The Porch Postscript

Good morning!  Yesterday I had Hubby Help me do a bit of a rearrangement of furniture in my studio.  this has been on my mind for a couple of months.  I wanted more natural light on my work and to get my computer out of the big window.  Mission accomplished! A few minor things need to happen, like touching up the edge of my big table that was against the wall and never painted white.  The result brought in so much more natural light, made my large table more accessible for larger projects, and created a fresh space I'll enjoy working in.   I was able to stash my sewing machine table under my large table and move some shelving under one end of the table and will now be able to cut fabric without setting up a small space in the hallway.  Moving the shelving under the table opened up a new space for watercoloring as well. In the photo above you can see my large window, before the work of rearranging the space it was partially covered by my large comp...

I've only talked about getting a new camera for what seems like a decade.  Yesterday I finally splurged on my first large-format camera.  I also purchased a super zoom lens that I can not wait to get my hands on for wildlife photography.  So what did I buy and why... Nikon Z5 Mirroless ( Adorama.com ) I bought a Nikon Z5 Mirrorless Camera, a 24mm to 400mm super zoom lens, and the Nikon Mount Adapter.  The adapter will enable me to continue to use my F-mount lenses on the new Z-mount large-format camera.   I've been shooting with Nikon since the early 2000s and getting another one was a no-brainer.  In some aspects, camera people are like car people.  You're a Nikon, Cannon, Fugi, etc. just like there are Ford, Dodge, or Chevy people.  Why mirrorless?  I've been watching mirrorless cameras since they came out a few years ago.  The prospect of a lighter camera with lens options has intrigued me from the start, but when they first came...

This morning I posted the following on all three of my Insta accounts:   I'm returning to blogging - right now you can find me on my blog - https://www.theporchpostscript.com/ and you can find my photography - https://www.stacypetersen.com/   I haven't made the decision on a specific place for the art part of my life yet, but I'll announce that on The Porch Postscript when and if I do. You can also find me on Substack - https://theporchpostscript.substack.com/ In the last month, I've left the IG completely. Was it because of all the changes? No not really. The changes made me lose interest. I joined IG for photography and a place filled with artists and makers. This isn't that place anymore. It's time to go back to blogging and build something I want rather than chase what the algorithm wants.   I plan to delete all of my accounts in a few weeks. Yes, I did say delete. I've downloaded the data and am now ready to cut the cord and delete it. About a month ago...

Just how many times have I reinvented myself?  It's hard to say.  I've changed career paths a half dozen times in my life.  I've moved states three times, getting ready for a fourth in a couple of years.  I've written four different blogs, counting this one.  I've dabbled in a handmade card business.  Attempted a marketing business under the ideas of others' influence.  I abandon things when I lose interest or get bored.  Yet here I sit at the crossroads of reinvention and coming back to something I used to love. I wrote recently about Sharing Without Social  Sharing Without Social .  About kicking Insta to the curb and being unsure of making a home on Substack.  The truth of the matter is that I really need to come back to writing and sharing for the sake of my own enjoyment, not because it's the latest place to share or an algorithm tells me this is what gets the clicks.  Doing it because I enjoy having a record of what I've ...

I’ve been pondering this topic of sharing without social off and on for a while now. Maybe even off and on for a couple of years. I enjoy sharing the food our house consumes, my artwork, and other fun photographs I take. The rub is with social media. I don’t want all the toxicity of F-book nor do I want the constant scroll of videos you now get on the gram. Where does one go to share without the dopamine hits of thumbs and hearts? Without the flood of memes and other chain-letter modernization. Where does one go to share for the sake of conversation and discussion? I’ve been taking a good hard ponder about blogging again, but do people still read blogs? I like Substack, but I’m already seeing it slip into the land of all the other socials with the addition of notes. It’s far too reminiscent of the bygone days of social. I will continue to write here for a while, but I’m also wandering back toward the blogs I used to write. The place that was mine, where conversations could happen and t...

 Choosing less doesn’t make me less, it might even make me more. Last week I wrote about how Hustle Culture is a Thief and I asked the question - “why is it not ok to be content with less hustle and less busy in life?” Today I’m going to talk about myself and why I choose less. Here’s a bit of background. I’m a skilled admin with a ton of customer service experience. When I say ton, I’m not kidding I’ve been answering the phone for a business since I was about eight years old. My dad ran a business out of our home and there was only one phone line for everything. My skill set is becoming rare in this current cycle of employable people. In my current job, I was hired for this particular skill set, that comes with a side of take no shit. The door opened to me, has allowed me to choose how many hours I want to work, and has given me freedom I’ve never had before. This job also came with an expiration date I set myself. When I was hired I agreed to stay three years, at which point my h...