CosCreative

So this time I tried to minimize light and sound by placing my laser in a box. My first attempt didn't work.

I decided to open a new box of glass plates.

My second attempt didn't work.

It's getting a little frustrating- but I will champion on.

I will master holograms.

Today, I tested the Hologram kit for a second time. I decided for this round, I would try a little Ganesh statue that I have, and exposure the glass film for 12 minutes (the maximum recommended. I also provided a light blockade for the laser. There really isn't a completely dark room in my apartment, so it's a little hard to eliminate all of the light. Unfortunately, my work didn't yield any results. Ahhh Science. That's what experimentation is about. Anyone have any recommendations?

My first attempt at making holograms did not yield anything. It was a little disappointing, but I found the whole process fascinating. Traditional holograms are made with two lasers. The Litholo kit uses just one, and a beam splitter. I've never developed film in a dark room, so this whole experience was quite new to me. There's a lot of timing involved, and the worst part, is that I have to sit still for 5 - 12 minutes. My first two attempts (a toy car and a small bottle of nail polish) didn't expose on the film plate. Tomorrow, I have to check the film plate to make sure that the plates are not damaged.

Sitting still for 5 minutes was really difficult. Vibrations are the enemy of holograms, so you have to be absolutely silent. My cat meowed a few times outside my door, so maybe that's why it didn't work...

The plus side: the whole kit took less then five minutes to put together- incredibly impressive, since the other books that I've been reading on holograms say that it takes days to prepare.

My research into the art of Holography has started. Luckily, I work in a museum that has a science and technology library, so I was able to find some simple books on Lasers and Holograms. I was able to get through the first one fairly quickly. The second one, the Holography Handbook, is a little more dense, but has some interesting ideas- like using Holography to create adequate distances of the starts (which the practical use of holograms)

A Hologram is made by splitting the beam of a laser. The two beams are brought together again at a special photographic plate or film after one of the beams has been reflected from the object.


The Hologram kit that I received for Christmas is from Litiholo, which is a company that specializes in Optical Holograms. There are many different types of holograms: acoustical, rainbow, white light, and open aperture. The Litiholo kit creates a reflection hologram that can only be seen when a laser is shooting through it.

Happy New Year!

Today marks one full year of CosCreative, and being creative everyday for a year. I learned a lot from doing this project. I started CosCreative so that I could have a gym to work out my underused creative muscles. My job at the time had no creative elements to it, so I needed an outlet to do something- I also had a lot of free time, and this blog was a way to focus it. Through the year, a lot of new things happened, and the jobs and people I now surround myself with, challenge me to stretch my creativity everyday, and I'm really thankful for that.

What I learned from working on CosCreative2006:

Creativity can happen in the simplest of things. Yesterday, I had a flat tire. I haven't changed a tire in over a 10 years- I had to find some creative ways to fix it.

You can't expect to document creativity everyday. It's just too hard, because when you stop to think about everything you do, it can be overwhelming- plus sometimes blogger won't upload your photos.

Sometimes you need a break from creative work. Reflecting, reevaluating, and planning are all part of the creative process that I too often neglect.

So what's next?

2007 will be just as creative, but I'm going to focus myself month to month to learn new things. I'm fascinated with art and technology, so I'm going to try and delve into new creative ways to work with high tech toys The month of January will be devoted to Holograms. Other topics might include: Robots, Graphics Programs, Fiber Optics, LED's, Lighting...

I probably will not post everyday, but maybe a few times a month.

Thanks to all those who helped me out this past year with being creative! Let's have a creative 2007!