312 - a new place.

Today I ventured out and took a short walk around my neighborhood, Humboldt Park.  My mission was to gather some images of random objects or collects things that caught my interest for some art projects.  As I was doing this, I found myself to be a bit on edge.  There was a good amount of people around, all going about their business and enjoying that it was 37 degrees outside and sunny (which is warm for Chicago).  But why was I so hesitant to pull out my camera or stuff some rusty light bulbs into my bag?

After I took a picture of the wall sculpture I have been eyeing for the past 4 months from the bus window, a man behind me asked with a black mustache smile "You a graffiti artist... or you gathering propaganda?".  At that moment, I remembered when I used to take these kind of walks in Colorado, it was often out in an open field or by some railroads tracks, and I was usually the only person around.  I never had to worry about someone questioning what I was doing or wonder why I was picking up trash.  After I replied "well, I'm an artist" we went our separate ways.  It was this short interaction that made me start to feel a bit more comfortable, and I returned to pick up the pile of small, rusted old light bulbs from the curbside.   

The smells, sights, and sounds of North Ave are still so new to me.  I continue to jump every time someone decides to use their car horn (which is often) or yell out from across the street. New places can be a bit disorienting, but getting to know them is an adventure that cannot be denied.