UPDATE - my temporary membership at the co-op ended much sooner than I had hoped. Currently looking for another home for my art.
I’m super excited (my family would argue that’s not possible) to announce that I am now a temporary member of the Owen Sound Artists’ Co-op located in the McKay building in downtown Owen Sound. This has been a goal of mine since I was first a guest artist many years ago now for a number of reasons:
- When asked, “Where can I see some of your work?” I now have an answer other than “In my basement.”
- Having always struggled calling myself an “Artist” this reaffirms that I now must be one.
- As those of you who know my politics, I believe co-ops are a much fairer and more community-focused way of doing things. And I believe they are the way of the future.
- As someone who has defended downtown Owen Sound for a long time, I am happy that I now get to be part of it. Both having my art there, but also that I get to work there occasionally.
Today is my first opportunity to do so. So if you are downtown Owen Sound between 1 and 5 today, feel free to stop in and say hi. And if you want to see and purchase some of my work, which currently includes large framed, canvas and acrylic prints, books and loose, unframed prints, my work is in the back corner by the food.
Hope to see you there. Your support of what I do is much appreciated.
My frustration with Meta continues to grow mainly because my Good Noise reach is increasingly throttled since I refuse to pay to “boost” my posts. I understand that Meta is a business and since I choose to use it, I have to do so under their terms.However, as these businesses continue to increase their dominance, we (especially those who value “freedom”) should be aware that “Freedom of speech in a monopolized media system proves that the right to raise your voice is different from the ability to be heard.”
Before someone jumps in and says, “see, we are losing our freedom,” I should point out that this is the same as it ever was. In my recent presentation, I shared an Adbusters ad produced about 20 years ago for ”Buy Nothing Day.” Despite having the money to run the ad, it was refused by every network except one. The reason given - it didn’t fit with the worldview their other advertisers wanted. This is also another example of how our spectrum of ideas is limited.
I also continue to be frustrated by the number of AI generated/modified photos that “photographers” continue to share. Maybe even worse is the number of people who share them as “photography.”
And even more worrying are the number of people who share these images ironically (they are trying to make fun of the images?) but because people don’t get the irony, they think they are “real.” Is this what is meant by a post-ironic world?
This seems to take to extremes something I’ve been harping about recently - social media makes the extraordinary ordinary. Which, in my opinion, is backwards. We should remember that the ordinary is extraordinary. This has become a guiding light for my photography.
As I look out our back porch window, I can’t think of many things more extraordinary than the beauty of our trees at this stage of their circle of life.
One of my favourite things about Owen Sound and area is its very healthy music scene. We have lots of opportunities to hear fabulous musicians at some great venues. But I also really like that the community hosts free musical events.
One such series is the Harbour Nights Concert Series that takes place behind the Marine and Rail Museum on Sunday nights. Attached are some photos taken over the last few years including a drone shot when people were asked to keep their distance.
There is also the Mid Week Music series that features some of the bands in the photos.
As always, thanks to Sundays Ice Cream Parlour for partnering with me on these Community Thursday posts. Look for their ice cream bike if you decide to head to the Harbour Nights. Or visit them downtown or at the The Launch this weekend as it’s going to be hot.
Another favourite from Friday night. This one was taken from Ainslie Wood looking across Georgian Bay towards Cobble Beach. The object in the water is the intake for the old Leith water system. I think there’s a bird sitting on it.
Something I learned while teaching my Media Literacy course is that our minds have a much more difficult time dealing with images than the written word as there is no truth or falsity in an image. Which is why much of our modern advertising (and now memes) are image-based rather than text based.An example:Almost every modern car ad implies that by owning a new car we will gain freedom.
If this was simply written, our brains would immediately question what we are reading: But the car costs $60,000? And then I have to get insurance? And a license? And put gas in it? And I have to follow the rules of the road, etc.. And pretty quickly our brains negotiate that this statement is, in fact, false. Although a car can give us the freedom to drive ourselves places, it actually creates less freedom in our lives as we now have more financial burdens.
But when it is presented as an image (picture a car sitting on top of a mountain or driving over rocks with no other cars around) our brains have a much harder time negotiating truth or falsity. This is because the image itself is likely true (AI is changing this) - someone actually put the vehicle in this spot and took a picture of it. And this, combined with the ideas ingrained in us that “seeing is believing” and “the camera never lies” makes it very hard for our brains to conclude that the image and its message are false…even though we know that we will never use our vehicle in this way. And neither did the people who staged the image.
Keep this in mind the next time you feel moved by an image. Even the images that I take:).
Some people tell me I talk about death too much. But how can we appreciate life if we don’t acknowledge that we are all going to die?
I was reminded of the precariousness of our lives a couple times this week. I lost a relative who lived a good, long life after a short battle with cancer. And our community came together to help a friend who is courageously facing her own battle with cancer.
Both brought me back to some valuable ideas that can be transformative. If we are willing to acknowledge life’s fragility.
“Without a reminder of death, we tend to take life for granted and we become lost in the endless pursuits of self-gratification. But when we keep death close at hand, it reminds us not to hold on to things so tightly. We don’t take ourselves so seriously. We let go a little more easily.
When we reflect on death, we understand we are all in the boat together and this helps us to be kinder and gentler to one another. And we realize we don’t want to waste a moment. We want to tell people that we love them.”
Paraphrased from Frank Ostaeski
“What if we reminded ourselves in our encounters, ‘this person could die tonight.’?
When we acknowledge death, the veil of denial lifts and we see the truth of the fragility of life. And awareness of impermanence can help us cherish the people we encounter every day. Instead of talking ‘to’ someone we bring more presence to each encounter. And how comforting it would be if we said ‘goodbye’ with care.
When we realize that we too could die tonight, we become more present, more alive in each moment of our life.”
Paraphrased from Jan Clozen Bays
May we all cherish life and death.
And may we all share our love while we have the opportunity.Peace and Love to All!
Today, the M.S. Chi-Cheemaun left Owen Sound for her summer home in Tobermory. I decided to try to get some shots from Leith this year and I love the first photo I took as it shows how big the boat is while also showing how it’s dominated by the landscape. Hibou beach is in the foreground.
The Big Canoe is an important part of our community. Not only does she guard our harbour, but she often hosts other great community events. Last Saturday, the Scenic City Order of Good Cheer hosted a very successful sunset dinner and cruise to raise funds for a second splash pad in Owen Sound. They invited me on board to take some photos. The rest are some of my favourites including a group shot of the Club.
Thanks to Sundays Ice Cream Parlour for partnering with me on these Community Thursday posts. It looks like another great ice cream weekend. If you’re out and about, be sure to stop in and show them support.
As a newly retired teacher, I can already predict there will be some who say I am out of touch, but as I experienced the slow creep of cellphones and vaping into my classroom/school and because I touched on both in what I taught in my Media class, I feel compelled to add my voice to the fray. This might be a long(er) one, so buckle up:).
First, if you didn’t know, the Ontario government introduced new legislation to “ban” vaping and cell phone use in our schools. I would attach a link, but of course I can’t:(. Search it and you can easily find the details. It probably makes sense that I approach them separately.
1. Vaping
My understanding is that vaping is already banned in our schools and within 20 m of their boundaries. It’s already being treated like cigarettes, so I’m not sure what this new legislation will change. It sounds like they will spend money on vaping sensors and schools will now be obligated to inform parents if their child is caught vaping. Please correct me if this is wrong.
The problem with any sort of ban over education is that bans can sometimes encourage the exact behaviour they are designed to address. Marketers understand this well. An example:
Years ago, when tobacco companies (which are also now the vape companies) started getting sued by States for the health costs of smoking, the companies quickly learned they did not want this money going to education campaigns because they were effective (look up the Truth Initiative as an example).
So, in all future settlements, the tobacco companies decided that they would be in charge of the “anti-tobacco” advertising. Yes, you read that right. This led to campaigns like the first “tobacco is whacko!” campaign. One of the first ads included a picture of a guy with smoke coming out of his ears and his head spinning off.
Well, what they discovered is ads like this actually encourage a certain type of customer to try smoking because this is exactly the experience they want. And the whole campaign was so “geeky” it also encouraged the “cool kids” (their target demographic) to smoke.
This current “ban” could have the same effect. As many of us know, telling an adolescent brain they can’t do something often has the opposite effect.
What’s the answer - An outright societal ban might be the only thing that would work as there is now a whole influencer movement that encourages the use of vape products. A counter-campaign (like the Truth one) could also be more effective than a school ban.
And, of course, we could also think about why people choose to smoke/vape/drink in the first place. Although that might negatively impact tax income so we probably don’t want to think too much about it:).
2. Cell Phones
Again, this doesn’t seem to be anything terribly new since Doug Ford claims he already “banned” them years ago. Which isn’t really true - what he did was say that individual teachers have the right to ban them, but the problem is, there was no formal support to back them up on this. It was placed in the school’s hands. This doesn’t sound much different.
Years ago, when this issue came up at a staff meeting, we were told we could ask for phones if they were causing a disruption. So I asked my principal what happens if a student says no. He said nothing. So I told him I would not ask for them as I had learned early on to not place myself in a battle (especially in front of a class) that I could not win. It sounds like this has not changed.
But, even if it has, I still wonder if a ban is the answer as cell phones are not going away. More and more they are becoming a part of our everyday lives and in many cases our jobs. So, if this is a tool, like all the tools that came before it, isn’t it important that we learn how to use that tool responsibly? And doesn’t simply banning them take away the opportunity to learn how to use them responsibly?
A better approach might be to demonstrate how smart phones are shaping them (my approach in my Media Literacy class), to challenge them to see how much time they are spending on their phones and to teach them how to use a tool like a phone responsibly.
For the last decade, I spent at least one early period talking to my students about phones. I encouraged them to keep them out on their desk but to learn that they do not have to respond to a silent notification right away. I taught them there are natural breaks in classes where they should check them. This is also the behaviour I modelled (more on this in a second). It wasn’t 100% effective, but it worked for the vast majority. And for those who struggled with it, I tried different approaches.
One of the things that frustrated students was teachers who told them to get off their phones, but were then constantly on theirs. I once had a student who was helping at a PD day ask me why so many teachers were on their phones during a presentation? I had no answer.
My students also told me about supply teachers who spent the entire class on their phones. Some with their headphones in:(.
I also attended meetings and presentations where superintendents and our director were regularly on their phones. Teenagers can see through this very quickly. “Do as I say and not as I do” is one of the quickest ways to get students to lose trust in you as a teacher.
So I wonder if this ban includes the adults in the building?
And speaking of trust and responsibility, another question that I regularly asked my admin was how do you teach someone to be responsible or trustworthy if you never give them any responsibility or trust them? I think this applies here, as well.
Finally, due to budget cuts over the years, some classes now rely on cell phones. For example, the photography class I taught over my last few years would not be able to run without smartphone cameras. Mainly because the cameras we did use for years broke down, but the money once used to replace them was no longer there. I have no doubt there are other classes that have had to do the exact same thing.
P.S. Re-reading the news, I see that cell phones will not be banned from schools. They simply have to be “out of sight.” Another thing I learned in the early days of cell phones is that teenagers are very good at adapting. I remember talking to a student who told me he could text on his old flip phone while it was still in his pocket.
How do we legislate against this?
I have lots more I could say, but I think I will leave it there. I haven’t even touched the idea that, for some students, phones have become a very important link in their social lives, as many seem to have forgotten that secondary school is exactly that - school is secondary to the socialization.
Questions, Comments and courteous Challenges are always welcome.
This past Saturday, April 20th, the Owen Sound and area community came together to celebrate our Earth. Above are my photos from the parade featuring the Sauntering Band from Durham and a few presentations before and after. You can also see the photos while hearing some of the parade in the video below.
Thanks to Sunday’s Ice Cream Parlour for partnering with me on these Community Thursday posts. It looks like it’s going to be a great weekend for ice cream. If you’re out and about, make sure you stop by and show them some love.
You know how once you become aware of something, you see it everywhere? Like when we bought our new to us car not so long ago, I started seeing the same model of car everywhere. Well, community was like that for me this week. It’s been on my mind a lot. And, because of this, I’ve noticed it and its impact everywhere.
This included two very good conversations I had about community. One with a local business owner and one with the manager of a local event. In both cases, the talk focussed around our attitude to community in this area. (When I say this area, I am talking about the metropolitan Owen Sound area which includes the town and the smaller communities around it - the elephant’s ass, for those of you who understand my reference).
As I sat in my thought tub this morning having my coffee, I had a sudden realization that perhaps our trees are trying to teach me something about community. You may remember that the lot next door to us was recently cleared of most of its trees. Shortly after, a wind storm brought down even more, including a tree at the end of our laneway that took down two hydro poles.
I can’t say that the lot clearing was at fault for all of the trees falling, but the vast majority of the ones that fell, came down right along our property line where they were no longer protected by their family of trees. And some of them, including the one that landed on the power line, came up by their roots, which suggests their foundation had been weakened.
Which brings me back to the conversations I had this week and the problems that were identified.
1) Our community can be very cliquey. Often, the people who get most involved in running things come from a very privileged position - this makes sense as they have the most free time. But they also have the most supports to stand alone. The problem with this is they sometimes seem more interested in planting and nourishing a small cluster of trees rather than the whole forest (I was reminded a couple of times this week how narrow-minded some of my “open minded” friends can be).
2) Some who live here are very quick to “talk shit” about our community. I’m not talking about bringing up genuine concerns; I’m talking about making unnecessary comments that serve no other purpose than to get a reaction. Just this week, I posted a photo of downtown Owen Sound and almost immediately comments were made like “Owen Sound sucks” and “Where are the crackheads?” To me, this is like going into the forest with an axe and taking a few chops at a tree here and there. Weakening the trees (in the name of ego) for the next time the wind blows. And, in the end, like happened here, weakening the whole forest.
So, in the end, what lessons can we learn from this? We are only as healthy as our entire community? We all have a role that should be valued? We need to focus more on solidarity and less on “rugged individualism”? If nothing else, perhaps we should stop trying to cut others down to make ourselves stand out. Because, in the end, we might bring down the whole forest…including ourselves.
