You need to build a story. You need to develop content
I found this quote in an article, of all things, on getting a job in todays hyper competitive job market - extreme interviewing if you will .. but it hit home for planetariums at home too ..... it hit home that no matter how many gadgets I built, collected etc, people would probably say 'thats nice' and surf on to the personals on Craigs List ..
What compels us? Compel is my new favorite word, its been the subject of our sermon series at church these past weeks, and stories compel us. Content compels us. I realized that I have a tendency to just go on building forever, when I should be writing and performing in my vehicle. Its like building a record player then having a 1 record collection. A TV with only one channel .
I know, just when Im done I knock out a wall .. I turn a visitor center into a stage theater, I push aside my pyramids and start on a castle ..
Youve got to build a story - but there are many stories about these planetariums, about these stars, about these people who look at them. It should be easy right?
But its not .. there are so many stories out there in the ocean, I tend to stay on the beach ...
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
HPA Makes a Video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy1eKmyq1w0
It came about not because I always wanted to, or I even had a video camera. Sitting looking at my ancient digital camera one day, I found that it had a 'movie' setting I'd never tried. This only worked for a few minutes, but then it occurred to me that I had another better camera unused I'd won in a contest, and it took longer videos! So I did this in one take after having done a version of it the day before. Most of it was coincidental - the CD playing had just been done of the Big Bang, something I generated with music software 2 years previous, edited onto the beginning of a show tape. It was Tuesday and I was off. The Nasa stickers were from Owen and his museum of planetariums. This isnt even my planetarium, its in the barn proper and I just love theaters so made one with my egyptian theme. The light bulb at the end just happened to be there. The voice seemed like Hitchcock meets Masterpiece theater. Very strange but fun.
It came about not because I always wanted to, or I even had a video camera. Sitting looking at my ancient digital camera one day, I found that it had a 'movie' setting I'd never tried. This only worked for a few minutes, but then it occurred to me that I had another better camera unused I'd won in a contest, and it took longer videos! So I did this in one take after having done a version of it the day before. Most of it was coincidental - the CD playing had just been done of the Big Bang, something I generated with music software 2 years previous, edited onto the beginning of a show tape. It was Tuesday and I was off. The Nasa stickers were from Owen and his museum of planetariums. This isnt even my planetarium, its in the barn proper and I just love theaters so made one with my egyptian theme. The light bulb at the end just happened to be there. The voice seemed like Hitchcock meets Masterpiece theater. Very strange but fun.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
From WOW to WIN
How do dreams get accomplished? First of all, do we have dreams? Pipe dreams, sleeping dreams, or waking goal oriented dreams, they all flit in and out of our minds eye like butterflies. But do we realize them?
Planetariums are like that for a few .. half remembered trips .. WOW like memories, but how can they go from WOW to WIN .. in other words, how can we realize these half glimpsed urges, visions today?
As much as we like to be eccentric backroom hermits, celebrating our oddities and workshops and tattered old catalogs, we really cannot do it alone.
The secret of going from WOW - remembering the wonderful feelings that the stars and planetariums evoke in us .. to WIN, holding these things in our waking lives .. is to surround ourselves with supportive people.
So that when I build an aurora projector out of a coke bottle, I do not get the blank stares, or apathy or even negativism (why are you wasting your time with this) . I get positive vibes, enouragement, more dreams and suggestions ..
It seems to me the only path from WOW to WIN is through others .. for a passion shared is a passion that will endure.
Planetariums are like that for a few .. half remembered trips .. WOW like memories, but how can they go from WOW to WIN .. in other words, how can we realize these half glimpsed urges, visions today?
As much as we like to be eccentric backroom hermits, celebrating our oddities and workshops and tattered old catalogs, we really cannot do it alone.
The secret of going from WOW - remembering the wonderful feelings that the stars and planetariums evoke in us .. to WIN, holding these things in our waking lives .. is to surround ourselves with supportive people.
So that when I build an aurora projector out of a coke bottle, I do not get the blank stares, or apathy or even negativism (why are you wasting your time with this) . I get positive vibes, enouragement, more dreams and suggestions ..
It seems to me the only path from WOW to WIN is through others .. for a passion shared is a passion that will endure.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
the hunger
i have a hunger.
i want to sit beneath a projected sky and forget about all my troubles.
i want to sit and look at a horizon like adler had .. imagine the city i live in
i want to see stars as i would from the amazon basin. i want to see what i would see from the top of everest
i want to see what increasingly its hard for me to see
i have that hunger. to see what magellean saw as he sailed south along the s. america coast
i have that hunger. to see the southern cross like
i have that hunger.
i dont know why i am even to type this into a computer. it must be a strong hunger
what do YOU have a hunger for in astronomy ? planetariums?
it defies categories.
its just a HUNGER ...
its ok. we have it too gare
i want to sit beneath a projected sky and forget about all my troubles.
i want to sit and look at a horizon like adler had .. imagine the city i live in
i want to see stars as i would from the amazon basin. i want to see what i would see from the top of everest
i want to see what increasingly its hard for me to see
i have that hunger. to see what magellean saw as he sailed south along the s. america coast
i have that hunger. to see the southern cross like
i have that hunger.
i dont know why i am even to type this into a computer. it must be a strong hunger
what do YOU have a hunger for in astronomy ? planetariums?
it defies categories.
its just a HUNGER ...
its ok. we have it too gare
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Nothings the Same except (the Stars)
I read the Time Machine as a kid in the 60s, and unlike HG Wells grim depictation of time travel, I thought it to be the ultimate fantasy. And somehow, alot of it has come true for me!
The internet is a time machine. Pining for that old neighborhood, golf course, baseball field - Google Maps takes me there, albeit from above. Wishing I'd seen Uriah Heep in concert in the summer of 72? Youtube takes me there, front row. Wondering about that longlost Jr High friend? You can probably find him. I've done all three of these things in the last week. Time travel.
But what was it REALLY like? What can we see that is virtually unchanged since Cromwell saw it - the stars really (I know, sky phenomena change, pollution dims, some stars change positions quicker than others) .. but for all practical purposes, I can see the stars the same as Cromwell did.
This I admit is part of the fascination of the plaetarium for me .. I can go to the north pole and look up, I can get in a lifeboat and paddle out northeast from the Titanic . and see the same stars. We are bonded with the past by that. Yet who bothers to wonder?
Time machines are now on the screen before me. But theyve always been in the sky above me.
The internet is a time machine. Pining for that old neighborhood, golf course, baseball field - Google Maps takes me there, albeit from above. Wishing I'd seen Uriah Heep in concert in the summer of 72? Youtube takes me there, front row. Wondering about that longlost Jr High friend? You can probably find him. I've done all three of these things in the last week. Time travel.
But what was it REALLY like? What can we see that is virtually unchanged since Cromwell saw it - the stars really (I know, sky phenomena change, pollution dims, some stars change positions quicker than others) .. but for all practical purposes, I can see the stars the same as Cromwell did.
This I admit is part of the fascination of the plaetarium for me .. I can go to the north pole and look up, I can get in a lifeboat and paddle out northeast from the Titanic . and see the same stars. We are bonded with the past by that. Yet who bothers to wonder?
Time machines are now on the screen before me. But theyve always been in the sky above me.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Its 2015 .. and in the past 5 years I've ....
Recently I've learned that an adventurer, and thats what we're SUPPOSED to be in life among other things, should start with the end in mind. A vision. A goal, but a detailed one .. in focus. It doesnt mean it cant and wont change, but you are more likely perhaps to stay on course if working towards a detailed picture. So here goes
Its 2015 - and in the past five years I've ....
become somewhat of a well kept secret in the Nashville area among school and scouting groups. I began in late 2010 with a standing ad in the local paper which at first attracted only a few random calls of interest, but once word of mouth took hold I get a couple calls a month for show appointments. This I had to keep flexible due to my shifting retail schedule, and at first I underdid it, with only 1 per month or so. The following summer I tried an advertising blitz and found I overdid it, I couldnt run this as anything more than a hobby and I've since found I have to be comfortable for it to be enjoyable, and found about 1-3 shows a week to be optimal for me.
At first I had grandios plans for workshops, planetarium kits, souvenirs, cd sales etc but found after about a year of failed experiments that I was basically in the EXPERIECE business - give visitors an experience they could only get in my barn. It was all about something different, and that wasnt hard if I followed my own heart, played to my own strengths, and had no expectations. After some time trying to emulate commercial shows I'd seen, shows Id watched, I finally settled on just being me
I found I needed some prerecorded things I could 'play' for visitors - some times I was too tired to talk, some times I imagined people viewed this more as an event or 'show' since I billed myself as a theater with stars just as much as planetarium. I also found I needed to talk and improvise every time too to keep it fresh and unique. I found I really couldnt know what to expect, some times questions were everywhere and sometimes the silence was deafening, with the adults obviously waiting for it to be over.
I ran it year round the past five years, most people could sit in an unheated place for 30 minutes without too much discomfort. I ran into things I hadnt bargained for - people needing to use the house bathroom .. people parking all over the yard .. kids running round the property in the dark ... I had to safety proof as much as possible I never charged admission, being fearful of 'business' liabilities and taxes etc ..
I continually developed new shows, going against my first impulse to develop a couple elaborate shows and 'run them into the ground' .. this got boring quickly and it was essential over the years to keep ME interested, this couldnt be a job. I was much happier when I completely divorced money from all my thoughts.
I found the public side of this weird hobby to be hard to balance with my previous, private 'HPA' side, building, writing about planetariums etc .. but over the years I thought both were worthy of attention and so kept them both as valued things in my life and hopefully the life of some others.
I didnt build what I thought I'd build .. I got lazy in that regard .. I built one other projector and was sortof happy with that .. never say never though
Over the past five years I've tried to remain philsophical about it all - Ive never rekindled the amateur astronomy thing, I never developed an interest in a portable planetarium traveling around, and I never really pursued my publishing dreams. Perhaps I am saving them .. its 2015, Im only 63, theres time yet (I hope)
Ive currently no plans to escalate this into a fulltime 'retirement' job, but I plan right now to keep it going indefinitely, as long as I can 'see' stars the thrill is still there, and I think right now it always will be
written Sept 30, 2010
Its 2015 - and in the past five years I've ....
become somewhat of a well kept secret in the Nashville area among school and scouting groups. I began in late 2010 with a standing ad in the local paper which at first attracted only a few random calls of interest, but once word of mouth took hold I get a couple calls a month for show appointments. This I had to keep flexible due to my shifting retail schedule, and at first I underdid it, with only 1 per month or so. The following summer I tried an advertising blitz and found I overdid it, I couldnt run this as anything more than a hobby and I've since found I have to be comfortable for it to be enjoyable, and found about 1-3 shows a week to be optimal for me.
At first I had grandios plans for workshops, planetarium kits, souvenirs, cd sales etc but found after about a year of failed experiments that I was basically in the EXPERIECE business - give visitors an experience they could only get in my barn. It was all about something different, and that wasnt hard if I followed my own heart, played to my own strengths, and had no expectations. After some time trying to emulate commercial shows I'd seen, shows Id watched, I finally settled on just being me
I found I needed some prerecorded things I could 'play' for visitors - some times I was too tired to talk, some times I imagined people viewed this more as an event or 'show' since I billed myself as a theater with stars just as much as planetarium. I also found I needed to talk and improvise every time too to keep it fresh and unique. I found I really couldnt know what to expect, some times questions were everywhere and sometimes the silence was deafening, with the adults obviously waiting for it to be over.
I ran it year round the past five years, most people could sit in an unheated place for 30 minutes without too much discomfort. I ran into things I hadnt bargained for - people needing to use the house bathroom .. people parking all over the yard .. kids running round the property in the dark ... I had to safety proof as much as possible I never charged admission, being fearful of 'business' liabilities and taxes etc ..
I continually developed new shows, going against my first impulse to develop a couple elaborate shows and 'run them into the ground' .. this got boring quickly and it was essential over the years to keep ME interested, this couldnt be a job. I was much happier when I completely divorced money from all my thoughts.
I found the public side of this weird hobby to be hard to balance with my previous, private 'HPA' side, building, writing about planetariums etc .. but over the years I thought both were worthy of attention and so kept them both as valued things in my life and hopefully the life of some others.
I didnt build what I thought I'd build .. I got lazy in that regard .. I built one other projector and was sortof happy with that .. never say never though
Over the past five years I've tried to remain philsophical about it all - Ive never rekindled the amateur astronomy thing, I never developed an interest in a portable planetarium traveling around, and I never really pursued my publishing dreams. Perhaps I am saving them .. its 2015, Im only 63, theres time yet (I hope)
Ive currently no plans to escalate this into a fulltime 'retirement' job, but I plan right now to keep it going indefinitely, as long as I can 'see' stars the thrill is still there, and I think right now it always will be
written Sept 30, 2010
Institutionalize!
(From HPA Newsletter Issue 20)
We've all heard the old saying.. whether its a million dollar shortstop, the orchestra conductor of 30 years, or the guy who mops the floor for time immemorial... they're an institution. But how the word has changed.. museums are on thing, but its not the Smithsonian Museum, its the Smithsonian Institution. Colleges, Universities, they are ongoing institutions of higher learning, not fixed in a point of time, but preserving and growing at the same time. But theres a dark side..we placed him in an institution... A dead end.
So which is it?
What do you want to be with your planetarium? A hobby maybe, thats just you and invited guests - private. A shrine? Thats a static display with no living parts. A business? That invokes endless repetition of a formula designed to milk dollars. No I say, be the good kin of institution! Be the kind that has both ivy on the walls and children running in the doors. The kind that has generated lasting memories, and is planning future ones as well. One that has annual records on the shelf going back decades and also exciting visions to come. One that shares a legacy of joy, learning, and great times will go a long way towards your own satisfaction when you're hopefully rocking on that porch some day. Knowing you were involved. Knowing you were there.
Knowing you were an institution.
We've all heard the old saying.. whether its a million dollar shortstop, the orchestra conductor of 30 years, or the guy who mops the floor for time immemorial... they're an institution. But how the word has changed.. museums are on thing, but its not the Smithsonian Museum, its the Smithsonian Institution. Colleges, Universities, they are ongoing institutions of higher learning, not fixed in a point of time, but preserving and growing at the same time. But theres a dark side..we placed him in an institution... A dead end.
So which is it?
What do you want to be with your planetarium? A hobby maybe, thats just you and invited guests - private. A shrine? Thats a static display with no living parts. A business? That invokes endless repetition of a formula designed to milk dollars. No I say, be the good kin of institution! Be the kind that has both ivy on the walls and children running in the doors. The kind that has generated lasting memories, and is planning future ones as well. One that has annual records on the shelf going back decades and also exciting visions to come. One that shares a legacy of joy, learning, and great times will go a long way towards your own satisfaction when you're hopefully rocking on that porch some day. Knowing you were involved. Knowing you were there.
Knowing you were an institution.
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