My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
We had snow yesterday and highs only to the mid 20’s and more of the same today. I’m tired of the cold and snow already. I think a walk on the beach is what I need. Yeah! Sand between my toes and in my shorts. Yeah! Maybe Myrtle Beach, like this guy. Yeah! Enjoying uplifting scenery. Yeah!
It is cold in Myrtle Beach, 37 degrees to be exact. We have a long overnight so after breakfast I decided to take a walk. I put on a winter coat and headed outdoors. Across the street from the hotel is an abandoned shopping mall that has always intrigued me as a place for photo opportunities. I walked over to see what I could find and was granted a lovely surprised. The surprise included lots of colors, shapes and some wonderful people. Located on the opposite side of the mall is a costume store, a BIG costume store. It’s name is Imaginations Creative Costumes. Did I mention it was BIG? They tempt you as you walk by with beautiful colors and costumes in their display windows. The temptation was too great so I just had to step inside to experience it. Let me tell you it’s BIG.
I imagine they have almost every costume ever made in there. Kids costumes, horror costumes, hats, shoes, makeup, props, accessories and all laid out in a very orderly fashion. I only talked with two of the three young ladies working in the store but found them to be friendly and very inviting.
When I asked to take some photos for posting on my blog they gladly agreed. I spent about 30 minutes wandering aimlessly throughout the store, bending down here, walking complete circles around their displays. I was pleased with the images I came back with. Oh, and I was that close to buying myself one of those much needed Zorro hats.
I’ve done very little post production on these image. I shot them all on auto white balance and needed to increase the temperature a bit to bring out the purples as they were too blue. Color seems to be the theme in these images and I hope that’s okay. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
The store has 5,400 sq. feet of floor space, that’s BIG. Of, course I’ve already mentioned that. It is a family owned operation since 1997. They claim to be the largest costume and dance wear retailer in south Carolina and I believe them to be. If your in the area it would be a great place to shop. Prices are reasonable and you may find that costume you’ve been looking for.
When it’s 25 degrees outside I’m not as interested in going outside. So, while backing up my images from this past week I noticed these shells sitting on my desk. I picked them up a few weeks ago while walking the beach in Myrtle Beach. I wouldn’t mind walking along that sandy beach right now.
“Worrying about doing something new ends up stunting creative growth. Being creative does NOT require doing something new. It requires doing something that is authentically your real personal and true vision. If you take away anything from this blog post, I hope it’s that.”
Scott Bourne
What a powerful post Scott wrote for me, sort of like a personal letter. There are several nuggets in his post, I posted one of them a couple days ago. My history has included a lot of worry. As I’ve aged in years and have a few more experiences under my belt, those worries are far less frequent. I no longer work in engineering because I do not want to wake up in the middle of the night worrying about a problem that needs solved. In fact I could have used his quote back then. It nice to live the day as it unfolds before us and not struggle to make it way we want it. When I live the moment I can be more creative. Walking the beach for me is nothing new, done it a few times and love it. I’ll do it again, living the moment and see what creative juices flow without worries.
We had a longer overnight which allowed us to spend some time at the beach. There is something magical about ocean waves as they move in and out creating their art. Those waves constantly reshape the shoreline. This image is at Myrtle Beach, SC where you will find many people walking the waters edge looking for sea shells and even a few sharks teeth. And, will admit to being one of those individuals. I did walk under this pier which is called Pier 14. On top of this pier is a restaurant called, you guessed it, Pier 14. The lines of this pier, along with the waves, made for an interesting image.