I Hear Footprints

Welcome back from the box! Last week, we upended a box of Crayolas on the ground in an effort to bring several minutes of creative contemplation into our day. Perhaps you rediscovered the pure joy of making marks, letting color lead the way without a second thought. Maybe you found yourself pondering the mysterious purpose of that lone, half-used white crayon in your Ziploc bag. Did you make up a whimsical "flavor profile" for an abstract blue circle? Whatever your creative pursuit, I hope it left a vibrant impression.

This week, we’re shifting our gaze from vibrant lines to subtle impressions, from deliberate strokes to residual traces: the footprint. From the fossilized evidence of life striding across mudflats to the telltale streaks of paint tracked from an outdoor art project onto your pristine living room rug, footprints are undeniable informants. They are silent witnesses, rich with data. They tell us not just that someone or something was there, but often how they were there, what they were doing, and even where they were headed.

Our title this week references a classic bit from Curly of the Three Stooges where he misstates, "I hear footprints," instead of "I hear footsteps." And while it’s a gag, it also offers a profound distinction for me. "Footsteps" are about the immediate sound, the superficial presence, the what of a fleeting moment. "Footprints," however, imply a deeper impression, a lasting mark — the why and how that lingers after the initial event.

To truly understand anything — be it the intricacies of a creative nudge or the complexities of the experiences ahead of us — we need to learn to "hear footprints." We need to observe beyond the obvious, to discern the lingering story, the subtle evidence, the true impact that shapes our world and our creativity.

Let's put on our metaphorical detective hats (and footwear) and listen for the echoes left behind by others. This week, we'll track footprints to ground ourselves with one or more of these creative stepping stones:

Archeology Hour: Find a visible footprint — in dirt, sand or even a faint scuff mark on a polished floor. Observe it closely. What visual details can you discern? Based solely on this print, create a short narrative about who made it, where they were going, and what they might have been thinking or feeling.
Noisy Ninja: Sit quietly in a public space where people are moving. Instead of listening for the immediate "footsteps," try to imagine the "footprints" they are leaving — the lingering energy, the stories implied by their presence and departure. Create a sound collage or a piece of descriptive writing that captures these imagined sonic echoes, focusing on the spaces between the sounds.
Bloodhound Gang: Think about different environments that might leave a distinctive "scent print" associated with a footprint (e.g., damp earth, freshly cut grass, a dusty old attic). Choose one such environment and create a sensory description or a short piece of flash fiction that primarily uses olfactory details to convey the presence and story of a hidden footprint.
Marked Path: Consider a significant future event in your life or in Riverside. What kind of "footprint" do you want that event to leave — not just physically, but emotionally, culturally or personally? Design a metaphorical "footprint" for this future event using any medium (sketch, collage, descriptive paragraph), expressing its intended impact and legacy.

By learning to "hear footprints," we sharpen our observational skills and cultivate a deeper understanding of the world, and use it to generate artistic insight. This approach aligns with the environmental credo to "take only pictures, leave only footprints." In a creative context, it means we can fully immerse ourselves in an experience, drawing inspiration and insight from it, while consciously choosing what kind of lasting impact we, as creators, wish to leave behind.

This supports a thoughtful engagement with our surroundings and the narratives unfolding within them. So, as you venture out this week — whether into Riverside's natural trails or its concrete pass-throughs — remember to observe, to listen, and to report on the stories told by what’s left behind, and consider what positive, creative imprints you'd like to leave for others to discover.

This column was written with the help of Google’s Gemini Advanced, a powerful generative AI writing tool.