So...since my creative writing seems to still be a bit stuck, I'll delve into...Creative Lighting. I told you a while back I have a huge appreciation for it, for reasons I can't quite put into words. To make art with light and shadow? To shape and manipulate something that can't be touched? Maybe it seems odd to be so effusive about the topic, but I think it plays out on the same field as questions like why do we like sunsets? Why do we like fireworks? Christmas lights - variations on the use of light and color. I think it's partially a primal reaction....namely one of "oooh, shiny."
One of my most favorites is the clever winding of white lights, often called "fairy lights."
Another thing I like is displaying a lightbulb like a piece of art itself, and not shielding it with a lampshade. This is helped if the bulbs are not uber-bright to begin with, otherwise it'll just give you a massive headache. Lightbulbs hung from the ceiling in a kind of industrial, mad-laboratory syle make the end result, to me, like homemade stars in the sky.
In a similar vein, putting candles in hung jars is like a rustic version of the hanging lightbulbs. I love this one too. It's crazy romantic.
Sparklers: The controlled explosion on a stick.
Last, but most certainly not least, I really admire the way that many of our National monuments are lit at night. Obviously a great deal of thought and care went into the designs, and it shows. To make marble seem to glow from within?!? That takes freaking TALENT, man! Lots of careful back and under-lighting, to compliment and underscore legendary architecture. Seriously, most cities (but DC has some of the greatest) take time to light their pride at night, it might be worth taking the car out some evening and just driving around. I think you may be really pleasantly surprised at how awesome and beautiful it looks.
