A Prime Day

The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.”

Elise Boulding

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Amazon apparently had more than a billion dollar in sales on Prime Day, which lasted 30 hours. Really?

The most popular items sold were smart speakers, tablets, 4K TV screens, programmable pressure cookers, DNA ancestry tests, Whey protein powder and “Game of Thrones” on Blu-Ray. Exactly what I needed, not.

When do we realize that this mad consumption does not make us one iota more happy, free or healthy? To the contrary.

Twilight on the Chilkat River

I am happy to report that I have spent zero dollars and more importantly zero seconds on trying to buy anything on Prime Day.

Have a grand day out.

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Inspiration

In the last 2 weeks I have been surrounded by photographers and guests that want to learn about photography. Cruising the Inside Passage, taking pictures during the day, and talking about art, nature and history in the evening was an inspiration.

I thought inspiration, the drive to create something, comes from within. Maybe some people have it, some don’t? To be an artist you need inspiration, from within, at least that’s what I thought until today.

Now, I am wondering. There were many external stimuli in my life lately that led me to look at things in a different way. I will share some of the images that came from this in the coming weeks.

Apparently, Pablo Picasso said “Good artists copy, great artists steal”. This would support the idea that external stimuli are part of the creative process. This is good to know. Study the works of others and walk the world with open eyes, that’s what I will do in the coming weeks.

For today, it’s a shot of a piece of wood trapped between rocks in a waterfall. Can you feel the cool air? Hear the gushing water? The subject and the concept were copied from Joe Ordonez.

Sorry Joe, you are a great inspiration.

Southeast Alaska has presented itself in a beautiful light. There were misty, rainy days. Spring is in full swing in the valleys, whereas the mountains are still hanging on to their snow and ice fields. Tender green leaves, a few wild flowers make their first appearances. Cottonwoods leave a sweet smell in the air and the birds are going crazy in the morning.