately I’ve been eager to recognize things about myself as well.  Many individuals I currently know may not be aware of the fact that I was an art major in college.  Sadly, since graduation, I've pursued little in the realm of art.  I’ve always used the excuse that without a community of artists around me I lost the motivation to continue my work.  While there is some truth to this statement, I believe the bigger issue is deeper.  Yep, it’s that deep thing again.  To explain, during the course of my life I've been several different versions of myself.  Of course, this is common to many.  During, “the artist,” version of my life I experienced some extremely turbulent times.  As a result, I feel something close to dread every time I find myself embracing my creative self.  It’s kind of like hearing that song you used to love, but now makes you think of an ex-boyfriend…except in this case the ex-boyfriend is your former self and you dislike her even more than that schmuck of an ex…whoa….  Of course, these unsettled feelings are only magnified by the fact that I seem to have a fascination with the darker side of life as the subject matter for my art.

   …and I’m happy to state I still do.  Lately, I’ve been delving back into my creative doopelganger and finally admitting that she’s actually a part of me.  While this particular post does not reflect any of the pictures I’ve been working on lately, I wanted to, “recognize,” the fact that future posts will.  I’m excited to be embracing the artist in me again.  I'm also pleased to report that the lady wearing the fantastic vintage boots does have more on her mind than just shoes…sometimes.

-r.