C.C. Chapman's Blog, page 5

Entering the Next Phase of Parenthood

For the past twenty years, no matter what changed in my career or what project I was working on the one constant was that I was a Dad first.

In a few short weeks, my life will enter a new phase where there are no children under our roof regularly. Rolling the reality dice and they come up showing that I won't see my kids again until Christmas.

Growing up, I always said I wanted to be an artist and a father. Those two things were constants, no matter how the winds of desire blew me in differen...

The Journey Changes You

Anthony Bourdain was an inspiration to me on multiple levels. His love of life experiences, culture, travel, food, and words were similar to mine, and every time I read something he wrote or watched something he created I was moved and challenged to do better with everything I created.

I was sitting at a picnic table outside of a brewery in Portland, Maine when the news of this death broke.

About to speak before a crowd of people who had gathered to hear my words, I sat in silence and tried to...

Trust Comes From Blood, Sweat, or Tears

When can you completely trust someone?

How do you know that they mean what they say and will do what they said they would?

A fault/feature of my DNA is that I’m a trusting person by default. My default gear is to help in any way I can to anyone who asks.

But, as you get older and look in the rearview mirror, you start to question decisions and learn from your mistakes.

The other day as I cruised down the road with the sunroof open and the windows down, I began thinking about how would I know if I...

School Shootings

Yesterday I thought about writing a post focused on classroom shootings, but the day ran away from me, and I wasn't sure that I was ready to share my thoughts.

It was a double dose of reading that had me thinking about it more than I usually do. First was the story of Riley Howell and his heroic sacrifice to save students in his class at U.N.C. Charlotte. Then I read his Professor's personal post about the same shooting.

As someone who spends his days in a classroom full of students, I think ab...

Heading Into a New Stage of Life

Time, life and all that goes with them never stops moving forward.

Our time on Earth is little more than a grain of sand in the hourglass of the Universe, and thus I want to make the most of what I have.

I've been extra reflective lately after Emily chose where she was going to college.

It is a weird process as you go from the excitement and stress of exploring, applying and awaiting decisions from colleges. Then it suddenly flips to the waiting game to see how those that say yes will (or won'...

Don't Forget That There Are Humans Behind The Screens

The tools we use today to stay connected with friends and family empower us to share what is going on in our lives from the palm of our hands.

We can scroll through a never-ending sea of updates from those we love, are turned on by or gain inspiration from. The variety of people we choose to put in our feeds and the reasons for wanting to do so are different for each of you.

These same tools have made it simpler than ever to let others know you’ve seen what they’ve shared. What started as a si...

I Love A Good Conversation

Technology empowers us to communicate with others around the globe in near real time. I may not be able to get together with my friends as often as I'd like, but from the comfort of my couch or an airport gate, I can chat with them via my phone and thumbs. I love technology.

But, I love face-to-face conversations even more. There is no pause while the three little dots blink and the other person types. You can't click over to another app to check in while waiting for a reply. You look at the p...

Too Many Thoughts

So many thoughts are flying around in my head. I start to write, decide I don't want to deal with what will come of it, start again, throw it away, write in my paper journal, think some more. All in a days/weeks/life's work of a writer.

There is an endless stream of frustration and what the fucks in the world. It has always been that way, but with the Internet giving everyone a platform to scream from it has only become worse.

Things on my mind that I have to get out of my head before they wei...

Scraps

While it is not the straight forward read I was hoping for, The Autobiography of Mark Twain is inspiring.

One instant take away is that over his life he was continually writing what he referred to as “scraps.”

Little memories, thoughts and less formal essays about anything that was on his mind. They remind me a lot of what I’ve always called “rambles” on my blog.

While a deep thought might be overly thought and planned out and be viewed more as a “post” or “article” there are plenty of times whe...

I See The World Through A Viewfinder

While there isn’t always a camera in my hand, no matter what is going on or where I might be, I am constantly seeing the world through a mental viewfinder and taking photos.

After a lifetime of photography it is how I’m wired. I notice little things that bring a smile to my face or scare me to my core.

I walk into a new room and instantly find the exists and make a note of where they are. Strolling through the mall a couple might catch my eye. Driving I see all sorts of things that I think “h...