"Civilized Creatures" Photo Hunt Description

Civilized Creatures will be a photo series featuring a collection of handmade felt animal masks, used in portraits taken at The American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin.  The masks are a way to instantly transform any vacation photo into an art print.  They are a costume that can be carried in a purse, used for a few quick shots, and removed again easily.  The animal theme provides a playful contrast to the luxury atmosphere of the resort.  I chose woodland creatures to echo Wes Anderson's recent reinterpretation of Roald Dahl's children book, The Fantastic Mr. Fox.  I chose to use a scavenger hunt style game to generate the images for the series, as an homage to surrealist games.  The two couples will have about 24 hours to make all of their submissions, though the contest will be ended as soon as one team has completed all ten items first and won.  For those who do not use Instagram, and wish to see the results of this project, all submissions will automatically post to this blog.

Photo Hunt List

-Ask someone you do not know to wear an animal mask for a photo  (If it is an employee, tip them well.  If it is another guest, give them the mask they choose.)

-Photograph one of the others, or yourself, appreciating a piece of art while wearing an animal mask.

-Photograph yourself pretending to eat while wearing an animal mask.

-Photograph two people interacting while wearing their animal masks.  

-Ask a stranger to photograph you wearing an animal mask.

-Photograph your reflection in a bathroom mirror while wearing an animal mask.

-Photograph yourself or a friend wearing nothing but a bathing suit and an animal mask.

-Photograph a "selfie" while wearing an animal mask, with something strange behind you.

-Photograph the opposing team in their animal masks.

-Photograph your partner in their pajamas, getting ready for bed, in an animal mask.

Photo Hunt Rules

-Do not photograph people without their permission (even if they are only partially or distantly visible).

-Never photograph children unless invited to do so by their parents.

-No photography allowed in Kohler Water Spa.

-Nothing naughtier than poop jokes.

-All entries must be posted to Instagram and tagged with these tags: #lunaticandswanstudios and #civilizedcreatures. (Once you use each of these tags, you will only have to type the first few letters before the tag pops up.)

-All photos in the American Club should include a comment tagging them @theamericanclub.

-All faces in the photo must have an animal mask.  Photos of unmasked faces may be posted to Instagram but should not include the photo hunt related tags and do not count as photo hunt submissions.

-Both members of the team must take at least one of the photos, and appear in at least one of the photos.

-First couple to submit at least one example of each photo hunt item to Instagram wins a bottle of whiskey.

Couples Retreat for Spring 2014

I love to plan.  I love calendars and spread sheets; I love bullet points and color coordinating information.  The greatest pleasure for me, as a compulsive planner, is making arrangements for a vacation.  I have read articles by others who share my passion, some even claiming that the planning process is more pleasurable (and less stressful) than the vacation itself.  I can definitely say I have been miserable on vacations that were a joy to arrange.

When I was 18, traveling meant back packing and couch surfing. That was before the fecal incontinence, the migraines, the arthritis.  Now, every night away from home is a lesson on what I need to stay comfortable and happy.  As hard as it is to prevent discomfort, it is even harder to treat.  I cannot plan for everything, but I try.  Most of the time that means being a homebody, but I haven't given up on adventure entirely.  When spring comes, even the most adamant hermit needs to get out of hibernation and live a little.  With a little planning, of course.

Spring IS coming. Mother Nature seems determined not to give us any hope, but an unlikely source flows: the IRS.  Our piggy bank finally has a little pudge, and I have been excitedly planning how to empty it again.

I have spent weeks researching regional destinations, ultimately rejecting two other locations.  After consulting with my partner, we decided to invite another couple and spent two more weeks texting back and forth with them about dates.  I called the resort twice and the travel agent once before I was confident and made the reservation.  After that I called back five more times, three times in one day, and I must have asked at least six different employees more than 70 questions.  The only thing I didn't do was tell them how many pillows to put on the bed, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't fighting the urge to call them about it right now.

Herein lies one of the greatest pleasures of planning a vacation: the hospitality industry is the last bastion of customer service.  I used to wilt at the thought of speaking to anyone behind a desk, or on the other end of a 1-800 number.  But my first time booking a room with a luxury hotel taught me to enjoy the experience of asking for what I want.  Especially in a digital world of instant feed back, a quality hotel will endeavor to earn every penny they pull from your piggy bank.

Though I do sometimes plan dream vacations for the exercise (and enjoyment), a real vacation does have a budget.  The actual purpose of all the researching is to find the best my budget will allow.  This year I have exceeded my own expectations.  The Couples Spring Retreat for 2014 will be in Kohler, WI at the imminently luxurious American Club Resort.

Though I have not yet set foot on their property, I am already qualified to say they have impeccable customer service.  Though my opinion is hardly as prestigious as that of Forbes and AAA, both of whom gave this resort and spa its highest honors.  Needless to say, we are all giddy with excitement.  I am a little sad there is almost nothing left to plan, but I am resting easy knowing this is one vacation that might just be more fun than the planning of it.