Writings and observations on design viewed in everyday life, from the grocery store to Georgian Bay hikes. Good design is a balance of aesthetic appeal & memorable experience.
Flashpointing is the practice of seeing things happen as you go about your day; making mental comments, then, moving on.
You would think nothing of it; until later, something happens to remind you of the moment.
Flashpointing
Recently I had the opportunity to take my camera for a drive through an incredible area of Ontario known as the Bruce Peninsula. You can find this gem by driving North on Hwy 6 until you feel the air lighten, the sky turn bluer and the trees grow thicker and taller. Or you can check on your map and once you reach Wiarton you are just entering the Peninsula.
On the west side of the peninsula you have sandy beaches and crystal clear water. You can walk out into the water for hundreds of feet and still the water is no higher than your shoulders. The breezes on this side are gentle and warm. The sunsets are stunning!!
On the east side of the peninsula, the limestone cliffs thrust upwards from the deep Mediterranean waters of Georgian Bay. The white and grey cliffs and rugged rocks are lined with Cyprus and pine. Some of the Cyprus up here are more than 1000 years old!! The rocks form caverns and caves along the windy shore of Georgian Bay. The water is clear, frigid cold and very deep! No sandy, shallow beaches here! Its incredible to see such opposite landscapes along each side of the peninsula. You can drive from the east to the west sides in less than 30 mins!!
Check this site for more great information on this incredible area: The Bruce Peninsula
Towards the end of March I took some time to walk around downtown Hamilton. It was a weekday, and I brought my camera, of course.
A bit of back story: I was not born in Hamilton. My hometown is a very short distance from Hamilton. I must admit, when I was growing up we were aware of Hamilton. In fact, it had a dubious reputation of a Steeltown that was full of pollution and derelicts. Of course like most rumour and heresay, I had never experienced Hamilton myself at that time, so I was unable to confirm the opinions.
Its almost as if the story wrote itself. I distinctly remember commenting not once but several times to my peers in my hometown, "Hamilton will be the last place on earth I will ever live..."
Through a series of life events and by taking the most indirect path possible; I found myself moving to and living in Hamilton Ontario about 17 years ago.
It took awhile for me to like then eventually appreciate Hamilton. As my daughters grew, we explored every nook and cranny of the city that was available to us.
Back to my walk around downtown, in present day:
Hamilton like most mid-sized cities has many great little jewels hidden in and around its buildings, people, roads, parks and green spaces. I took about 200 pictures that day, all from the downtown area. This first one here is something I stumbled upon by accident that day. As you can see, the side of the building is covered with an old Coca-Cola sign. It was
difficult to get a really good picture of it because the building next door is so close to it. Obviously the building on the right was built after the building on the left. At one time, the sign must have been fully visible. I thought it was pretty cool and it appeared to be pretty old. I wonder how many other old signs and curiosities like this one are hidden amongst the tangled buildings of the downtown?? Once I found this one, I tried in vain to see if I could spot anymore like it. So far I have not found others, but I'm fairly certain that there are more hidden gems like this in downtown Hamilton.
Hamilton Ontario is often used as a setting for feature films. Wikipedia lists 62 movies at the moment. I can see why it is a popular set for movies. The buildings downtown have alot of character. Add to that the cool signage, maze of alleyways and sprinkling of green spaces and you have an ideal backdrop for some great movies. So yes, I took about 200 pictures but I'm only posting a few here.
Do you have any idea how difficult it is to take pictures of downtown scenes without getting any faces or license plates in them??? Really difficult. Mostly it requires some patience to stand quietly with camera at the ready, peering thru the view finder and waiting, waiting, waiting then taking the shot as soon as the picture is clear of faces and license plates.
Lets just say, I got alot of curious stares while I stood motionless with my camera at the ready.
One of my most favourite pictures of that day is this one. It was also one of the first ones I took.
My timing was good that day, as the train was just pulling through as I stepped out of my car. Hamilton is also rife with train tracks criss-crossing the lower city.
As I look again at these photos and at older photos I've taken of the waterfalls and Bruce Trail and large parks in and around Hamilton, I wonder if my statement to my peers in my hometown was prophetic in nature. At this moment, I have no plans to leave Hamilton and take up living elsewhere. However, who knows what the future holds??
New challenges. New worries. New problems. New Fears. New misery.............
I don't want to be preachy. There's loads of that on the internet, tv, radio, magazines etc etc. I could quote several cute and well-known inspirational quotes and sayings: "Your altitude determines your attitude". "I have a dream.....". "Never never never never never give up........." "Turn that frown upsidedown"
"When Life serves you lemons, make lemonade".
You catch my drift.
I used to allow myself to always get caught up in the little things. Someone would cut me off on the highway and I would arrive at work all fired up and peeved at ......................at what??? A person who I will never meet or likely cross paths with again??? For all I know they were rushing off to a medical emergency. Or they were distracted with worry about some personal tragedy. Yet, here I was, peeved with a person I "made up" in my own mind. Some son-of-a-bleepy-bleep. Really???
Now I realize how incredibly dumb and pointless it is to allow such meaningless events shape how the rest of my day/week will go.
Lets further this a bit more.
What about events that are not so "meaningless"? Like say for example, you find yourself suddenly unemployed, out of work, without a job. Probably your first reaction would be anger, shock, dismay, extreme worry, frustration and confusion. What are you going to do now?
Your whole world is now spinning out of control, no job!?! No money!!! Can't pay my bills, can't get that new dress I saw yesterday, can't take the family to dinner and a movie, can't book a vacation to Disneyland!!!! OMG!!! The world has ended!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
really?
Once you have recovered from the initial shock of the new challenge of being unemployed, the next step is to carry on. I mean, what other choice do you have? You carry on OR you can jump off a bridge. Now I am certainly NOT recommending the latter, I merely want to demonstrate that WORRY/FEAR/ANGER/FRUSTRATION are ALL POINTLESS!!!!!!!
Does worry, fear, anger, or frustration solve your problems?
Do they make you feel better?
Do they make others feel better?
Do they help you sleep at night?
Do they assist in your appetite?
Do they help any existing medical conditions you have?
NO, Nada...........Negatory!!!
THEN STOP IT!!
I have decided to "just stop it". It's a work in progress. I am not perfect at it. My first reaction to new challenges or roadblocks is still often fear. BUT I don't hold onto the fear. Once I've acknowledged it, I let it go. I acknowledge I have a problem then I work towards managing the "problem".
Since I've been doing this, I sleep much better. My overall mood is happier. I have alot of challenges to work through. Some of them seem insurmountable. But rather than allow myself to wallow in the depths of my own manufactured self-misery, I choose instead to take each day as it unfolds. Sure, I make plans, and have a list of things I'd "like" to do that day. But I also practice flexibility. When things don't pan out exactly as I imagined I adjust to the new scenario and keep moving on.
Sometimes, life can really suck. But it can only affect you, if you let it. You have control over how you choose to see and feel about the events surrounding and enveloping your life. You can jump up and down and scream and yell and get depressed and miserable about having to fix your car....Again!!! Or, you can just find a way to get it done.
