I’m something of a backwards blogger. I have lots of ideas for what I want to write about, but find it hard to focus my writing until I have an image to accompany a post. The image shapes my story – both literally and figuratively. Because I hate ragged lines, I tend to edit each piece so it fits pleasantly beside or around whatever picture I’ve chosen. This felt odd at first (and by odd I mean O.C.D.-ish) but now it feels like having an editor, challenging me to tighten my phraseology.

When I began blogging, I understood the rules of copyright, both for text and photos. I’d spend hours searching online for the perfect photo to accompany a certain post, scouring the creative commons license to be sure it was actually okay to use the pic I’d found, all the while worried I wasn’t doing it right. Finally, after reading the umpteenth article about the dos and don’ts of using someone else’s photo, I swallowed hard and decided it would just be easier if I used my own images.

This decision, that began as resignation, has become one of my favorite personal challenges. While I’ll never be an award-winning photographer, I’ve discovered I don’t suck at it. Plus, Picasa’s photo editing options can make even less than optimal images look decent. Best of all, I have another area of my life where I can look with pride and say I made something of the situation, rather than letting the situation dictate how I’d proceed.

Now I just need some cymbals on my knees and I can take this show on the road!