I found that both readings were really interesting. From the Hiss piece, one of my favorite passages was “But it can be seen many scores of nights in any year, and so the lights burned in the cottages and the inhabitants probably gave not a thought to the beauty overhead; and because they could see it almost any night perhaps they will never see it,” which gave me a really interesting perspective by putting it in the context of New York City. From the Schafer piece, I got a deeper understanding of how there are so many facets that contribute to the atmosphere of soundscapes. I loved the passage that said, “I imagined the soundscape as a huge musical concert that is running continuously. The tickets for this concert are free, and we are all listeners. But we are also performers because we make sounds,” which I’ve thought about justing walking the streets of the city. I think we were assigned to read these pieces to understand that the surroundings of the world, and New York City specifically, are heavily influenced by the visuals and audibles. I think it is meant to help us tell stories and narratives when we are photographing. Even though photos are silent, the surroundings and soundscapes can still be extremely important features of any photo.

I trigger Hiss’ ‘deep travel’ wonder through spacing out while listening to music. It helps me relax and forget about the chaos of the outside world for a little bit, almost as if I’m in my own little bubble. Although spacing out may seem as though I am distracted, it helps me clear my mind and is sometimes when I come up with my best ideas. While I am taking photos during this program, I can channel this by listening to music while taking photos. The impact that music has on my creativity may be more than others, but it truly helps me think of new and exciting things to shoot. I think both of these readings will really influence my work the rest of the course along with work I produce in the future. These articles tapped into aspects of the creative realm that are often passed over or taken for granted and I am really appreciative of them now. I’m excited to use these techniques in the future and see where they take my inspiration when creating.