2024 07 19
Having just returned from some restful days up in Wisconsinās Northwoods (we stay in St Germain each summer), I was thinking on what it is I like most about being up there. Yes, the lake it nice; taking the boat out for a leisurely ride. Yes, the nature and trees and fire pit and beach are all great. Viewing the starts on a clear night sky is incredible. Perhaps itās the city slicker in me, but my favorite thing about visiting up north is exploring the bars and restaurants.
Iām not entirely sure why Iām drawn to bars so much. This would be a topic worth pondering in a longer post, for sure. But I think largely itās a combination of my introverted nature and need for observation. While this may sound contradictory, the bar offers me a space I can let my imagination work and provides my mind with stimulation: people talking and moving, music and clinking glassware, interesting sunlight and backlit bar shelves. When you mix in some alcohol to the equation, it allows me to let my guard down just enough to engage in the setting and participate in the action.
This may all sound like common sense to a normal fella, but for someone with an endless supply of social anxieties, the bar provides an understanding that weāre all hanging out there for more or less the same reason. Itās okay to engage and explore. Saddle up and order me a round and letās find some common ground. Iām not sure why Iām dipping into cowboy slang but thatās just the kind of thing the bar does to a guy.
-Clayton
The scene inside Electric Funeral, a new bar in Chicagoās Bridgeport neighborhood. June, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Having just returned from some restful days up in Wisconsinās Northwoods (we stay in St Germain each summer), I was thinking on what it is I like most about being up there. Yes, the lake it nice; taking the boat out for a leisurely ride. Yes, the nature and trees and fire pit and beach are all great. Viewing the starts on a clear night sky is incredible. Perhaps itās the city slicker in me, but my favorite thing about visiting up north is exploring the bars and restaurants.
Iām not entirely sure why Iām drawn to bars so much. This would be a topic worth pondering in a longer post, for sure. But I think largely itās a combination of my introverted nature and need for observation. While this may sound contradictory, the bar offers me a space I can let my imagination work and provides my mind with stimulation: people talking and moving, music and clinking glassware, interesting sunlight and backlit bar shelves. When you mix in some alcohol to the equation, it allows me to let my guard down just enough to engage in the setting and participate in the action.
This may all sound like common sense to a normal fella, but for someone with an endless supply of social anxieties, the bar provides an understanding that weāre all hanging out there for more or less the same reason. Itās okay to engage and explore. Saddle up and order me a round and letās find some common ground. Iām not sure why Iām dipping into cowboy slang but thatās just the kind of thing the bar does to a guy.
-Clayton
2024 07 18
Iām writing this from my bed in our cabin up in Wisconsinās Northwoods while I should be packing to head home. Allisonās family has been coming up here for roughly forty years now, the same with week in the same cabin with the same families. Itās quite remarkable, really! As a lifelong city boy, Iāve come to love these brief trips to the relatively-natural landscape, even though my highlights are always the bars and restaurant visits.
Last night was a perfect end cap and has me wishing to stay longer. We got back from dinner at Blink Bonnie, which is basically the boss level of supper clubs (if you know, you know). We then made a fire and roasted some sāmores while the skies cleared up and Brian assembled his massive telescope and aimed it at Saturn for a clear view of the planet and its rings fully visible to the naked eye. I grabbed my camera and started frantically making some nightscape images and before we knew it, it was 2am and well past time to go to bed.
Per usual after my trips up here, Iāll spend a few weeks dreaming & scheming about how we might be able to buy a cabin up here or spend more time up here. But now, I must pack my bags and head south with a potential stopover in Milwaukee to see firsthand for ourselves, with our own eyes, like Saturn far above us, how crazy the political landscape of this great country has become.
-Clayton
Life finds a way. Chicago, Illinois; June, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Iām writing this from my bed in our cabin up in Wisconsinās Northwoods while I should be packing to head home. Allisonās family has been coming up here for roughly forty years now, the same with week in the same cabin with the same families. Itās quite remarkable, really! As a lifelong city boy, Iāve come to love these brief trips to the relatively-natural landscape, even though my highlights are always the bars and restaurant visits.
Last night was a perfect end cap and has me wishing to stay longer. We got back from dinner at Blink Bonnie, which is basically the boss level of supper clubs (if you know, you know). We then made a fire and roasted some sāmores while the skies cleared up and Brian assembled his massive telescope and aimed it at Saturn for a clear view of the planet and its rings fully visible to the naked eye. I grabbed my camera and started frantically making some nightscape images and before we knew it, it was 2am and well past time to go to bed.
Per usual after my trips up here, Iāll spend a few weeks dreaming & scheming about how we might be able to buy a cabin up here or spend more time up here. But now, I must pack my bags and head south with a potential stopover in Milwaukee to see firsthand for ourselves, with our own eyes, like Saturn far above us, how crazy the political landscape of this great country has become.
-Clayton
2024 07 17
[Book Review]
The Big Store: Inside the Crisis and Revolution at Sears
Donald L Katz
Previously, I wrote about my interest in the story of Sears (see blog post 2024 03 29). Having been born myself at the tail end of this massive corporationās lifespan, in its home city, I was aware of the existence of Sears, with its massive headquarters, the wordās tallest building, towering over the city and even visible on my bus ride to school many miles outside of downtown. Much like the previous run-on sentence, Sears clung to life for decades beyond its best by date before finally sputtering out of life. New technologies and modern shopping habits fueled by cheap goods resulting from globalization changed consumer habits and ultimately Sears was not able to adapt quickly enough with the times to survive. Ultimately, Sears was a beneficiary of prosperous years and massive growth in the American economy (from my notes: Growth in the post-WW2 era was rapid as they opened stores everywhere. Employees were loyal and well compensated. The company was seen as a safe place to work for military and country-boy types. FDR said we should drop Sears catalogs over the Soviet Union to show them the benefits of capitalism). In many ways, Sears represented the best America had to offer at the time.
As the tides changed, the structures of Sears became dated and out-of-sync with corporate America. The government eventually came after the company for unfair hiring practices (from my notes: Autonomy to local managers was innovative at first but eventually was scrutinized by the government for discriminative hiring practices. The managers were like warlords ruling over their regions with assistants and assistants to the assistants. Tudor: The ideal Sears employee was a man from a small Midwest town that understood authority. (Board of directors in 1975). They were late to embracing computers).
At the peak of their power, Sears leadership couldnāt see the ways in which their massive business could fail. They decided it was justified to erect the tallest tower in the world and fill it with employees to direct their ever-growing company. Insiders called the Sears Tower āGordon Metcalfās last erectionā as doubt grew inside the company that it would be able to fill the entire building by the end of the century, as was planned. Before the Sears Tower, many customers around the country had no idea where Sears was based and just assumed it was somewhere near them. The Tower became a symbol with negative connotation. In my opinion, the fall of Sears came about largely due to a lowering economic tide and inability to adapt quickly to a changing society.
All of this information was incredibly well reported in Katzās book The Big Store. What led me to read his in-depth and thorough re-telling of Sears was my curiosity in how one company came to own or control so many other famous American brands (Allstate, Dean Witter, Coldwell Banker, Discover Card, Kenmore, DieHard, Craftsman, Kmart). Perhaps to be expected, a company as large and complex as Sears was compelled Katz to write a book equally as labyrinthian. Katz was given incredible access and is clearly well-versed in business details (he went on to become a corporate CEO himself). However, while this book is great at telling the business side of the Sears story, it largely fails at forming a compelling character-driven narrative that withstands changing dynamics of our society to remain a critical read for audiences of this generation, unfamiliar with Sears.
While The Big Store is a great book covering a specific period of time in corporate America, that age is well over and the lessons learned from it mostly no longer apply. While Iām not here to claim the task an easy one, I do feel there is more of a story to tell with Sears, one that may better connect to rising inequality (Sears was a store built for the middle class, therefor lost its customer base!), the financial-engineering of corporate America (Sears was a pioneer in consumer credit and later merged with multiple financial institutions to try and keep the engine runningā¦and eventually picked to pieces by investor Eddie Lampert, which this book doesnāt delve into), and the globalized world we find ourselves living in today (cheap shit from Chinaā¦ the rise of Walmart and the Dollar chains).
Long story short: this is a well-researched and solid book overall but a great book about a very specific thing which most people will have little to no interest in. It had the potential to be a great and timeless book had the author decided to think bigger and connect the narratives to a changing world. Likely, these changes only became apparent in later years, but I do think this story is still one deserving of a better telling.
[authorās note: the most notable and compelling character in the book is the chairman Ed Telling who was in control of the company from the late 70ās through the mid 80ās. This is why the final sentence of this review deserves a polite chuckle and/or a roll of the eyes.]
-Clayton
Goose makes itself at home in a strip mall parking lot. Chicagoland exurbs. April, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
[Book Review]
The Big Store: Inside the Crisis and Revolution at Sears
Donald L Katz
Previously, I wrote about my interest in the story of Sears (see blog post 2024 03 29). Having been born myself at the tail end of this massive corporationās lifespan, in its home city, I was aware of the existence of Sears, with its massive headquarters, the wordās tallest building, towering over the city and even visible on my bus ride to school many miles outside of downtown. Much like the previous run-on sentence, Sears clung to life for decades beyond its best by date before finally sputtering out of life. New technologies and modern shopping habits fueled by cheap goods resulting from globalization changed consumer habits and ultimately Sears was not able to adapt quickly enough with the times to survive. Ultimately, Sears was a beneficiary of prosperous years and massive growth in the American economy (from my notes: Growth in the post-WW2 era was rapid as they opened stores everywhere. Employees were loyal and well compensated. The company was seen as a safe place to work for military and country-boy types. FDR said we should drop Sears catalogs over the Soviet Union to show them the benefits of capitalism). In many ways, Sears represented the best America had to offer at the time.
As the tides changed, the structures of Sears became dated and out-of-sync with corporate America. The government eventually came after the company for unfair hiring practices (from my notes: Autonomy to local managers was innovative at first but eventually was scrutinized by the government for discriminative hiring practices. The managers were like warlords ruling over their regions with assistants and assistants to the assistants. Tudor: The ideal Sears employee was a man from a small Midwest town that understood authority. (Board of directors in 1975). They were late to embracing computers).
At the peak of their power, Sears leadership couldnāt see the ways in which their massive business could fail. They decided it was justified to erect the tallest tower in the world and fill it with employees to direct their ever-growing company. Insiders called the Sears Tower āGordon Metcalfās last erectionā as doubt grew inside the company that it would be able to fill the entire building by the end of the century, as was planned. Before the Sears Tower, many customers around the country had no idea where Sears was based and just assumed it was somewhere near them. The Tower became a symbol with negative connotation. In my opinion, the fall of Sears came about largely due to a lowering economic tide and inability to adapt quickly to a changing society.
All of this information was incredibly well reported in Katzās book The Big Store. What led me to read his in-depth and thorough re-telling of Sears was my curiosity in how one company came to own or control so many other famous American brands (Allstate, Dean Witter, Coldwell Banker, Discover Card, Kenmore, DieHard, Craftsman, Kmart). Perhaps to be expected, a company as large and complex as Sears was compelled Katz to write a book equally as labyrinthian. Katz was given incredible access and is clearly well-versed in business details (he went on to become a corporate CEO himself). However, while this book is great at telling the business side of the Sears story, it largely fails at forming a compelling character-driven narrative that withstands changing dynamics of our society to remain a critical read for audiences of this generation, unfamiliar with Sears.
While The Big Store is a great book covering a specific period of time in corporate America, that age is well over and the lessons learned from it mostly no longer apply. While Iām not here to claim the task an easy one, I do feel there is more of a story to tell with Sears, one that may better connect to rising inequality (Sears was a store built for the middle class, therefor lost its customer base!), the financial-engineering of corporate America (Sears was a pioneer in consumer credit and later merged with multiple financial institutions to try and keep the engine runningā¦and eventually picked to pieces by investor Eddie Lampert, which this book doesnāt delve into), and the globalized world we find ourselves living in today (cheap shit from Chinaā¦ the rise of Walmart and the Dollar chains).
Long story short: this is a well-researched and solid book overall but a great book about a very specific thing which most people will have little to no interest in. It had the potential to be a great and timeless book had the author decided to think bigger and connect the narratives to a changing world. Likely, these changes only became apparent in later years, but I do think this story is still one deserving of a better telling.
[authorās note: the most notable and compelling character in the book is the chairman Ed Telling who was in control of the company from the late 70ās through the mid 80ās. This is why the final sentence of this review deserves a polite chuckle and/or a roll of the eyes.]
-Clayton
My Notes from The Big Store:
Sears
Growth in the post WW2 era was rapid as they opened stores everywhere. Employees were loyal and well compensated. The company was seen as a safe place to work for military and country boy types.
FDR said we should drop Sears catalogs over the Soviet Union to show them the benefits of capitalism.
āAll the tall men for big jobs.ā
Insiders called the Sears tower āGordon Metcalfās last erectionā as doubt grew inside the company that it would be able to fill the entire building by the end of the century, as planned.
Autonomy to local managers was innovative but eventually was scrutinized by the government for discriminative hiring practices.
The managers were like warlords ruling over their regions with assistants and assistants to the assistants.
Tudor: The ideal Sears employee was a man from a small Midwest town that understood authority. (Board of directors in 1975)
They were late to computers.
Ed Telling is a great character.
The unexpected transition to Telling as CEO is filled with difficulty. He did a college speech where he said he sensed many institutions needed a good shaking. It seems to me he is an example of seeing the writing is on the wall and the boom times are over and things need to change, but instituting these changes are nearly impossible. Lifelong Sears secretary retires with massive savings accounts from Sears stock. This became expected to continue forever which was an impossible task.
Before the Sears Tower, many people had no idea where Sears was based and just assumed somewhere near them. The Tower became a bit of a symbol that became a negative
IMO, the fall of Sears came about largely because of a falling economic tide and inability to adapt quickly.
WLS (radio) stands form worlds largest store because Sears started it when they were trying new things to diversify.
The old guard started getting buyout deals and people were taking them. The stock was down. There was shit talk in the media. There was no longer a sense of community loyalty
Sears toyed with the idea of creating āThe Great American Companyā by merging with Deere and/or Disney
Sears did have lots of access to new capital (debt) in its early years of decline, however, due to a lack of vision and leadership they were slow and didnāt know how to allocate it.
Before Sears moved out of the west side HQ, the neighborhood had become so bad, Sears had thr 3rd largest police squad in Illinois. But also, nobody left the building. Everyone ate together and everyone talked.
Sears was the first retailer to execute windowless shopping spaces.
The staff and sales people stopped caring about the customer when they went part time. Sales people started making more than managers. People starting disliking and having contempt for their fellow employees.
Chapter 16: Dark Times
āYou gotta know when to hold them and know when to fold themā
Late in the Telling era, Sears did do much better and the stock was way up, largely due to their combining with various financial institutions ā can we draw a connection here to the early days of ālate stage capitalismā where financial engineering becomes increasingly vital?
Sears started opening āstores of the futureā with more technology. They made more money so they stared closing 2-3 old stores and replacing them with one new store. (Makes sense on paper but not in practice??)
2024 07 16
Politics again. I know, I know. I just canāt get over how insane that Trump assassination attempt was. The entire thing feels like it was perfectly scripted to benefit the person who was almost dead as a result. The useful idiot or the brilliant marketer, depending on your views. Iām not at all saying that I think it was scripted, but as often is the case, fact is crazier than fiction. One inch, one slight turn of the head, seemingly changed the course of history in such a direct way. While I canāt even begin to predict what mightāve happened had Trump been killed that afternoon, it sure feels like heās now destined to become president once again and take this country down whatever path he personally deems appropriate.
Iām not much one to believe in things like god or destiny or fate or angels or any of this but the fact that even I am now simply considering these things leads me to think many tens of millions of Americans will full on believe them.
Itās also remarkable to consider how much of an effect assassinations have had on the history of this nation (and the world). Entire timelines change. Tides turn. Itās no wonder our leaders have used assassination as an official tool of governing forever. These are grim and depressing thoughts and I wish I could spend less time thinking about them, but the way things are heading now, it seems like weāre trending back towards a time when these tools were used more regularly. I only hope Iām wrong.
The arc of the moral universe may in fact bend towards justice, but it is, indeed, a long and gradual bend. Iām going for a run to hopefully think about something else.
-Clayton
MLKās childhood home. Atlanta, Georgia. May, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Politics again. I know, I know. I just canāt get over how insane that Trump assassination attempt was. The entire thing feels like it was perfectly scripted to benefit the person who was almost dead as a result. The useful idiot or the brilliant marketer, depending on your views. Iām not at all saying that I think it was scripted, but as often is the case, fact is crazier than fiction. One inch, one slight turn of the head, seemingly changed the course of history in such a direct way. While I canāt even begin to predict what mightāve happened had Trump been killed that afternoon, it sure feels like heās now destined to become president once again and take this country down whatever path he personally deems appropriate.
Iām not much one to believe in things like god or destiny or fate or angels or any of this but the fact that even I am now simply considering these things leads me to think many tens of millions of Americans will full on believe them.
Itās also remarkable to consider how much of an effect assassinations have had on the history of this nation (and the world). Entire timelines change. Tides turn. Itās no wonder our leaders have used assassination as an official tool of governing forever. These are grim and depressing thoughts and I wish I could spend less time thinking about them, but the way things are heading now, it seems like weāre trending back towards a time when these tools were used more regularly. I only hope Iām wrong.
The arc of the moral universe may in fact bend towards justice, but it is, indeed, a long and gradual bend. Iām going for a run to hopefully think about something else.
-Clayton
2024 07 15
Iām on vacation, living in the moment.
Iām on vacation, enjoying some lakeside burgers and beers.
Iām on vacation, taking in the scenery.
Iām on vacation, stressing about work calls over slow wifi and extreme weather back home and studio managing duties from afar and paying way too much attention to politics and the job I have to get back early for and all the work Iāll need to catch up on when Iām back home and the personal project Iām not doing because it fell on the same dates as the vacation.
Iām on vacation, like a loon high a treetop, looking down at all the things Iām supposed to be doing right now instead of relaxing and lowering my stress levels, which I am clearly failing at. Iām just not good at vacations.
-Clayton
A photographic representation of what I feel like on vacation. Chicago, Illinois. June, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Iām on vacation, living in the moment.
Iām on vacation, enjoying some lakeside burgers and beers.
Iām on vacation, taking in the scenery.
Iām on vacation, stressing about work calls over slow wifi and extreme weather back home and studio managing duties from afar and paying way too much attention to politics and the job I have to get back early for and all the work Iāll need to catch up on when Iām back home and the personal project Iām not doing because it fell on the same dates as the vacation.
Iām on vacation, like a loon high a treetop, looking down at all the things Iām supposed to be doing right now instead of relaxing and lowering my stress levels, which I am clearly failing at. Iām just not good at vacations.
-Clayton
2024 07 14
Iām on vacation starting today. Kind of. I still have work calls and plenty of distractions. Weāll see if I can keep up the daily blog while Iām up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin with crap internet. If not, it was a run.
Iām honestly just quite exhausted. The attempted assassination which took place today took everything out of me. It was either complete incompetence from the secret service or something even more hard to consider. Both possibilities are terrible for this country and now I canāt see how Trump wonāt now be reelected president once again.
Anyway, Iām off to the lake to hopefully think of happier thoughts.
Goodnight and, as they say, good luck.
-Clayton
Selfie. Chicago, Illinois. June, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Iām on vacation starting today. Kind of. I still have work calls and plenty of distractions. Weāll see if I can keep up the daily blog while Iām up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin with crap internet. If not, it was a run.
Iām honestly just quite exhausted. The attempted assassination which took place today took everything out of me. It was either complete incompetence from the secret service or something even more hard to consider. Both possibilities are terrible for this country and now I canāt see how Trump wonāt now be reelected president once again.
Anyway, Iām off to the lake to hopefully think of happier thoughts.
Goodnight and, as they say, good luck.
-Clayton āļø
2024 07 13
One of my favorite things about youtube is the small channels I randomly come across, like this one, which posted a simple video with some geographical triva and history. An older couple out and about creating content just because they find it interesting to explore and share some knowledge with the rest of usā¦ or perhaps they are angling to be the next Mr Beast. I donāt know.
I was out in this part of the world a few years back. It was my first time exploring Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. While there, I was struck by the history of the place. Clearly, this region was historically swarming with activity due to the large ports and industrial infrastructure. As I drove around, I imagined how the place had changed so dramatically since globalization took hold and how it might change back as globalizations wanes. Then, I ventured to the nearest brewery and was struck by how modern and, dare I say, hip the scene in Duluth was. Quaint, yes, but people are moving there and doing things. Itās a big world out there and there are increasingly more ways to explore it.
-Clayton
Sun through trees. Rockford, Illinois. March, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
One of my favorite things about youtube is the small channels I randomly come across, like this one, which posted a simple video with some geographical triva and history. An older couple out and about creating content just because they find it interesting to explore and share some knowledge with the rest of usā¦ or perhaps they are angling to be the next Mr Beast. I donāt know.
I was out in this part of the world a few years back. It was my first time exploring Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. While there, I was struck by the history of the place. Clearly, this region was historically swarming with activity due to the large ports and industrial infrastructure. As I drove around, I imagined how the place had changed so dramatically since globalization took hold and how it might change back as globalizations wanes. Then, I ventured to the nearest brewery and was struck by how modern and, dare I say, hip the scene in Duluth was. Quaint, yes, but people are moving there and doing things. Itās a big world out there and there are increasingly more ways to explore it.
-Clayton
2024 07 12
Iāve got a bigger post in the works but itās not done yet, so here I am stalling again. Get it?
Whatās the deal with airplanes lately? I have no joke here, I am legitimately concerned and terrified. As someone who loves travel, I must admit Iāve been quite comfortable staying at home for most of the last few years.
Somehow, while going through one of the slower periods of my commercial photography career, I have been seemingly busier than ever. Itās probably the never-ending stream of tasks I have given myself. This daily blog, for starters. On that note, Iām attempting an actual vacation next week, so apologies ahead of time if the posts are limited. I know yāall are paying good money for this #content so Iāll do my best to provide you with some entertainmentākidding, but do you remember when blogs were hot and all the writers were ditching their real jobs to write paywalled blogs? Perhaps I shouldāve went with The Daily Clay instead of Pointing at Stuff.
Jumping right along to the next bad segue, Iāve been coming up with a whole lot of ideas for web domain names I should buy lately. Iām not quite sure why Iām all of a sudden living back in 2007 but surely there is something that explains this behavior.
I couldnāt help but wonder: can women have sex like men?
-Clayton
Just a couple of dudes watching the planes go by. Atlanta, Georgia. May, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Iāve got a bigger post in the works but itās not done yet, so here I am stalling again. Get it?
Whatās the deal with airplanes lately? I have no Seinfeld-style joke here, I am legitimately concerned and terrified. As someone who loves travel, I must admit Iāve been quite comfortable staying at home for most of the last few years.
Somehow, while going through one of the slower periods of my commercial photography career, I have been seemingly busier than ever. Itās probably the never-ending stream of tasks I have given myself. This daily blog, for starters. On that note, Iām attempting an actual vacation next week, so apologies ahead of time if the posts are limited. I know yāall are paying good money for this #content so Iāll do my best to provide you with some entertainmentākidding, but do you remember when blogs were hot and all the writers were ditching their real jobs to write paywalled blogs? Perhaps I shouldāve went with The Daily Clay instead of Pointing at Stuff.
Jumping right along to the next bad segue, Iāve been coming up with a whole lot of ideas for web domain names I should buy lately. Iām not quite sure why Iām all of a sudden living back in 2007 but surely there is something that explains this behavior.
I couldnāt help but wonder: can women have sex like men?
-Clayton
2024 07 11
The birds are telling me to make the damn picture!
Let me explain, before you call to get me sectioned (does the US have a term for this? mental institutions no longer exist here).
Even me, someone who makes an insane amount of photos, often struggles with not āgetting the shotā. Lately, Iāve noticed an odd phenomenon where Iāll have a split second instinct to grab my camera from my pocket at make a specific image, but a slight moment of hesitancy or laziness happens. In this moment, appearing the āthe frameā as my eye sees it, birds will suddenly appear perfectly framed into what this image would have been had I picked up the camera and made the photo. I swear to you, this has happened an incredible amount of times in the last few weeks, to the point where Iām starting to wonder if the birds are trying to tell me something.
I love thinking about coincidence. At an early age, I would walk to high school and so often, as Iād be passing a driveway, a car would be trying to pull into the driveway right as I crossed. For a while, I thought I was magnetic to cars or cursed or something, but being the smart kid I was, realized it was merely a coincidence. Iād walk past hundreds of driveways a week without a car approaching, it was just that the times when it did happen, those moments would stand out while all the others would be immediately forgotten. Okay, so I wasnāt cursed afterall.
Flash forward to today. Yes, I acknowledge birds are plentiful in my lived environment and thereās a high likelihood that these birds are just on their way to their innocent bird business. But Iām not seeing it that way. Iām seeing this as a clear message from an entity I canāt begin to understand telling me I need to quit the over-thinking. Quit the hesitation. Cut the laziness, grab the damn camera, and make the photo your eyes are telling you to make, in the moment it happens.
If I donāt write back tomorrow, itās likely because Iām in prison (Americaās version of mental hospitals), where Iāll be making images of birds with my mind.
-Clayton
My attempt at real estate photography. Do I have what it takes? Chicago, Illinois. May, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
The birds are telling me to make the damn picture!
Let me explain, before you call to get me sectioned (does the US have a term for this? mental institutions no longer exist here).
Even me, someone who makes an insane amount of photos, often struggles with not āgetting the shotā. Lately, Iāve noticed an odd phenomenon where Iāll have a split second instinct to grab my camera from my pocket and make a specific image, but a slight moment of hesitancy or laziness happens. In this moment, appearing in āthe frameā as my eye sees it, birds will suddenly appear perfectly positioned into what this image would have been had I picked up the camera and made the photo. I swear to you, this has happened an incredible amount of times in the last few weeks, to the point where Iām starting to wonder if the birds are trying to tell me something.
I love thinking about coincidence. At an early age, I would walk to school and so often, as Iād be passing a driveway, a car would be trying to pull into the driveway right as I crossed. For a while, I thought I was magnetic to cars or cursed or something, but being the smart kid I was, realized it was merely a coincidence. Iād walk past hundreds of driveways a week without a car approaching, it was just that the times when it did happen, those moments would stand out while all the others would be immediately forgotten. Okay, so I wasnāt cursed afterall.
Flash forward to today. Yes, I acknowledge birds are plentiful in my lived environment and thereās a high likelihood that these birds are just on their way to innocent bird business. But Iām not seeing it that way. Iām seeing this as a clear message from an entity I canāt begin to understand telling me I need to quit the over-thinking. Quit the hesitation. Cut the laziness, grab the damn camera, and make the photo your eyes are telling you to make, in the moment it happens.
If I donāt write back tomorrow, itās likely because Iām in prison (Americaās version of mental hospitals), where Iāll be making images of birds with my mind.
-Clayton
2024 07 10
Time, the ever-flowing river. It keeps on moving. The clock keeps on ticking. If you donāt have a photo lined up for the following day, you end up running a photo of a no parking sign. Suck it up. Maybe weāll get āem tomorrow. Canāt win āem all, as they say.
As far as photos of parking signs go, however, it is a nice one!
-Clayton
No parking, tow zone. Chicago, Illinois. May, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Time, the ever-flowing river. It keeps on moving. The clock keeps on ticking. If you donāt have a photo lined up for the following day, you end up running a photo of a no parking sign. Suck it up. Maybe weāll get āem tomorrow. Canāt win āem all, as they say.
As far as photos of parking signs go, however, it is a nice one!
-Clayton
2024 07 09
Too busy to blog. Relearning how to be a photographer. Busy drinking all the worldās best coffees. Busy planning a wedding; relearning how to make film photos; learning how to make all of the cocktails; thinking of opening a bar. Busy coming up with new ways of making money. Too busy to blog.
-Clayton
Kimball Arts Center. Chicago, Illinois. March, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Too busy to blog. Relearning how to be a photographer. Busy drinking all the worldās best coffees, scheming and dreaming. Busy planning a wedding; doing my morning pages; relearning how to make film photos; learning how to make all of the cocktails; thinking of opening a bar. Busy coming up with new ways of making money. Too busy to blog.
-Clayton
2024 07 08
Another Monday so itās time for another Life Update post, in no clear order:
My commercial photography career continues along at unsustainable levels, causing me to continue to consider new career options (fine art photography? full-time motion directing? bar ownership?). Yes, Iām keeping quite busy on hospitality jobs and smaller projects, but the big budget jobs are less and less frequent. Something needs to change (I hope itās more work!).
The photo studio has been more stable (profitable, even!) lately, but Iām not yet optimistic this will consistently be the case moving forward (again, commercial projects have been way less frequent among photographers I know, myself included). I really love the studio space and want to make it work, but the amount of my time required just to get it breakeven is also not sustainable. Again, something needs to change (I hope itās more work!).
While the big jobs are not going on, I spent last last week and a half diving deep into the world of portrait photography via my āKeep it 100ā setups. Iām learning a lot and itās actually been quite interesting, exciting even, to feel like Iām starting all over again and hustling for clients. Very much re-learning to appreciate every single dollar I earn through photography. Definitely planning to write more in depth about all this in the coming days.
Iād been planning to document both the RNC and DNC, however, stupidly had the wrong dates on my calendar and my one week of vacation in the Wisconsin Northwoods falls on the same dates as the RNC being held in Milwaukee, so I will likely miss most of all of it. Kind of annoyed about it but also really need to give myself some time off as Iāve been pushing myself way too hard lately. Still hoping to cover the DNC, which might be an absolute shit show. Politics are very depressing lately, but this might be one of the larger stories of our lifetime.
Had my first tarot card reading yesterday. It was surprisingly apt in its assessment.
I started reading/doing The Artistās Way after finally finishing the 640 page The Big Store, which was inspired by this previous post: 2024 03 29. I should do a book review or followup post.
I booked my favorite musician (David Dondero) to play a show at the studio September 9th. Save the date! More info to come!
Now that this blog has been populated quite a lot, Iām getting rather annoyed at Squarespaceās rather minimal (bad) handling of blogs. This platform is not really designed for intensive writing or bulk posting. A search bar would be great! If only those had been invented.
Can you tell Iām stressed about money these days? While that does suck, Iāve been quite high on life otherwise and feeling great about most everything else! Money stress is never fun but I continue to tell myself itās just money and weāll figure it out.
-Clayton
Night drive through Nashville, Tennessee. April, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Another Monday so itās time for another Life Update post, in no clear order:
My commercial photography career continues along at unsustainable levels, causing me to continue to consider new career options (fine art photography? full-time motion directing? bar ownership?). Yes, Iām keeping quite busy on hospitality jobs and smaller projects, but the big budget jobs are less and less frequent. Something needs to change (I hope itās more work!).
The photo studio has been more stable (profitable, even!) lately, but Iām not yet optimistic this will consistently be the case moving forward (again, commercial projects have been way less frequent among photographers I know, myself included). I really love the studio space and want to make it work, but the amount of my time required just to get it breakeven is also not sustainable. Again, something needs to change (I hope itās more work!).
While the big jobs are not going on, I spent last last week and a half diving deep into the world of portrait photography via my āKeep it 100ā setups. Iām learning a lot and itās actually been quite interesting, exciting even, to feel like Iām starting all over again and hustling for clients. Very much re-learning to appreciate every single dollar I earn through photography. Definitely planning to write more in depth about all this in the coming days.
Iād been planning to document both the RNC and DNC, however, stupidly had the wrong dates on my calendar and my one week of vacation in the Wisconsin Northwoods falls on the same dates as the RNC being held in Milwaukee, so I will likely miss most of all of it. Kind of annoyed about it but also really need to give myself some time off as Iāve been pushing myself way too hard lately. Still hoping to cover the DNC, which might be an absolute shit show. Politics are very depressing lately, but this might be one of the larger stories of our lifetime.
Had my first tarot card reading yesterday. It was surprisingly apt in its assessment.
I started reading/doing The Artistās Way after finally finishing the 640 page The Big Store, which was inspired by this previous post: 2024 03 29. I should do a book review or followup post.
I booked my favorite musician (David Dondero) to play a show at the studio September 9th. Save the date! More info to come!
Now that this blog has been populated quite a lot, Iām getting rather annoyed at Squarespaceās rather minimal (bad) handling of blogs. This platform is not really designed for intensive writing or bulk posting. A search bar would be great! If only those had been invented.
Can you tell Iām stressed about money these days? While that does suck, Iāve been quite high on life otherwise and feeling great about most everything else! Money stress is never fun but I continue to tell myself itās just money and weāll figure it out.
-Clayton
2024 07 07
Weāre in the home stretch of planning our wedding along with our individual bachelor and bachelorette parties, as people do. The whole process has felt like going the wrong direction on one of those airport moving walkways, constantly marching towards the date while making no progress. Clearly, this isnāt the case. We do have most of the big stuff sorted, but a never-ending cascade of decisions and details and dates and adjustments and conversations and tasks and fear and anxiety is ever present. While very much looking forward to the actual fall weekend weāll officially tie the knot, Iām also very much looking forward to the end of this sense of dread leading up to it.
Enjoy your Sunday!
-Clayton
Allison cameo at Aliceās karaoke bachelorette bash. Chicago, Illinois. May, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Weāre in the home stretch of planning our wedding along with our individual bachelor and bachelorette parties, as people do. The whole process has felt like going the wrong direction on one of those airport moving walkways, constantly marching towards the date while making no progress. Clearly, this isnāt the case. We do have most of the big stuff sorted, but a never-ending cascade of decisions and details and dates and adjustments and conversations and tasks and fear and anxiety is ever present. While very much looking forward to the actual fall weekend weāll officially tie the knot, Iām also very much looking forward to the end of this sense of dread leading up to it.
Enjoy your Sunday!
-Clayton
2024 07 06
Being about halfway through a year of daily blogging, Iām finding myself wondering the benefits of doing this. While Iām not considering stopping, I am wondering if the strict requirement of posting each day is helpful or if itās more likely causing me unnecessary stress and leading to boring posts nobody cares to look at, thus bringing down the overall quality of the entire project.
Yeah, Iām an over-thinker.
The image Iām sharing today is a nice callback to the first post (2024 01 01). It was taken in nearly the same location at nearly the same (seasonally-relative) time of day, with only the trees providing a variation with their leaves.
My sister is in town staying with us and sheās always doing something fun and creative (which I often end up copying). This time, itās The Artistās Way by Julia Cameron. One process the book teaches is doing your ādaily pagesā, which is basically writing three pages in a notebook first thing in the morning. It doesnāt have to be pretty ā just get it on the page! Brain drain style. I love the concept behind this process. It also had me wondering how much of this here blog is actually my organic version of morning pages; my version of therapy.
-Clayton
Moon through trees. Wilmette, Illinois. May, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Being about halfway through a year of daily blogging, Iām finding myself wondering the benefits of doing this. While Iām not considering stopping, I am wondering if the strict requirement of posting each day is helpful or if itās more likely causing me unnecessary stress and leading to boring posts nobody cares to look at, thus bringing down the overall quality of the entire project.
Yeah, Iām an over-thinker.
The image Iām sharing today is a nice callback to the first post (2024 01 01). It was taken in nearly the same location at nearly the same (seasonally-relative) time of day, with only the trees providing a variation with their leaves.
My sister is in town staying with us and sheās always doing something fun and creative (which I often end up copying). This time, itās The Artistās Way by Julia Cameron. One process the book teaches is doing your ādaily pagesā, which is basically writing three pages in a notebook first thing in the morning. It doesnāt have to be pretty ā just get it on the page! Brain drain style. I love the concept behind this process. It also had me wondering how much of this here blog is actually my organic version of morning pages; my version of therapy.
-Clayton
2024 07 05
Iāve always loved visual cues that allude to passage of time. In winter time, seeing the footprints of a person on a snowy sidewalk reveals that someone must have recently passed through. I imagine itās a bit like having the smelling abilities of a dog or the listening abilities of a whale. We humans arenāt so in touch with our senses as we simply no longer need any of them to procreate. Itās probably why artists are revered. The artists are the ones who still have the ability to tap into the senses and communicate things to a broader population in meaningful ways.
Anyway, thatās why I like this image.
-Clayton
Remains of tree, stuck in fence. Chicago, Illinois. December, 2023. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Iāve always loved visual cues that allude to the passage of time. In winter, seeing the footprints of a person on a snowy sidewalk reveals that someone must have recently passed through. I imagine itās a bit like having the smelling abilities of a dog or the listening abilities of a whale. We humans arenāt so in touch with our senses as we simply no longer really need any of them to survive as a species. Itās probably in part why artists are revered. The artists are the ones who still have the ability to tap into the senses and communicate things to a broader population in meaningful ways.
Anyway, thatās why I like this image.
-Clayton
2024 07 04
Iāve been kinda bumming since that presidential debate, Iām not going to lie. Itās probably a bit old school of me to think that a nationās mood and direction can be set from a single person at the top. But I do think, at least for people like myself that pay attention to things as I do, that leadership starts at the top. When the guy currently in charge is so out of it he shouldnāt be there, let alone running for another four year term(!), and the other guy running actively hates the things you believe in and stand for as he slips deeper into a state of dementia, it kind of leaves you with little hope for the future.
Iām really not trying to get political here and make this about which side is right or wrong or whatever, but I think the shitshow playing out at the top is allowing me to see things around me in a different light. This light is not at all a good thing. Itās like blasting a high-powered blacklight into a musty motel room and unveiling all the previous schenanigans which have taken place in this room over the years. Social media becomes far more toxic than it already is and every post becomes hard evidence of the rotten state of our society. The world has lost some of its magic and Iām not seeing my photos like maybe I had in the recent past. Theyāre all just a bit bland and uninspired, like whatās the point of me wandering around snapping pictures of these things anyway?
Yikes, okay mister. Depressed, much? Surely, connecting my current mental downswing to national (er, global) politics might be a stretch, but I do very much think this shit weighs on us. I think itās only natural to have swings of high and low mental states, and instead of shunning the hard times by pretending everything is fine, itās better to notice the causes and to think deeper on them and try to better understand why you might be having these negative feelings. Is my work really this shit or am I just in a bad mood? Is it really all the Supreme Court of the United Statesā fault or am I projecting here?
One piece of advice I would give myself is not to stew on it too much. In this regard, having this daily blog doesnāt much help ā forcing myself to think and write about why Iām bummed in a public forum that can easily be misinterpreted. That said, a big part of why I started this blog was as a home for my creations. What makes me less bummed is getting out into the world, doing things, making things, experiencing things.
The other day I texted my friend some political thoughts while venting about the SCOTUS ruling, allowing presidents to act as kings, more or less. His response, along with a photo of his kids playing in a creek: Log off Twitter!
This is good advice. Enjoy the 4th.
-Clayton
Man jogs with dog. Image stitched together from multiple frames. Atlanta, Georgia. May, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Iāve been kinda bumming since that presidential debate, Iām not going to lie. Itās probably a bit old school of me to think that a nationās mood and direction can be set from a single person at the top. But I do think, at least for people like myself that pay attention to things as I do, that leadership starts at the top. When the guy currently in charge is so out of it he shouldnāt be there, let alone running for another four year term(!), and the other guy running actively hates the things you believe in and stand for as he slips deeper into a state of dementia, it kind of leaves you with little hope for the future.
Iām really not trying to get political here and make this about which side is right or wrong or whatever, but I think the shitshow playing out at the top is allowing me to see things around me in a different light. This light is not at all a good thing. Itās like blasting a high-powered blacklight into a musty motel room and unveiling all the previous schenanigans which have taken place in this room over the years. Social media becomes far more toxic than it already is and every post becomes hard evidence of the rotten state of our society. The world has lost some of its magic and Iām not seeing my photos like maybe I had in the recent past. Theyāre all just a bit bland and uninspired, like whatās the point of me wandering around snapping pictures of these things anyway?
Yikes, okay mister. Depressed, much? Surely, connecting my current mental downswing to national (er, global) politics might be a stretch, but I do very much think this shit weighs on us. I think itās only natural to have swings of high and low mental states, and instead of shunning the hard times by pretending everything is fine, itās better to notice the causes and to think deeper on them and try to better understand why you might be having these negative feelings. Is my work really this shit or am I just in a bad mood? Is it really all the Supreme Court of the United Statesā fault or am I projecting here?
One piece of advice I would give myself is not to stew on it too much. In this regard, having this daily blog doesnāt much help ā forcing myself to think and write about why Iām bummed in a public forum that can easily be misinterpreted. That said, a big part of why I started this blog was as a home for my creations. What makes me less bummed is getting out into the world, doing things, making things, experiencing things.
The other day I texted my friend some political thoughts while venting about the SCOTUS ruling, allowing presidents to act as kings, more or less. His response, along with a photo of his kids playing in a creek: Log off Twitter!
This is good advice. Enjoy the 4th.
-Clayton
Update: per always, Tim Kreider summed up much of my grumpy thoughts far better than I even could in his substack today, which you can and should read here.
2024 07 03
One thing that worries Intellectual Clayton more than perhaps anything else is the demographics among western nations. People just arenāt having kids anymore. While Environmentalist Clayton isnāt so worried about a decline in population, the concern is that such a dramatic shift in population trends will have drastic repercussions we canāt fully understand. An exponential decline in numbers leading to a majority of old people within just a few generations will put strains on society that might not be possible to withstand. Perhaps the prime example of this new and developing trend is the country of South Korea.
The video below from a favorite geopolitics channel Caspian Report is both a good summary of the problem and an enlightening look into how one country is (so far unsuccessfully) attempting to deal with it, going so far as to construct an entire new capital city.
-Clayton
Apartment building in Chicago, Illinois. May, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
One thing that worries Intellectual Clayton more than perhaps anything else is the demographics among western nations. People just arenāt having kids anymore. While Environmentalist Clayton isnāt so worried about a decline in population, the concern is that such a dramatic shift in population trends will have drastic repercussions we canāt fully understand. An exponential decline in numbers leading to a majority of old people within just a few generations will put strains on society that might not be possible to withstand. Perhaps the prime example of this new and developing trend is the country of South Korea.
The video below from a favorite geopolitics channel Caspian Report is both a good summary of the problem and an enlightening look into how one country is (so far unsuccessfully) attempting to deal with it, going so far as to construct an entire new capital city.
-Clayton
2024 07 02
It doesnāt always feel like it these days, but itās crazy how big our world is. What am I getting at, exactly? Iām not entirely sure. It might just be the recent feeling of helplessness at events out of my control causing a feeling of insignificance. But to get a bit more specific, the feeling Iāve been pondering a lot lately has more to do with the simple idea that thereās a lot I havenāt seen.
Iām someone who prioritizes travel and exploration. I go out of my way to change my route and see sights and visit places I havenāt yet experienced. Lately, on longer runs through my city of Chicago, Iāve been struck by how little of the city Iāve yet to experience. Even after having lived in the same neighborhood for well over two decades, there are nearby streets which have escaped my eyes. I always get a nice little jolt of joy when I realize Iām venturing down a block that is new to me. Add alleys, parks, and building interiors into the mix and itās seemingly impossible to get to every space contained within Chicago in an entire lifetime!
The other day, I was jogging through Humboldt Park, a large recreation area near our house which I thought Iād seen every inch of over the years, and I went down a path I normally wouldnāt take, which led me to discover a small playground I didnāt know existed. I felt like a kid discovering a new toy!
This morning I was browsing google maps after my sister texted me a small town she wanted to check out south of Chicago. I pin every city and town Iāve been to, and I was struck by how little of the state Iāve yet to experience myself. Even after some recent trips dedicated simply to āexploring Illinois,ā Iād guesstimate Iāve been to maybe 10 percent of its towns. Even after more than four decades living in the state, itās largely a mystery to me. Itās this simple fact which has motivated me to want to get out, explore, and photograph as much of the state as I can.
It would take a lifetime. Or, more likely, Iāll lose interest after a few years of experiencing the same run down, sleepy town after the next, the gaps filled with farmland as far as the eye can see. āIāve been everywhere, man!ā Iāll proclaim confidently, knowing that even after seeing maybe a quarter of the state, itās still more than almost any other person I encounter.
-Clayton
Running through Chicago, Illinois. May, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
It doesnāt always feel like it in todayās connected world, but itās crazy how big this planet is. What am I getting at, exactly? Iām not entirely sure. It might just be the recent feeling of helplessness at events out of my control causing a feeling of insignificance. But to get a bit more specific, the feeling Iāve been pondering a lot lately has more to do with the simple idea that thereās a lot I havenāt seen. FOMO, perhaps ā gotta catch āem all.
Iām someone who prioritizes travel and exploration. I go out of my way to change my route and see sights and visit places I havenāt yet experienced. Lately, on longer runs through my city of Chicago, Iāve been struck by how little of the city Iāve yet to experience (Iāve internally dubbed my runs as āexploration,ā which helps convince my silly brain to do them surprisingly well!). Even after having lived in the same neighborhood for well over two decades, there are nearby streets which have escaped my eyes. I always get a nice little jolt of joy when I realize Iām venturing down a block that is new to me. The simple things. Add alleys, parks, and building interiors into the mix and itās seemingly impossible to get to every space contained within Chicago in an entire lifetime!
Soon, I will attempt to hit every bar on one street in Chicago as a fun little side quest. Even this one street, with something like sixty different establishments, will be challenging and likely take years to accomplish!
This morning I was browsing google maps after my sister texted me a small town she wanted to check out south of Chicago. I pin every city and town Iāve been to, and I was struck by how little of the state Iāve yet to experience myself when you really zoom in on the territory. Even after some recent trips dedicated simply to āexploring Illinois,ā Iād guesstimate Iāve been to maybe 10 percent of its towns. Even after more than four decades living in the state, itās largely a mystery to me! Itās this simple fact which has motivated me to want to get out, explore, and photograph as much of the state as I can, eventually working towards a photobook or some encompassing project.
It would take a lifetime to finish. Or, more likely, Iāll lose interest after a few years of experiencing the same run down, sleepy town after the next, the gaps filled with farmland as far as the eye can see. āIāve been everywhere, man!ā Iāll proclaim confidently, knowing that even after seeing maybe a quarter of the state, itās still more than almost any other person I encounter.
-Clayton
2024 07 01
Some days, like today, when nothing seems to be going right, it doesnāt quite feel right to spend your time on trivial things like updating your daily photo blog. It is nice to have distractions, but these days I worry our distractions are working a little too well, as we let the world crumble down around us. I guess weāll find out.
-Clayton
Busted car collecting tickets, to boot. Chicago, Illinois. May, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Some days, like today, when nothing seems to be going right, it doesnāt quite feel right to spend your time on trivial things like updating your daily photo blog. It is nice to have distractions, but these days I worry our distractions are working a little too well, as we let the world crumble down around us. I guess weāll find out.
-Clayton
2024 06 30
Iām halfway home, boys! Six full months of daily blogging in the can!
I spent yesterday afternoon at Sox Park taking in a ballgame while thinking thoughts of how poorly run the organization is and how they soon might be playing in Nashville. Even though the organization is a mess and attendance is dismal, it would be incredibly sad to see them go. All this got me thinking about a Studs Terkel video Iād recently seen and how well he communicates the mood of taking in a game, even when your team is a dismal mess and baseball has slipped to perhaps Americaās sixth or seventh most popular professional sport.
Itās very much worth a watch, check it out below!
-Clayton
Costumers parking. Chicago, Illinois. November, 2023. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Iām halfway home, boys! Six full months of daily blogging in the can!
I spent yesterday afternoon at Sox Park taking in a ballgame while thinking thoughts of how poorly run the organization is and how they soon might be playing in Nashville. Even though the organization is a mess and attendance is dismal, it would be incredibly sad to see them go. All this got me thinking about a Studs Terkel video Iād recently seen and how well he communicates the mood of taking in a game, even when your team is a dismal mess and baseball has slipped to perhaps Americaās sixth or seventh most popular professional sport.
Itās very much worth a watch, check it out below!
-Clayton