New Beginnings. Original Photography. Ephemeral Art. Eco-friendly Products. Steem Accepting Store.

I dream.
Of a world in balance.
Where nightmares can surface.
Be exaggerated. Entertaining. Accepted.
Where fantasy blossoms and the whimsical delights.
Where light and colour, pattern and texture enrich the dull.
That's Life: In the kaleidoscopic zone of the Deep Dream Generator. ~Ally.

Not only the thirsty seek the water, the water as well seeks the thirsty. ~Rumi.

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Where to begin?

After being away from Steemit for six full months now, a new beginning can feel quite daunting. However, this new beginning can also be a time for looking at everything through 'new eyes' and right now I have a feeling that an extremely creative time is about to unfold.

My mind tells me that I haven't changed all that much over this period and yet we know differently:

The default state of the body is one of ceaseless regeneration. Without the flame-like process of continual cell turnover within the body ~ Life and death ceaselessly intertwined ~ The miracle of the human body would not exist. ~Sayer Ji, founder of Greenmedinfo.com.

So here I am: Sitting down with a strong brew of dandelion chai, burdock root, rhodiola rosea, rosella flowers and gotu kola, laced with hemp coffee, made delicious with macadamia nut milk and dates ~ Naturally all organic ~ And listening to Episode 6 of the video series: 'The Truth about Cancer.' Preparing to begin all over again.

And I'm asking myself: Apart from the millions of cells that have come and gone over the past six months, what other changes, have taken place?

I'm a very early riser, and I don't like to miss that beautiful early morning light. ~David Hockney.

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For the last week or so, I've been catching up with a few friends here at Steemit and it's been wonderful to reconnect. There are still a few more people I wish to catch up with, but for now, it's time to attempt to describe what I've been doing, thinking and feeling since I last shared anything with you.

These are just some of the situations/events, activities and creative interests that have been shaping me in some way over the past few months. In the coming weeks and months, I'll dive a little deeper into explaining them more fully:

• A. Encounters with a Brush Turkey:

For 12 months now I've been observing our backyard garden, being raked by not just one, but several Brush Turkeys, building a nest. Scattering every square inch of nicely matured composted mulch EVERYWHERE. Leaving in the wake, a fantastic new compost pile but dry sandy soil on all the backyard garden beds.

Brush Turkey happily building his nest.

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• B. Reactions, responses and solutions?

From annoyance and hostility to acceptance, from trying every non-harmful and ineffectual approach to stopping them, including water spraying, mirrors, diverting their trails, even Brush Turkey whispering to finally finding a solution that works. I'm hoping I don't have to retract such a BOLD statement.

String webs with silver reflective 'Bird Scare' strips.

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• C. Finding a little respite from Brush Turkey chaos:

The Brush Turkey occasionally meanders into the front garden but not for long. So the mulch there has survived, along with the snapdragons and poppies, lavender and daisies, sweet peas and pansies.

One of my poppies that survived not only the Brush Turkey but the snails as well.

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• D. Our wisteria has been the lushest ever this year. Maybe it was the lack of rain over winter and then the sudden heat wave ~ Who knows?

Sydney seasons are becoming so unpredictable. Right now it feels like it's never going to stop raining and I've hardly begun to capture the beauty of our glorious Spring this year. So visits to the Sydney Botanical Gardens and the Chinese Gardens are still very much on my 'Wishlist.'

Our wisteria before the rain came.

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• E. I've been totally enjoying a Qi Gong class once a week with Anne Sarzin, certified as a Sheng Zhen Gong teacher.

Through the movements, breathing and deep relaxation of the Sheng Zhen Gong practice, good qi circulation is encouraged. This clears blockages in the meridians and energizes the body's 'qi' centres. Natural self healing follows. The Sheng Zhen qigong forms focus particularly on the heart and have especially powerful effects on the organs and energy systems of the body. ~What is Sheng Zhen Gong?

My heart spirals to your tune of peace. ~Ally.

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• F. I've also been reading and learning to practice Theresa Cheung's 21 Rituals to Change Your Life: Daily Practices to Bring Greater Inner Peace and Happiness.

The first ritual is simply to start the day earlier for 21 days in a row: To choose a set time to wake and get up straight away ~ No snooze buttons. I managed to wake up at 6.30 am for 18 days in a row: Which was quite an achievement, for this 'Night Owl' ~ Who used to be and longs to be again an 'Early Bird' ~ In the middle of winter.

I can see already that by adhering to these 21 rituals my life will become more disciplined and ordered and as a result I'll be able to prioritize and regain the time and energy to do the things I love and want to be doing. Essentially that's to create:

1. Ephemeral art in the natural environment.
2. Obelisque sculptures as symbols of love and peace.

Ephemeral art piece created at Bass Point.

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• G. And as always, walking along some of our local bushland tracks, immersed in nature, letting the mind calm and the spirit quicken ~ Giving one the sense that all is still well in this part of the world.

Along the Flat Rock Track, Roseville, Sydney.

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• H. From 'nests' to 'hats' to 'pots and bowls' ~ Experimenting with Papier Mâché made from Japanese Rice Papers and natural elements.

I have the notion of painting very simple tribal/minimalist/abstract designs on these nests/hats/bowls and/or decorating them with dried plants and or coating them in a waterproof resin. But I tend to like them in this more 'natural state' so it may be a while before I push the creative boundaries here. So far I've given four of them to friends as gifts ~ Just as they are.

Other materials to experiment with.

Beatrice of the Hemp Gallery has given me a load of hemp fabric offcuts that I hope to recycle into plant containers and bowls.

And Gabriel of Amphore Living Foods has given me a huge tub of Kombucha Scobys to make into Kombucha fabric/leather that can then be made into different containers and eventually be part of a series of obelisque sculptures.

Square bowl made from Japanese Rice Paper, embedded with dry hydrangeas.

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• I. And from Papier Mâché to researching how to make my own paper.

It's high on my wishlist now to visit the Euraba artists and papermakers at Boggabilla. However, Boggabilla is a very small town, located 745 kms north of Sydney, in inland NSW, close to the Queensland border. With the nearest Airbnb 12 kms away. But I remind myself, wherever the spirit is longing to go, the Universe will provide a way.

Euraba website

Euraba Artists and Papermakers is an Aboriginal artists’ collective, owned and operated by the Goomeroi people of Toomelah of the region, and has been making paper by hand, with local materials and pigments since 1998. ~Euraba story

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• J. After experimenting with Photoshop Filters, to see how a photograph could be converted to an image with the characteristics of a pastel drawing or watercolour painting, etc. See: WHAT IS IT? I went back to re-read @carlgnash's 'Tutorial' on the process of generating Dream imagery with the Deep Dream Generator ~ And fell down the rabbit hole.

FURTHER and FURTHER for SIX MONTHS which is the main reason you have seen very little of me for so long now.

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The Deep Dream Generator.

When Carl transformed one of my black and white photographs into a multicoloured painterly image, I was spellbound and VERY curious about how he had done it.

In a nanosecond, it made so many things I've been seeking ~ GEL. I've always loved bright clear colour but have tended to use the more subtle tones of nature in my ephemeral art and photography. Now, I'm imagining picking up a brush and being able to paint flamboyantly for virtually the first time ever. ~Ally.

These are the two images: My original photograph of 'The nest' on the left and Carl's digital colour filled version on the right.

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You can see more of Carl's amazing abstract imagery at:

• City of Brass and the Hive Queen: Willamette Abstraction Series

• Into the Realm of the Drowned Queen: Willamette Abstraction Series

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My Dream Imagery

Initially, I felt that 'playing' with the Deep Dream Generator was taking me away from my 'real work' ~ The need to reacquaint myself with charcoal and paint once again.

But was it merely a distraction?

I began to realize that I was learning new skills in color and design and I felt a growing excitement about the influence it was having on my own imagery.

You can see my Deep Dream Generator Gallery HERE.

Essentially the DDG software enables you to pair two images so that the first image (the Base or Source image) will take on the characteristics of the second image (the Style image) ~ Enhancing the colour, tone and design of the final Dream image. A totally different principle to merging two images in Photoshop.

As much as possible I also pair my Base images with Style images that add to the 'story' generated when the different images are displayed together.

I'll go into more detail as I share more of my Dream imagery but for now to give you an idea of how an image can be even slightly enhanced using the Deep Dream Generator: The original photograph is on the left and the Dream image is on the right. Can you see the subtle brightness that gives more clarity to the Dream image?

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TO BE CONTINUED

There are so many other things I'd like to share with you now in the weeks ~ And months to come, including:

• Explaining what I was actually making and the development of the original idea, that I presented in: WHAT IS IT? Ephemeral Art.

• Part 11 of Boring but: RARE and NEVER to be photographed again: Views from the Roseville Bridge. Sydney, Australia.

• Other images generated by the Deep Dream Generator and how I create my own Styles with the use of Canva. Canva was first introduced to me by Henry James Banayat, the founder of Compumatrix International and has been an invaluable tool to have.

• Revisiting and re-establishing the Magical Moments Gallery. The original concept for this 'Gallery' can be seen at: Velvet Green. Magical Moments.

• How on one of my returns to Steemit about 6 weeks ago I was introduced to another 'on the crypto pulse' social media platform by @offgridlife. Yet another rabbit hole that one could also easily slip down into. However, it's a wonderful alternative to Facebook when one wants to share information with fellow creatives and like-spirited beings: Minds

• Also returning to Steemit again recently I was SO excited to see an article by @sagescrub who has designed a plugin for Wordpress that will enable owners of a Wordpress website or blog to accept Steemit as a payment provider for their products/services. This has really given me the added nudge to update my blog: Earth ♥︎ Sand ♥︎ Water ♥︎ Ice.

• To begin with, I'd absolutely LOVE to accept Steem for my range of eco-friendly nests/hats/pots/bowls made from recycled materials on my own WP website store. And let it evolve from there.

• I'm also feeling so inspired by some of the Challenges here at Steemit: Can't wait to share the photographs I've been editing for @tattoodjay's Wednesday Walk and @melinda010100's Shadow Contest.

So I'll see you again soon: Brush/Bush Turkey permitting. And I absolutely promise that my posts will be much much much shorter from now on.

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Photography: ©Alison Lee Cousland.
SONY Mark2 A7: 35 mm:

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