Cody Goodin - The artistic and spiritual journey of Cody Goodin

One of the things I really dislike is shopping for groceries.  Actually most types of shopping I detest.  Mostly because as someone with visual challenges, seeing so much stuff in a constant stream can be rather exhausting to me.  I get very tired and sleepy.  That then progresses to crankiness.  Yesterday was one of those days where I had to go to the drug store for refills on medications.  Then on to the grocery store to finish up the shopping I did earlier in the week.  Once I had checked out I realized that I would have a 35 minute wait for the next bus.  Not my idea of a fun time for sure.  Then it hit me. My inner voice said, I have my little camera in my pocket.  My bag of groceries isn't that heavy.  Why not walk home.  It became a sort of walk about impromptu. So I slung my bag of stuff over my shoulder and off I went.  It was a gorgeous sunny day and for black and white photos great for capturing lots of shadow...

Hello my friends out there.  I hope your year is ending up just where you wish it to be.  For me, I am saying good bye to it like an old friend.  Knowing I will not see it again. I will welcome it's sister with open arms to see what adventures we will have together.  One thing has struck me of late.  All of the various people and groups trying to get you to follow their perfect plan for happiness.  Follow X diet, eat like a Buddhist, grow you hair longer and on and on. So, I have been asking myself why do we as humans feel the need to follow someone else's lead?  Do we seek approval, inclusion into some elite group? Maybe we just want to belong because we are truly social beings. On this cusp of a new year I have been thinking about what I want to accomplish in the new year. How I could  improve the quality of my life. In this thought process I realized how many times I have tried this or that from others to miraculously improve my life or s...

Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, joyful Yule, whatever form you celebrate the holidays I hope it is beautiful.  To those of you having a more difficult time at this point in the year my heart is with you and know that you are loved not only by me but, by the Universe.  I for one am truly grateful for your friendship and love you have shown me through out this year and years past.  If you are new to Codyland, welcome and hope you come back often.  My hope is that you have found a tiny bit of inspiration and joy here.  Many find this holiday season bitter sweet.  We are faced with the lose of ones we have loved, or any number of other issues.  But, please know that you are never truly alone.  It took me many years to realize this.  I share my heart and soul felt gratitude for you being a part of my life. This has been a very quickly lived year for me.  Many changes and opportunities to grow and learn.  My hope is that 2014 will c...

So, I am on a mission to try and bring as much play into my life as I can.  The best scenario would be everyday but, I will try and do it as often as I can. What has prompted me on to this mode of thought today was an article I read on the Digital Photography School web site.  One of the things that make great artists is their sense of play and adventure.  Being fearless and just giving something a try.  Not being afraid to fail and fail until you happen on to something cool and inspiring. That is part of what keeps my photo of the day going on Facebook. How does one become better at something?  By doing it over and over is one way or by playing and discovering is another.  Sure practice makes perfect for some things.  But, you have to be willing to pick up that camera, paint brush, needle or violin to start to become better.  Play encourages that process better than any other I know. Thus brings me to my point of this post.  In the images be...

Merry winter Solstice to all of you out there in cyberland.  I hope your holidays are going well.  I have been busy keeping up with my photography for my photo of the day posts on Facebook.  My class has ended and it was clear to me I need to keep going and continue my creative journey.  My current explorations are with black and white images.  I wanted to focus on seeing the world in tones, texture and shapes without the distraction of color.  Not that I mind color, I love it, but also like the challenges of black and white. In the two scenes I am sharing here I have chosen the busy city streets of Cincinnati.  These were taken from the street corner where my workplace is located.  I am using a simple Nikon point and shoot camera.  The great thing about these cameras is that they are simple and easy to carry around. Well, that's it for today.  I am gearing up for some art making on the holiday days off I will have and getti...

Today I am feeling a bit of gratitude.  Why?  Because I think it is good for the soul to be thankful and grateful for the things we have and take for granted in our lives.  My example of this thought is of my humble home.  It is here that I create some of my artful expressions, have delicious meals with my soon to be husband.  We have made our greatest part of our lives together here in this humble little place.  Yes, it has many flaws and I am not always attentive to keeping up appearances. But, nevertheless it is our home. I took the above picture the day after our first snow of the season back in October.  Earlier than most years and a harbinger of things to come. But, as I gazed up at my little abode, I realized just how lucky I am to have it in my life.  So many people are without or have to live in much less savory conditions than I.  This time of year always brings out those feelings of thankfulness.  In addition to those fee...

Today it is a cold rainy day here in Codyland.  A bit like my mood.  No I am not depressed.  But, rather contemplative.  I have been revisiting some old places in my mind of late.  Trying to navigate around who I am as an artist.  Recently I have noticed something rather profound about myself as an artist.  I must have a form of ADD.  It is near to impossible for me to stick with one form of expression or medium.  I am bouncing around from sculpture, painting to photography.  I love working in all these media.  But, while attending a few art shows this past week, I began to wonder if this way of being wasn't a hindrance? Is there a place in the art world for someone like me?  It seems most artists concentrate on one medium or process.  Sure, I can just be happy with who I am and how I make art.  But, if I want to be a part of the "Art Community" than should I conform? I am at my most happiest when I am creating and ...

Hello and welcome once again to my place of creative thought.  Codyland is under some renovations abstractly speaking.  I am hoping to be a bit more active in sharing my creative process.  Today's episode centers around the using of light as a means to create lines.  However it is using light that is implied through the use of software manipulation.  How can an image be abstracted just enough so that it still maintains some recognized image.  In the above image I have abstracted an image of myself down to lines of light.  It is my minimal me. I really like the result of this simple process of fractilizing and image. In the image above I applied the same process as in the previous image of creating a drawing with light.  This is an image of one of my art models posing in a reflective mode.  I really like the power and simplicity of these black and white images.  I think they would lend themselves well in a photo collage or some o...

I have decided to begin my visual journal a month early.  I think this will be a good daily practice to keep me writing and making art.  The above picture is one that I took in Columbus at the state fair a few years back.  It is fun to look at the tiny Lego buildings and imagine the people that live there.  This is photo of the day #75 on my Facebook page. The photograph was one in my assignment series for this past week on scale. Fascinating idea to play upon, the idea of scale and how we see it in our lives. Scale can be a more philosophical question too.  It conjures up thoughts of my place in the world, the Universe.  Talk about a since of scale, makes me feel really tiny. But, for me it puts life into perspective too.  We seem to get so wrapped up in the small stuff and let it control our lives to the point of creating stress.  When, I look at pictures like the one above.  I soon realize that there is no need to get so overworked. ...