Making Marks

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mark n
1. a colored, discolored, or dirty patch, a scratch, dent, or impression, either deliberately or accidentally made, that makes a usually small area of a surface visibly different from the rest
2. a recognizable sign or symbol used, for example, to indicate ownership, the quality or origin of goods, or punctuation in a piece of writing (often used in combination)
3. a cross or other symbol used in place of a signature by somebody who cannot write
4. an action, gesture, or other outward sign of somebody’s feeling or attitude
5. something that is evidence of somebody’s or something’s influence on or involvement in something
6. a distinctive and identifying feature or characteristic
7. a number, letter, or percentage indicating somebody’s assessment of something, for example, the correctness or quality of answers to examination questions or somebody’s performance in a gymnastic or ice-skating contest
8. any object, sign, or line used to indicate the position, extent, or amount of something
9. the amount, distance, or level reached by something
10. the desired or required standard for something

I went out for a long walk in the snow today. It was one of those days where it had snowed overnight and continued to snow all morning. Miles of virgin track lay in front of me, ready and waiting to receive my footprints. I went out with my camera, with the full intention of shooting some photos of the beautiful winter wonderland down in the ravine close to where I live. As soon as I shot my first photo, the battery in my camera died and I realized that I didn’t have a spare with me.

I had no concern about the fact that I had no camera to document my day’s journey as it became more about the fresh snow that I was leaving my mark on. I walked and walked and continued walking for a lot longer than I had planned, simply enjoying the track I was leaving behind me and enjoying looking at and following in the tracks or those who had come before me.

I have been thinking a lot lately about mark-making and the importance of the things we leave behind us. How will our marks be deciphered by those who come after. Will they find them relevant and important, or frivolous and non-sensical? What will they do with them? Will they study them? Will they honour them? Will they ignore them?