Have you ever looked at JPG Magazine's Photo Challenges?  If you have artist's block, they might be a perfect afternoon adventure.  Uncertainty in my professional life (my second AmeriCorps year ends in August, and this time I'm going to get a real, civilian job) has led to stress and lack of motivation in my personal projects, which I think is par for the course for many people in situations like this.  My biggest ideas have gone to the back burner, and I can only assume my usual energy and lust for new challenges will resume once I secure a full-time job.

In the meantime, I know I can't just come home and play video games every night, so I've decided to do as many JPG Photo Challenges as I can.  Not only do they only encompass a short portion of an afternoon, they encourage me to try out new and silly techniques like camera tossing.

This afternoon I experimented with the Create-A-Filter challenge, with mixed results.  However, if you've never tried putting a thick nylon stocking over the lens of your DSLR, I highly recommend you do.

Whenever I get into a rut, I love to find new techniques or tools to try out.  A friend recently gave me some Agfa color film while cleaning out her house, and at first I wondered what exactly to do with it (I shoot black and white).  Then I found a little Flickr pool by the name of Color Films Developed in B/W Chemicals.  I was really taken by the almost eerie images I found there.  I just may be in love with cross processing, and as soon as my current roll of film is done I think I'll try it!