Someone somewhere recently asked me how I plan and work on my videos.

Chaotically

So this is a list I made for myself.  This includes the videos I am actively working on and if they have any deadlines (and yes, dyslexia is a thing - don't even bother correcting, I promise it will do more harm than good).

To get on this list, the video needs to be in the filming, editing, writing, crafting, or gathering materials stage.  The list fails to include some of the long-term projects where I'm gathering footage over several years (I started a flax video in 2019 for example), videos still in the planning stages, or videos that got stalled in the editing due to not having the right story to be worth making... yet.  There are also a few secret projects that won't make it into this either.  

Learning a new craft - and a teaser

 I get obsessed when learning a new craft.  I take great pleasure in learning everything and to find out what the limits of the craft are, what my limits doing that craft are, and what happens when I push past those limits.

Last month, I experimented with pushing past those limits - twice.

First, I finally took the dive into making a fully (ish) homegrown garment from sheep to wearable clothing.  To keep me focused, I gave myself a timeframe - one month - to get it done.  

I choose the wrong month because September is pretty much the busiest time on the farm and the only month of the year the weather is friendly, so I'm regretting this.

But the yarn community is lovely and supportive.  Sure there are opinions, but so long as we remember when someone says "the best way" or "the right way" what they really mean is "this worked well for me", it's much easier to deal with absolutes.

The second limit was to see if I could make videos about this adventure on a time budget.  (time budget?  deadline).  

I did better than I expected.  

And worse.

The thing I'm learning about making videos is that it is a craft - like knitting, spinning, weaving...

I talked about how the craft of weaving has its own personality (ISTP on the Myers-Briggs scale).  I suspect we could do that for any craft.  Video editing and youtube creation is no exception.  Actually, I think it might be entirely off the scale.  

But first, proof that I did finish the cloak in time - even if I'm still struggling to finish the video.

Cancel Everything - I'm doing CAPETember!

#CAPEtember #CAPEtember2022

Don't ask me why... Okay, you can ask me why but I'll probably mumble "I don-no" and change the subject to "isn't that pretty yarn?"

For some reason, I am filled with the belief that my life will be infinitely better if I own a cloak.

(or possibly cape, I haven't figured this part out yet - I figure cloaks are longer but this might just be something I made up in my head)

So I'm going to drop all my other projects and make a cloak.  By "make" I mean I'm going to go outside and ask my sheep for some wool then spin, weave, and sew a cloak.

But to make things even more challenging, I'm going to do it in a month.  This month.  The month of September, in this year, 2022.  

Um... this sleep thing they keep talking about.  That's optional, right?

I have no idea if I can do this.  It's a lot more than I've ever attempted before.  On top of that, I'm still on the mend from my surgery.  This might not go well.  

Full disclosure, I have some of the yarn spun already.  Probably not enough to make much difference.

So it's going to be a challenge.  Especially because I hope to also make some videos about this journey which makes everything take twice as long.  

Wish me luck!

April showers. No wait, that's not rain.

Photo taken at dawn.

Poor plum blossoms.  

It's not looking like a good fruit harvest this year.

New friends from the Cowichan valley - or how much yarn can I spin on a road trip?

Winters here are dark.  Far darker than you think for our latitude, but with the clouds, rain, and oppressive conifers hemming us in on all sides, we can go weeks needing the lights on in the house at noon.  

It's also very hard on the animals.  We have lights in the hen house our they forget to wake up and eat.  It's always a battle to keep everyone healthy - critters and humans alike.

Basically, winters on the farm are dark.  But what makes them bearable is spring and all the new life it brings.

A while back, I put an advert in the local UsedAnywhere seeking bummers.  A bummer is a lamb whose mum is unable to feed it, either because the lamb is an orphan or they have too many siblings competing for limited milk supply or other reasons.  

Well, I got a reply so I'm off on an adventure to meet some lambs.

It's a day trip and a ferry trip from home.  But it's a lot of fun to see what's up in the Cowichan Valley.  Enjoy.  

Early bird gets the worm

The internet is a better place because I made this video.

At least that is what Mrs Clint tells me.

I also promised Mrs Clint a special treat if her video went viral.  She said any video with her in it will go viral so I might as well give her the treat now.  I said, let's wait and see.

The goal is 50K views in the first month to go viral for a channel my size.  I think I'm safe.  

False spring

 

Having a retirement flock of chickens living in part of the garden makes it easy to spend more time outside.  They are each lovely with unique personalities.  

Petrichor the rooster, has an arthritic wing, but still believes he's the strongest boy on the farm.  

Lady loves to be sung to every night but won't suffer any duck but Mrs Clint - and won't go anywhere with Mrs. C.  

Nana is the mother of so many chickens hatched on the farm.  One of the oldest animals, she is slow, wise, and loves her comforts.

And then there is The Widow Clint.  The only duck I met who was 100% monogamous and who's friendship with Lady kept her going through the worst of the grief.  That and the worms we dig for her each morning.  She can't wait for the worms.

We've had a break from winter.  Double Digit Celsius days (over 60F) in the coldest month foretells a stormy spring. 

But that's a problem for future us.  

Instead, I take advantage of the sunshine and play with some yarn.

freshly dyed yarn drying in the winter sunshine

And digging the garden for when it is time to plant.  Because gardeners are nothing if not optimists.  

Stuff, repair, repurpose, Kintsugi (金継ぎ)

About a year ago, some stuff happened.

It looked something like this, only not. 

An injury. 

Nearly 12 months later, I find out what is going to heal on its own, would have by now.  

I'm not good at accepting that.  

But there are some therapies that are show promise.  Believe it or not, the health system pays for me to go to mindfulness classes.  As if this is the glue that will help pull the pieces back together.

I'm beginning to realize, even if I could find all the little missing shards, it won't be what it was before.

Not the same.

 But it's a really cute mug... I mean, it's the only life I have.

So what do I do?

I look at what remains.  Find something to fill in the gaps.  Hope.

Most of all, I repurpose.  

They say it will help, but mindfulness, especially the guided stuff, bores the pants off me.  

And yet, it meshes so well with my learning of photography and videography.  The camera sees what's actually there.  To capture the moment, we too need to see that moment.  To be attentive, not with judgement, but with a curiosity of everything the camera sees and hears - and what it doesn't.  

So maybe my instinct to make up for what I have lost from the written world by learning new visual skills, is a way of healing?

But also there is grief.  But that's part of healing too.  

This mug was a Christmas gift.  Part of a set and all the others arrived with loving perfection except this poor shattered Dalek.  I looked into different ways to repair him, and although I would love to one day try Kintsugi (金継ぎ) which is a repair with lacquer and gold and I'm told does such a good job the mug is 100% useable again.  I couldn't find a traditional kit (most modern ones use chemicals that aren't food safe or heat resistant enough for tea) in my price range.  Maybe one day.

For now, I have a protector for my fountain pens.  

Use at your peril.