adventureclub(interactive) is…lowercase

when we decided to join wordpress we were like a ship lost at sea.
we bought a domain name but it came with no compass.
we had a vision of going somewhere but had established no particular destination.
we were already an adventure club but sailing out into the online sea demanded more.
we had to define what we are and we had to explain why.
whether we would sink or swim we would have to learn the how.
and all along the way, to this very day, we are learning more about the who.


sink or swim … survive and surf …

suddenly inconsequential in an ocean of others: adventurers, visionaries, bloggers, writers, photographers, creators, geniuses, artists, innovators, intimidators…
endless as the horizon were the choices: themes, colors, fonts, backgrounds, sidebars, footers, widgets, headlines, gravatars, profiles, categories, media, static pages, sticky posts…

wordpress was like drowning at first.
we suffered from it, we struggled at it, we had setbacks with it.
we never settled. we never sank.
i can’t say we always swim.
but we learned how to surf wordpress our own way.
i remember so many hours of so many days trying to learn the blogging language.
we spent weeks determining the small details- the stuff of style and appearance.
seven months later- next to none of those details remain.

one of those that did was our name- adventureclubinteractive.
and yes that is all one word and yes we type in lowercase letters.
i always liked lowercase letters. i don’t know why i suggested having our name read this way it but i still think it is aesthetically interesting.

my advice to those that find our love for lowercase confusing or annoying is to:
1. find some adventure in it. seriously. we are aware that capital letters exist. do you really care that we choose not to use them?
2. try reading anything by jose saramago. if you think lowercase letters are experimental try reading his page long sentences lacking punctuations. try reading extensive dialogue without pause or periods…

ac(i)- lowercase

because style is everything


adventureclub(interactive) is…for the sake of it

side by side photographs summarizing the recent adventureclub photo exchange.
-adventureclubviral received theStephALA’s photo series in the mail.
-theStephALA received adventureclubviral’s photo series in the mail. 


so many times, i have stopped to consider the phrase- art for the sake of art.
i have heard it, spoken it, read it, written it. i have thought of it…countless times.
maybe it is tired, but for me it is always true.
so the philosophy implies- art has an inherent value. art is invaluable.
art is in and of itself. it has no function apart from (the maintenance of) its own existence.
in other words- it serves no constructive purpose.
sometimes the philosophy sounds like an excuse- an artist explaining away the point of doing something of no utilitarian purpose. or a validation- that no reason or purpose is necessary to justify their work. art for the sake of art.
so hey people of the hard working world: perhaps your tie is too tight. maybe your gray hairs are too many. whether your bank account is low or your to do list too long…
maybe you are more exhausted than the old saying… art for the sake of art.
so maybe something for the sake of something is less an excuse and more a respite.
you wouldn’t even have to call it art.


so what is adventureclub(interactive)?
it is finding adventure for the sake of being adventurous. it is being in a club for the sake of belonging. it is creative writing, reading, amateur photography, aromatherapy, inspiration and organization.
it is for the sake of itself.
true it has given me something to do just to have something to do.
but it never gets tired because at the end of the day i have something to show for and someone to share it with.
receiving the printed photos from theStephALA in the mail and knowing that she received mine was the satisfaction- the sake- of completing something artful and having someone appreciate it.