williamlehman.net

I tend to be a person who likes to try new things.  I have failed utterly at times and wildly succeeded at other times.  It’s a part of who I am.  I am not the kind of guy who typically decides that he’s bored or doesn’t know what to try next.  Most often, it’s when I try these new ventures that I find some other experience in some field aids me in some way.  So here are 10 things that I am hoping to do, have done or are already doing in some way.

1. Hosting and Running an online Forum.  1 year.

TRIED: Back in my college years, I was always writing some paper or another.  It became apparent that merely reading books was not a good way to engage the reader of my college papers in current events and social thought that was currently happening.  I launched decloned.com in 2001 and quickly thereafter managed to put up my first few adsense ads.  The site was doing rather good for those days and some guy running a forum based website.  I had on average 67 members who were active participants in the conversations that took place in about 15 different threads at any one time.  I abandoned the project in 2002 because I needed the domain for my ministry work that was picking up as I was an active youth leader at that time and didn’t have money to shell out for a second domain name.  Also, I had gotten married in college and balancing ministry, family and school was not something that worked very well.  All in all,  I consider the forum a success as it prepared me for both running scripts on websites and the maintenance of them as well as social networking through content production and online conversations.

2. Making Hand Hammered cymbals, chimes & gongs.

WANT TO TRY: I have an uncle who has started making hand hammered cymbals.  I went over to his place yesterday and fired one of the cymbals with some propane and was amazed at how the metal changed in sound quality with different things that were done to it.  The cymbal I worked on was a bronze cymbal that wasn’t exactly “bell quality” but it had a unique sound that I wouldn’t mind adding to my hand percussion ensemble.  Currently, I play each week at the church with the worship band.  This I must admit is a recent addition to my interests after looking at some online forums and getting the feel for what this entails from my uncle.

3. Glassblowing.

WANT TO TRY: Two of my favorite artists are Dale Chihuly and Josh Simpson.  Both are glassblowers by trade and artists.  They make the most amazing works.  I just saw the illuminated Chihuly Exhibit at the Columbus Museum of Art a few weeks ago.  I don’t have the space to try this right now but I know a gallery locally that gives glassblowing lessons.  This is probably one of the things that will have to wait till we are out of debt to do.  Becca might also like to try it as well.  Maybe we can do a class like this together someday.

4. Landscape Painting with Oils (eventually “en plein air”).

IN PROCESS: I am currently working on the first oil painting that I’ve even attempted in about 10 years or so.  It’s been fun getting reacquainted with oil paints.  At first I was a bit intimidated by the nature of oils to try this at home.  Right now, I am a stay at home dad who builds websites for income while my wife works outside the home so it’s a little hard to get away to set up an easel and paint a painting with the little guy in tow.  So for now I am working on my latest painting from the comfort of home while I take breaks for playtime and feedings.  I have also felt the need to get away from abstract paintings and try more traditional representational art forms.

5. Photography. (about 1 year)

IN PROCESS: I have worked with Olan Mills as a portrait photographer photographing families and infants mostly.  I have also photographed the occasional dog at Olan Mills, but what really excites me is landscape photography and photo journalism.  These things I’ve only really attempted with a little point and shoot and have had moderate success at doing.  In the past, I’ve always been the guy that people typically ask to bring a camera and do some photography for various events.  In the last few years, a local professional photographer who is a friend of mine has had me help out with some events he has done.  Outdoor group sports photography for kids.  I have done okay, but in the end I felt frustrated over the constraint of trying to fight the light in these types of sessions.  Several of my group sittings needed to be retaken due to equipment malfunction or blinking or squinting children.  I enjoy studio photography but ultimately would like to get out and take pictures of landscapes and things as they happen.  Street and urban photography also appeals to me as these are seen as modern landscapes.

6. Blogging Professionally. (about two years full time)

TRIED and TRYING AGAIN: Back in 2006 I had been running wordpress for a few years and blogging on my own.  I had built a few sites using it as well as I had early on recognized the simplicity of the platform for cms or content management.  I saw that Darren Rowse’s blogging network b5media was hiring.  I did my research, put together a blog proposal and submitted the idea.  A few months later I was up and blogging a site called Artist Hideout.  I had the privilege of working with some pretty amazing people.  Within a few months, I was channel editor and a few months after that, my wife was a channel editor and writer as well for a different channel.  It was good times.  It was strange being in the same house and writing and interacting with people all over the world and then taking breaks to spend time with each other.  We would often IM back and forth about what we were doing or ask advice or just goof off while we worked.  Over the last few months while I was there I had put in a request to Darren to bring his blog Digital Photography School into the fold of my channel as an Owned blog.  I also transitioned the arts and crafts channel to be more broad by incorporating design into it and renaming it The Arts and Design Channel.  Overall, I consider my time there a success.  The blog network decided to go more niche oriented with their channels and Becca’s job was eliminated whereupon she gave up writing her blog, Mother Earth’s Garden.  My Channel was merging with hers and another channel so I was given the opportunity to take over the Music channel.  At the time I was also transitioning back into a reinstated full-time pay at the church I was working at so I decided to leave b5media and blog a little on the side with my own site.  A lot of things have changed since then.  Blogging is completely different now then it was then, but in many ways it is the same too.  I heard the frustrating news a week or two ago that b5media let go a lot of their bloggers.  Some were good friends and I hope they continue plugging away and writing their own sites now that b5media is no longer paying them.

Now, I am going at it again.  I’ve helped numerous bloggers get up and running and currently help several manage their own sites.  One friend, David is doing quite well with his blog nakedpastor.  I am not sure what the future holds around here but I know that if I want to succeed I need to be more focused and write more often.  So that is also in the works.  I’ve redesigned and finally dropped the domain name “decloned.com” from the site.  Hopefully people will still find me here.  If not, I’ll start fresh and build a new audience.  It’d be nice to have more discussion around here.

7. Pastor. (about 7 years altogether as paid pastor in different roles)

ONGOING: I am avid in my faith and beliefs and have been all of my life.  My actual degree is a BA in Biblical Theology with an Emphasis in Youth Ministry.  I love working with teens and showing them God’s love, but more than that I love being in love with God and sharing him with everyone I encounter.  It’s not just a thing I do.  It’s a calling.  The particular paid role within a church is a job.  What I do in that role is a calling.  So if you’ve been around here for awhile, you know I am looking for a new ministry opportunity.  I’d love for my wife to be able to come stay at home with Aidan and for me to be the provider for our family again.  But, the ministry that is a part of my life has not stopped.  Over the last six months we have been involved in a ministry here locally called Narrow Road Community Church.  Currently, I manage their website which has provided multiple different leads on other ministries locally that need websites.  I have felt the most at home and accepted within Narrow Road because the people truly love Jesus Christ.  There’s no competition focus with other local ministries either like many churches feel inclined to partake in.  I am challenged to grow through fellowship with other guys.  Guys who aren’t afraid to be vulnerable and share the gritty details of life either.

8. Write a Novel.

WANT TO TRY: I’ve always dreamed of writing a fantasy novel of some sort.  My favorite Authors include Stephen Lawhead, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Frank Peretti and more I can’t think of right now.  I am committed to eventually doing this, but I am at a loss as for how to begin.  For now, I will see what I can do on refining my writing skills through writing more often and exploring new ideas to write about.  Maybe I’ll add some short stories to the site eventually as well as I grow more confident in my abilities.

9. Be a Great Dad, Husband and all-round family guy.

ONGOING: Last year in January, my wife and I had our first child, Aidan.  He’s growing every day and walking already.  He’s working on some words now.  I love him so much.  It’s fun to see him develop new skills and I already miss the little bundle we brought home.  Maybe we will have more children, we are not sure on that just yet.  We know that God will have to work in some amazing way for us to be able to support more children, but He is able to do so if He chooses.  I love my wife too.  She is an amazing woman and great mother to Aidan.  I couldn’t have asked for someone more loving and amazing than her.  We celebrated our five year anniversary this last month and I can’t believe how much we’ve grown together in that time.  So while I am already in the mix on this one, it doesn’t stop so I’ve listed this one as ongoing because it will give me something to look back on and remember where I was when I wrote it and how sappy it probably sounded to everyone reading it.

10.  Build a dome home.

WANT TO TRY: This is a bit of a random way to end this list.  But both my wife and I are quite infatuated with one day building our own home.  A dome.  A monolithic dome to be precise.  About monthly, Becca looks through dome home layout plans to get ideas.  We know it is most likely years away from being a reality, but it is something that we very much want to do.  Right now we are renters and have neighbors on all sides of us.  It can be loud at times, but usually those renters move out and we either get louder ones or more annoying ones.  Now that I think about it, the neighbors on either side are great.  It’s just the people above that are usually the ones we… have to put up with being loud or annoying.