To Influence

 

I follow a woman on Instagram who is a self-described Influencer.  She is “age appropriate” for me meaning that her suggestions, ideas, etc are based on my general age group and older. Her styles of clothing choices are often ones I like for myself, and I have purchased a few items based on her recommendations.  While I don’t always agree on what she might present, I know that I have a choice in agreeing or not; she is not forcing anyone to do or purchase anything she suggests. She is also very open about partnerships, commissions and items she receives for free to promote from these brands. Meaning she gets paid for the promotion. 

It’s unfortunate that all people who define themselves as Influencers aren’t as honest and open as she is. Some actually do prey on others who are often easily influenced, gullible or very naive.  There are people who are elderly, those with mental illness, medical conditions, etc who get wrapped up in the gloss of an Influencer only to fall victim to something unscrupulous and destructive. And the destruction is often great and extends to families and beyond. There’s always a big picture; unfortunately, there’s no regulation or control being conducted with these individuals. 

The Britannica Dictionary defines the word ‘influence’ as: “The power to change or affect someone or something; the power to cause changes without directly forcing them to happen”. If someone has power, which might mean a strong online presence, and/or someone who is very skilled in speaking/talking to sway people into doing what is intended for personal gain, who is regulating that person? There should be checks and balances and accountability. 

If a person’s business is conducted online, and that person collects a fee, expenses and/or gifts for whatever it is they are promoting about themselves, then credentials (meaning resume, work experience, timeline) should be online, too. Potential customers or clients should be able to scrutinize beforehand whether or not to choose to engage with someone they might hire for whatever purpose. Legitimate businesses usually offer these things on websites. Why aren’t Influencers required to do the same?

Instead, we often see a reinvention along with new hashtags and word usage such as “I have extensive experience in…” Fill in the blank. And it seems to change often. What makes a person qualified in saying they do what they do or are? Superfluous words? I personally want to see their experience and have the ability to verify it. Most real jobs require a resume with recommendations; if a person is selling her ability to do something via online, she should have to do the same. It also used to mean lying on a resume was grounds for dismissal, so this very thing should apply to those who influence, or call themselves ‘digital creators’ too, I suppose. 

I’ve previously mentioned in this blog the inability to understand why people follow Influencers and how it seemed to me a popularity or ego grab. Although I loosely follow the one mentioned above, I still don’t get it in general. It’s important to protect your online interactions and do due diligence when engaging with anyone you don’t know. Hopefully, there will be types of regulation and accountability for this “profession” in the future.

"When you turn around..."

 "When you turn around, you'll see something I bet you've never seen before. If it takes your breath away, then you'll fit in nicely. If you don't feel anything, then maybe you don't belong here." ~ from the book Daniel's Esperanza, by Veronica Randolph Batterson 

I've decided to join in; it is my quote, after all. As mentioned in at least two other posts on this blog (see "That Quote is Attributed to..." from September 20, 2016, and "That Quote from Daniel's Esperanza" from May 23, 2021), this little quote from my book, Daniel's Esperanza went viral after publication in 2014. It continues to pop up. 

It has been used with and for inspirational memes from around the world (appearing/accompanying various languages), photography, retail, ranches, art, furniture, interiors, exteriors, slogans describing the state of New Mexico, the unofficial slogan of New Mexico by the tourist department from what I can tell, NM government officials, blogs, camps, travel, other books, etc. In fact, I just recently became aware that the retailer Boot Barn used it in some Instagram photos over five years ago; and it seems there's some quirky reference they might have used it in a commercial that I don't have access to viewing.  

All great, and as I have stated in the past I really appreciate it when the quote is used properly attributed to me. There's a little murky line crossed, however, if retailers are using it to make money without my permission and not compensating me for using it. I also don't wish to dwell on all of the times it has been used improperly, with no credit to me whatsoever. 

Thanks to all who have done it the right way. I photographed the above in Colorado and New Mexico. All prints are available for purchase on Fine Art America.

Independence Day - July 4th...the 250th Celebration

 "We hold these truths to be self-evident..."

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the final wording and adopted the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson. However, it was July 2, 1776 when the Continental Congress declared its freedom from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence would not be fully signed by all of the Founding Fathers until August of 1776. 

So July 4th has always been recognized as the official anniversary/birthdate of the United States of America.

We're still youngsters compared to the rest of the world. Set aside politics; celebrate safely and proudly. And if you must enjoy the fireworks, please make certain your pets are safely inside with music or the television turned up to help stifle the noise. It is frightening for them. 

Happy 250th. 

Every Brilliant Thing

 I saw Mariska Hargitay last week in Every Brilliant Thing on Broadway, and loved it. ❤️ 

It was 1972...

...or thereabouts. I was very young but still obtained an album (that's what we called them back then) called K-tel 20 Power Hits - Volume 2. 

I'm pretty sure it was gifted to me, probably from my mother because of one of the songs on it; however, she clearly had no idea about one or two of the other tunes that probably a girl my age shouldn't have heard (maybe). I actually believe it was a Christmas gift, more than likely to play on a new record player (that's what we called them back then, too).

The reason this came back into my orbit is that I heard a song the other day on Sirius XM radio called Green-Eyed Lady by a group called Sugarloaf. Then one thing led to another as it usually does, I went down the rabbit hole of nostalgia and remembered the song was on the above mentioned album. It's a song I remembered before all of the others came rushing back to me (or before I actually did a Google and Youtube search, too).

K-tel (Kieves Television) was a recording label and did compilation albums back then of hit music, and apparently it's still in existence today. According to an overview, it was known as the "Spotify of their Era" (mostly of the 1970s and 1980s). 

While I won't list the songs, I will share three of them (via Youtube) that might give a glimpse into the time and how this one album influenced a young girl. 

Peace Will Come by Melanie. Boy, how the words resonate even today, and did it ever shape me. Someone made a comment, "Melanie was the flower child in all of us", and with this song that is true for me. I grew up understanding and feeling these words, interpreting them in my own way. I recall sitting cross-legged in clover fields making clover garlands and crowns for my hair (great luck if a four-leafed one was found); and drawing peace signs with the BIC four color (red, black, blue, green) retractable pens in my notebooks. And I just remembered the pens as I wrote this. Google them...no doubt there is info out there. 

The other songs shared from this album, Shakin All Over by the Guess Who because it's a fun song and so definitive of the 1960s. The other is from the Partridge Family (Doesn't Somebody Want to be Wanted) because I watched the television show, so why not? And I like the song.

Oh, how I wish I still had this album, simply for nostalgia's sake, and I like a great many of the songs on it.  A full list of the tracks can be found online. As always, thanks for reading this blog. 

Maypole Day

 May 1st. May Day. Maypole Day. Rebirth. New beginnings. Spring.

I have a vivid memory of (when I was very young) celebrating Maypole Day at a local high school where one of my aunts served on the May Day Queen Court. Given the timeframe, I would have been under the age of five. That's a pretty powerful memory. 

As little girls do sometimes, I thought my aunt looked like a fairy princess. As required then, she wore a long, formal ball gown with evening gloves. My memory wants me to recall that the dress was pale yellow for some reason, but the history and customs of the Maypole Court and Dance indicate it was likely white. Either way, I thought her to be so beautiful. Even though she was not crowned May Day Queen (or May Queen) that day, watching the festivities surrounding the custom and the coordinated dancing around the Maypole held a strong enough fascination for me. I recall it decades later every May 1st. And for a few years in elementary school, I took part in Maypole Dancing, too, until the practice was nothing more than a memory. 

It is likely that my aunt is somewhere in one of the two photographs here. Same timeframe, same location. And somewhere in the crowd, I sat with my grandmother watching the pageantry of it all with wonder. 

 

Also, regarding my last post on Cedar Waxwings, I found a photograph of one of the crabapple trees in my front yard in full bloom. There were three of these trees in my yard at the time; the smallest one was in the back that I referenced in that blog post. As always, thanks for reading what I post here. 

It was 1978 or so...

When you were a teenager and you had your driver's license....the volume was up on the radio in that car. It meant freedom. This song was playing at some point. The windows were probably rolled down, too (we didn't push buttons to do this back then).  Heatwave's 'The Groove Line'.

Then Homecoming Dances in the fall (maybe prom, as well, but I was still too young to attend those)...the second song was a slow dance feature. Decades later and nostalgia rules as it always does. 'Always and Forever' by Heatwave.

Cedar Waxwings

 Sometime in March or April about a dozen or so years ago, I watched a gift fly into view from my kitchen window in Chicagoland. A flock of the most beautiful birds suddenly swooped into my sightline, attacking a crabapple tree in the backyard. Attacking might not be the correct word, but it’s how it initially looked. They were actually feasting. Perhaps the words frenzy, frenetic, frenetically could be applied, but hopefully there’s the visual. Out of control.

First, I had never seen such a bird so I had no idea what was going on or why, not to mention a flock of feathered beauty acting a little crazy; secondly, as a photographer, I automatically grabbed my camera wondering how I could get outside without scaring them away. And third, the Original Best Girl was suddenly at my side ready to join me. You see, she was my canine supermodel and my camera meant she and I were going outside for adventures. So I couldn’t resist her soft brown eyes and go without her. Believe it or not, my girl and I went outside and stood about four feet from all of the activity and it didn’t phase the party at all. 

Getting a clear and good photo of them proved difficult, however, regardless of how close I was to them. They were moving around the tree so quickly, tossing back the berries and passing them around. I had no way of knowing where they were going next. Fluttering times a thousand. Even Lily, Original Best Girl, sat there mesmerized. Our presence did not bother these gorgeous birds. And just as quickly as they arrived, they departed as a flock. Done. Gone. Never to be seen again. 

My dog looked at me as if to say, “What just happened?” Even she had forgotten about the camera. The really only clear photograph I got that day is shared here. The image can be found on my Fine Art America/Pixels site. 

It took a bit of searching to find what type of bird had briefly entered my world that day, but they are called Cedar Waxwings. Described as social songbirds with pale yellow bellies and black masks, they travel in flocks following fruit sources (the berries left on my crabapple tree). They are also known to get intoxicated on the fermented berries they eat. Check. So I concluded that’s what I saw that day…it explains the way these birds were acting, and how oblivious they were to me and to my dog. They imbibed a little too much, and now I affectionately refer to these stunning birds as Little Drunk Bandits (note the black masks). Just for fun though.

That day was the first and only time I have ever been in the presence of a Cedar Waxwing. Right place, right time, gift sort of thing. At the time, there were two other crabapple trees in the yard so I wondered if they had hit those trees, as well. If not, I got lucky that day because the tree they chose was the only one visible from my kitchen window. Bird’s Eye View. Sorry, couldn’t resist. And call it a lucky gift if these beautiful birds ever decide to visit, however briefly it might be. 

Valentine's Day

 For those of us who kept them, wrote in them

When we were young

And decades later.

Written words formed from shyness, sadness, awkwardness 

Introverted, quiet, expressive, artistic.

Conveying thoughts, revelations, anger

Love, sadness, ideas, creativity, happiness.

Misunderstood, unrequited, forlorn

Release, emotions, low and high.

Diary or Journal

Hidden away

Hoping no one ever found them.

Happy Valentine's Day (for those who recognize the day, and those who simply write about it). 🩷

Clink to Fourteen

 Our Christmas decorations are put away for the year, we've eaten our share of New Year's Day black-eyed-peas for luck, and we're now in search of our "healthy new us" era. While it does seem like just another resolution or two that one will eventually break (as usual), I have sincere intentions of following through with all of my goals. They are for myself and no one else. The fact that I am a list maker and always have been should at least help, although as I've aged it seems I have strayed from the "writing it down and checking it off" bit. I need to reestablish that part...another goal. 

As for this blog...it has seen fourteen new years and fifteen months of January. It will be a mystery as to how much longer I continue with it, and someday it will simply end as most things do. No fanfare or build up. 

Thank you to all who continue reading what I have to write. It is so very appreciated. I hope 2026 is a healthy, happy, safe and prosperous year for all. 

Cheers, or as the Grand would say as she raises her cup (of milk!), "Clink" as we all hold up our glasses (of our drinks of choice) and make a toast. 🎉