PHOTOS!

The last class for the You Are Your Own Muse Workshop was last week. 

I thought you might be interested in some of my favourite photos from the class.

Twirling. I took a lot of shots of twirling and dancing etc, but this one was the best. 

It's harder than you'd think to get a good shot of twirling.

I thought I would take tonnes and tonnes of shots of twirling

(maybe because I thought I should)

but I'm actually not much of a twirler in real life. 

I relate more to stillness.

One of my favourites because of my co-star in the kitchen.

The title should say: These are the days I will remember.

I spent hours and hours on this one and still am not sure what it's about.

Sometimes you're called to say something and you don't even really know what you're up to.

This one is about a sense of place.  I feel really connected to this land.

Part of it, one might say.

I love these shadowy, ghosty images.

While we were all learning to photoshop our photos to create something interesting

I took a simpler approach and traced. 

Yes, traced.

I'm saving my favourite favourite photo for last (as in next post)

due to technicalities I won't even get into right now. 

Sometimes I would create a photo and then think to myself

that this was what I came here to express and I'd done it and so now what. 

But the next week I'd pick up the camera again

and astound myself by creating something that took my breath away again.

And now I'm at the end of the class thinking to myself what am I going to do now?

I'm craving community, and I still long for art that explores meaning. 

I'm at a bend in the path again, and can't quite see around the corner.

(would love to hear your comments.)

(p.s. many more photos here in case you're interested.)

CHANGE

Inspired by all sorts of blog posts this January, I picked change as my word of the year for 2011 (I realize I’m really late telling you this – bad blogger). I didn’t realize until later what I had done and how far reaching this word would be.
To go with this word I had three goals, things I wanted to change in a fundamental way.

1. How I manage finances

2. How I approach work

3. Getting some exercise

Without getting into details I will say that I’ve made great strides on the first 2 goals, and still have 9 months to work out a strategy on the third. But that’s not so much what this post is about.

CHANGE

There have been unexpected CHANGEs, too.

I’ve switched my focus from selling handmade items to making art and making things for my family (I talked a bit about that here). That one change has given me so much freedom in my creating because it only has to please one person – me. I think I’ve grown a lot in my art – it’s imbued with more meaning as I experiment to make images that are not only beautiful, but convey meaning as well. It’s a big step.

I have a feeling that the biggest changes this year are still to come. My husband has just accepted a job that requires him to be away from home quite a lot. He’s so excited for the amazing opportunity that it’s contagious. I find it intriguing that I’m not as freaked about this as I think I should be. I used to be the girl who hated change. The girl who fought it, moaned and moped about it before accepting it, grudgingly. This year I am welcoming change, creating it even, and maybe even having some fun with it.

Knock on wood that things don’t get too crazy around here – it’s only March afterall!

I have to show you this photo for no other reason except that I love it.

It represents to me an idea, not just a moment.

It represents inner light.

Acknowledging the spiritual being.

Acknowledging striving.

Acknowledging optimism.

Acknowledging hope.