At one time, many years ago, writing was a hobby of mine. My real job was doing well in school, getting my degree, and landing a job as a technician. I wrote occasionally for fun. Then I lost my job so had to fill the hours. I did this by researching a story about a young girl who witnessed the building of the Rideau Canal in Ottawa. I discovered that I enjoyed researching and loved writing full-time.
When my hubby and I decided I should stay at home to raise our children, writing became more than a hobby. I began honing my craft--writing, re-writing, and writing again. I read books on writing and even took a correspondence course on how to write for children. I submitted my work and slowly the rejection letters became personal. Writing young adult fiction became my career.
Now, my hobby is photography. It is a different way of expressing my creativity and can be lots of fun. I began when I photographed our honeymoon where mushrooms captured my enthusiasm. I developed a love for capturing flowers and plants 'on film'. Well, slides/film are an ancient medium today with the advent of digital photography. Just as the computer changed the way I wrote, digital photography changed the way I took pictures. No longer do I need to worry about straight horizons or bad lighting. Even 'dirt' in a photo can be removed. I've taken out offensive graffiti and even created a hand where none existed in the original piece. I've removed unwanted people from photos and moved others around. It's fun but still a hobby.
Today, something happened that surprised me. While in Aurora, we had wet snow fall that coated all the budding trees with ice. I braved the elements and took photos of my son's apple tree. I posted it with others of our trip. My sister, Lynda, whose photography goes beyond hobby status, sent a copy of it to a friend of hers who is a landscape designer. The woman loved it and wanted an 8 x 10 which she could frame. Suddenly, my hobby has appealed to someone who wishes to hang my 'art' in her living room. This is pretty heady stuff.
2020--the year of COVID-19 and Bathroom Renos
3 years ago
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