Snakes, as well as many species of invertebrates, such as crabs and turtles, grow until they reach a point where they must either shed their skin or die. The process of molting the old skin and then growing and hardening off the new one can be uncomfortable; and while it's going on, the creature is quite vulnerable. Once it's complete, of course, the creature is stronger and more mature, able to move freely and interact naturally with its environment. The world itself is undergoing this process now, I believe, as well as many of us individually.
When I first revived this blog during the summer of 2008, I started working on a custom banner and page design. The story of how that went is here. I ended up using a pre-made design provided by TypePad, my blog host. That design (TypePad calls it "Zen Midnight") was nature-oriented and fairly simple, which was exactly the point. It gave me space to breathe and experiment.
I'm ready to move into a new skin, one that provides a container for my words and interests without overwhelming them but which also allows me to display a little more personality. I'm playing with the idea of creating a page design wherein the basic layout and graphic elements remain the same, but where I can adapt the banner from time to time to incorporate images from my photography.
In the meantime, I've chosen to use another pre-made design provided by TypePad. This one has a banner image created by designer and photographer Li Kim Goh and is called, appropriately enough, "New Life". The moment I saw it and previewed it for my blog, I knew it was a fit for where I am now. It is another nature-oriented theme, with a bit more definition and pizazz.
Isn't it amazing -- all the things we can do with our blogs? I would enjoy seeing more of your photography too -- so I look forward to your "new skin"!
Posted by: Cindy L. | Sunday, February 08, 2009 at 06:14 AM
An apt metaphor - for your blog, for any transition. Your new banner is striking.
Posted by: Sharon | Sunday, February 08, 2009 at 11:39 AM
Thanks, Cindy. I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like myself. Blogs give us the opportunity to be creative in ways we probably never would have dreamed of 20 years ago (good bet, since they didn't exist then.)
Sharon .. yes, it is that ("striking"). The photographer who created it is very talented.
Posted by: Kitty | Monday, February 09, 2009 at 12:08 AM