walk about

 

On psychogeographic map(s)

 I was privileged to attend a lecture the other day by Dr. Scott Honeycutt from ETSU’s Literature and Language Department about personal map making. Dr. Honeycutt creates hand-drawn maps of our area with a lot of amusing detail and different orientations. They are a treat to explore themselves.

 Specifically talking about my town of Johnson City. I have photographed enough downtown and slugged back a lot of coffee to think I have probably been to most of the nooks and crannies. Dr. Honeycutt offered a different approach: at every intersection flip a coin to go right or left. I’ve got to try this. He also suggests you walk a straight line until the surface changes texture. But in either case, try to make a mental note of what you see and hear and smell that maybe you just did not notice before.

 When I am out with my camera I have noticed that when I start slowing down and paying attention to details then more details pop out. The photography becomes, I think, better because it is no longer superficial. Nothing wrong with snapshots! I do that, too.

 I can imagine smaller cities like ours have a lot of places to explore.

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