Blog
October 06, 2015
Much of what I experience as “neither working nor not working” (or just “not-working” for simplicity) is a by-product of simple curiosity. It’s worth appreciating for a moment that it’s a great and worthwhile thing to be fascinated by... read more
September 23, 2015
Every freelancer I know is familiar with looking back at a busy day and wondering how so many hours of effort could have produced so few results. There are always, of course, days when things go wrong -- when sudden client requests throw off your game plan, or when the words or the editing or... read more
December 02, 2013
Digital workflow can be daunting for photographers. I know it took a long time for me to get into a routine that allows me to sort and process the thousands of pictures I sometimes wind up with after a trip or event. I recently shot on the photography crew for the Winnipeg Folk Festival. After... read more
October 01, 2013
In the small Manitoba town of Clearwater, a hundred-year-old grain elevator has recently been put back into operation by the Stewarts, a local farming family. Long considered hoary old icons of bygone days, these buildings are rarely thought of as relevant to 21st-century agriculture. Their... read more
March 11, 2013
It's been over a year since I started working from a standing desk. Using the desk has felt increasingly normal: at least some of the increased productivity and focus I originally enjoyed has faded through familiarity. I still use the desk every day, and... read more
February 20, 2013
Not many years ago I realized that I genuinely enjoy spending time in the gym, performing the slightly absurd task of lifting heavy objects and putting them back down again. Weight lifting combines self-challenge, attention to detail, and a meditative focus on the present moment that I find... read more
February 12, 2013
Every now and then my mother recounts stories about family members distant in time, relation, or memory. These are the aunts once- or twice-removed, the third cousins, the ex-step-brothers-in-law of long-dead great-uncles. Some are blood; others, almost or might as well be. Not that blood or not... read more
February 01, 2013
This past year, I spent weeks extensively scouting for good deer-hunting grounds without ever leaving my house. Thanks to satellite imagery from Google Earth and Garmin, I was able to... read more
July 25, 2012
My partner and I recently took a spur-of-the-moment trip consisting of a single night of canoe camping. Heading off for 24 hours was a relatively alien experience because we've always done either very short paddles or multi-day backcountry excursions. But it turned out amazingly well. We covered... read more
January 13, 2012
I recently used a sheet of plywood and half an hour in a wood shop to drastically change my work environment. I built myself a standing desk. As it turns out, this simple change of posture has had surprising and far-reaching effects.
My motivation was physiological: I've been working from... read more