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(Macro) Inspiration

Every writer knows those times when they feel that it's all been said before, or that someone is currently saying what they are inclined say in a well enough manner, so why be redundant? As far as our lovely Iceland is concerned, there are so many wonderful sources for current events and entertainment online (my facebook news feed alone is full-to-brim with amazing talent!) that it seems right to just let them do the talking in words and in pictures.

And after seven years and 596 posts, I sometimes wonder what compels me to keep on with this little hobby, which has become much more complex a package now that the social media tide has swept into our lives. I'm told by "experts" that to make anything of this site I'm to invite visitors to like/follow me in all sorts of different ways (see left, though I balked at creating an email list to spam you even more cleverly with, my dears.) And now the invisible pressure to do what the rest of the active universe is doing, i.e. tweeting, posting, emailing, G+-ing, and blogging has boggled this poor soul's mind.

I like to assume that you are all intelligent creatures, and that for you, like me, less is more. A few photos per post, succinct text with relevant links (though sometimes obscure if a site is really worth linking to) and a clean, uncluttered template is what I offer because it's what I look for in other websites. I've always tried to steer clear of repeating local/national news because I read most of it myself in an RSS reader or just Google 'Iceland news,' which I assume you all can/will do yourselves. Furthermore, I get that most of you won't even read this far because we live in the age of the Image. A pretty macro picture of 1cm long seashells on an Icelandic beach may make you pause for an appreciative instant before moving on to the next visual of our glorious existence here on post-millennial Earth, but you may not absorb more. I get that. It's what I often do.

So this writer is a pocket photographer with an uncanny, irrepressible urge to share with all of you. But maybe, because I'm from the pre-silicon solid-state-and-steel era, I become confounded by the myriad of mediums I am to use to communicate my simple photos and words.

Right now I am obsessed with macro shots of the delicate flora and fauna we pass by in our everyday lives, and I'm not sure that I would want to flood you with the incredibly small in every post. I do want to let you all know, though, that I have a few albums of life here in Reykjavik available for viewing via Picasa* and/or Google+, and that my soul is crafting slowly and with care my novel, which is a love letter to this island. I'll be sharing bits and vignettes in the near future. In addition, I will be posting to our facebook page though maybe sporadically for now.

 Thank you all for your patience and for your encouragement. It means a lot. Much love and grace to you all ~.~

*Here are three albums you might enjoy (please view them enlarged, starting with the first one : ) Secret Reykjavik, The Secret Life of Iceland, Ridiculously Beautiful Flowers, Iceland Poppy 

Have you tried Dynamic Viewing yet? Five new views in all. Use the blue tab at the top of the view page to check them all out : )

6 comments:

Professor Batty said...

What a different place the internet was when I started researching Iceland in early 2004! There were many Icelandic blogs in Icelandic but only a handful which regularly posted in English- yours, Alda's Iceland Weather Report, Kristín's Kristín's Wryd Existence, and Audi's Woman Without a Man. Alda and Kristín have ceased blogging, although Auður has recently returned with a great new tourism blog.

But you, Dear Maria, have been faithful to your vision (and to your fans) throughout this time. I know I am not alone in checking your blog every week, directly, because the evocative photos you post wouldn't show up in a reader anyway. There is much to be said for a clean layout, most of the other stuff is just typographic litter. The "experts" usually have web sites which are disasters! Your thoughts about the invisible pressure of tweets, emails, and the like are similar to mine as well. I've actually made a conscious effort to reduce my exposure and although it may not result in increased "followers", it has made the posts which do I end up making more fulfilling.

When it comes to reading, I am a bit "retro" in my tastes as well. There are so many context-less photo sites and Tumblrs that when someone actually takes the time to string together a few paragraphs with an appropriate image, it makes me appreciate the effort all the more.

Concerning your novel- you were gracious enough to once share some of your first blog with me. I know that if your novel continues with the fine writing that early effort had, it will be great, I am looking forward to it.

Finally, I give many thanks to you (and the other bloggers mentioned) who have all given this hopeless "Icelandophile" windows into your great land and its wonderful people. Not only have your efforts made my visits there much more enjoyable, they have enriched my life in many ways- some of which I am only beginning to understand.

Here's hoping you make it to 1000 posts and beyond!

Dorothy Gale said...

Just wanted to say, even though I rarely comment on blogs in general, I always love yours and always read it. And I could easily live with 2 pictures per post :-)

Love your insight, "but you may not absorb more." Humans love vast amount of information, but how much actually gets into our brain?

Iceland Eyes said...

Thank you so much, Professor! I am humbled by your kind words, as usual. Maybe I'm experiencing the Seven Year Itch, as it were, which I think means that it really is time to focus on my fiction. And I think you are right about the simplifying: sometimes more (in this case More Social Media outlets) is just too much.

And Dorothy, it means a lot knowing that people are enjoying my blog even though they don't comment much. I'm not so good at commenting myself! Thank you as well : )

So I will keep on posting here, and dedicate my "free time" not to creating quips and little bits of news, but to writing the Great Icelandic American Novel ; )

Anonymous said...

Maria, I love this new feel and tone. It's calm, peaceful, and beautiful. Keep doing what you love to do, and we'll follow! :)

Jon said...

I can't say any more than the rest, but I appreciate what you do and how you do it. I will always be a fan.

Laura said...

Times and people change, and blogs do, too. I've always enjoyed yours; keep doing what you love!