Catherine Just

merging

2010-01-21T18:55:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about merging my art blog and my baby blog. The line between my art and my family doesn't really exist so why try to keep them apart online?

I decided to keep the

http://www.hang-on-little-tomato.blogspot.com

and no longer use this blog

So if you're looking for me

now you know where to find me!

xoxox
*c

Holiday Sale!

2009-11-27T11:50:00.000-08:00

All of my 5x5 wood panels are on sale for the Holidays!

MY ETSY SHOP

Sale price is $29.00
Original Price is $35.00

Not many left - so get them while they are still available!

Great gift idea!

*c

100 things I'm grateful for...

2009-11-25T23:25:00.000-08:00

1. waking up every morning next to my son Max and my husband Jerry.

2. seeing Max smile before he even opens his eyes in the morning - just by singing "good morning to you" to the tune of the "happy birthday" song.

3. hearing Max breathing

4. When I stretch our my arms and hands toward Max he is leaning into them and holds onto me to be picked up. I love that he gets that cue.

5. Max's laughter

6. When Max wraps his fingers around my finger

7. When Max is upset and I pick him up and he immediately calms down and wraps himself around me in a hug.

8. Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles

9. Club 21

10. My new tribe at Club 21 and the comfort I feel when I am around them. I was meant to know them. I am so lucky.

11. Pink Martini

12. The way Jerry makes me laugh.

13. How silly Jerry and I allow ourselves to be with each other.

14. Experiencing Jerry's love no matter what I feel about myself.

15. The Monday Morning AA meeting. Love those ladies.

16. My new friends from Mondo Beyondo and staying in touch through e-mail, twitter, facebook and the artists way class.

17. Mom's Club newbees group. helping me transition into mamahood.

18. Mondo Beyondo Dreams and the amazing support of Andrea Scher and Jen Lemen to help these dreams gather their wings.

19. The Game on Diet and Krista Vernoff even though I had a love hate relationship with it - I did lose more weight and gain some new habits.

20. Jenny Craig - for helping me get my pre-pregnancy body back and get out of that post pregnancy depression from being so much bigger all of a sudden it seemed.

21. Miguel Ruiz

22. finding old Toltec friends on Facebook and having a new opportunity to connect with them in a different way and from a different place.

23. My new Garden, and my new friend Amanda for helping me figure out what to do and how to get started.

24. Whomever my instructor was in college who taught me how to carve into linoleum block and create hand pulled prints.

25. Mrs. Burke - My high school art teacher. For showing me that I had talent during a time in my life that I didn't know I had anything of value whatsoever. She saved my life.

26. Aline Smithson - for encouraging me to keep on going.

27. the 4x5 pinhole camera that Jerry gave me for my birthday. The first gift he ever gave me. It was life changing

28. Doug Beasley inspiration for a lifetime

29. http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/mann/index.html

30. Francesca Woodman

31. Portland, Oregon

32. Jasmine Pearl Tea - honey cup

33. Joe at Dynamic Therapies for the physical therapy he does with Max every Monday morning.

34. Obama

35. Pretty Girl my 16 year old cat that I got when she was 5 weeks old when I lived in Minneapolis.

36. Minneapolis, MN.

37. Minneapolis College of Art and Design

38. 22 years of sobriety. It's much better over here. MUCH better.

39. Valerie Landsburg

40. Max's health ( although he is a bit sick today ) but in general, that he has a good heart.

41. Etsy

42. Braggs Liquid Aminos my daily habit on my salads with a touch of flax oil

43. Grassroots in South Pasadena. I love those folks and the food!

44. Nancy

45. Amy

46. Joanne

47. Ron

48. Loren

49. Rafe

50. Mark

51. Kirsten and Andrew - thank goodness you changed your wedding date.

52. The game on diet support team. Patsy, Amy, Cathy, Juli, Mom, Kari, and all the others who played with us. Thank you.

53. My new hairdresser - Kim. I can now relax and know you will always make me look so good!

54. Paper Source

55. Anthropologie

56. our cozy, beautiful, little home.

57. our backyard

58. having a driveway

59. having a dishwasher

60. our washing machine and dryer.

61. Kate Spade lotion that is now discontinued but I can find on ebay. Lovely scent. thank you Nicole for letting me wear it too.

62. that Jerry and I are both photographers and support each others vision, style, way of working.

63.Earth Mama Angel Baby lotion

64. iphone

65. having a great car with great gas mileage

66. photography

67. bravo tv.

68. our bath tub, candles and bubble baths.

69. the light in the morning when I sit on the porch.

70. the surrealist painters.

71. Blogging and the bloggers that inspire me.

72. Chairs in all different sizes, shapes and styles

73. old spoons

74. Sark

75. the artists way

76. photobooths

77. road trips with jerry

78. Being able to stay home to raise baby Max and not having to work, but wanting to do something creative from home.

79. lemon, in water, on salad, over fish, you name it.

80. speedball water soluble inks

81. Light Leaks magazine

82. synchronicity

83. the headset for my phone

84. the tree out front, and trees in general!

85. Walking around the rose bowl with Max in the stroller

86. f/1.8 50 lens, nikon

87. jealousy....because in a strange way it helps me to feel what it is that I want to do next in my life.

88. Superherodesigns for being so real and so talented.

89. Marriage and baby and home and laundry...simple and profound abundance

90. hearing and feeling a really good spiritual message that changes my life in an unexpected way from an unexpected person.

91. not smoking anymore and being free from that obsession and the pain around needing it.

92. the mellow quality of my life compared to when I drank caffeine, smoked cigarettes, or did a variety of other things to escape.

93. Waking up from a dream and still feeling like I am in it. I can feel it, see it and remember it vividly most mornings.

94. Gwen Stefani, Jill Scott, Moby, Eminem, Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Pearl Jam, Love and Rockets, The Cult, Justin Timberlake, Kanye and the rest of the talent I listen to when I am taking a walk.

95. U2 Achtung baby.

96. Polaroid.

97. Meeting new friends and connecting with them on a deep level. That's magic.

98. continuing to learn about love .... and practice love instead of fear. still practicing.....

99. the moment of "waking up".

100. oh the agony of the final item to add to this list! I'm going to cram a few things here: really good Mexican Food, A great nap with a nice breeze flowing, sunset, sunrise, good pillows, staying at really great pretty high end hotels, Printmaking( did I mention that already ), what I learn from others as I go along, staying connected with you from my Mac computer, my engagement and wedding rings, Pears, Tivo, starting over again and again, forgiveness, letting go, super soft blankets, kittens, vintage cameras, a great pair of boots like the ones I've had for 20 years, monoprint, wrapping paper, glitter, knowing someone so well that you don't have to even say it, the family bed, singing, finding out I was pregnant and then giving birth 8 months later to the most amazing being, being a mama, being an artist on my own terms and figuring that all out, the norton Simon Museum, Project Runway, Top Chef, baking, crafting, listening to birds chirp in the early morning. The first rain and that smell of rain on concrete, the smell of a BBQ, bacon, breakfast, watching Max see and experience something for the very first time, not having to answer to a boss, the train, Maui, Napili bay, The turtles in Hawaii, Papaya, Oprah, E!, Listening to the ocean.

Amazing how I wasn't so sure if I could come up with this many items - but there are MANY MANY MORE.

It's a great thanksgiving at our house and in my heart.

Happy thanksgiving to you.
xo
c

Mentioned on the Zinnia Blog!

2009-11-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

HOORAY! The great folks over at Zinnia Mentioned me on their blog, read below!

***350 Success Story
As you know the 350 Project was a great way to get involved. We had artists from all over that included a range of well known, not-so well known and beginners. Some of our friends of the store submitted work after telling us that they had never done anything like that before. Lori Spotts is one of our friends. She painted beautiful portraits of dolls/girls and she blew everyone away.
This weekend Catherine Just stopped by the store to pick up her unsold panels. She shared with us that she had been so inspired by her participation in the project that she opened her Etsy store and is selling her artwork. Catherine describes her work as linoleum carving printed directly on wood panels, paper or blank journals. Her store is: catherinejust.etsy.com
Isn't that cool? Best of luck Catherine and any other artists that were inspired by the 350 Project and have taken their work to another level. Do you have a story?***

for more about Zinnia click the link below:
http://zinnia4creativity.blogspot.com/

Journals on the horizon

2009-11-20T19:37:00.000-08:00

Yes indeed. I'm starting to sell journals on my Etsy Site.

I'm going to be posting a variety of sizes and prints on each cover so check back for more options.

I'm really excited about these little journals. I love to write gratitude lists in them, my artist's way morning pages, sketch in them, to do lists ( not as fun but handy! ) and jot down inspirations from my day.
Toss in your bag with a pretty pen and your off !

Go check them out on my etsy site

http://www.catherinejust.etsy.com

using our creativity

2009-11-16T19:36:00.000-08:00

Queen Bee Explosion!

#5. Creativity is God's Gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God.

#10. Our creative dreams and yearning come from divine source. As we move toward our dreams, we move toward our divinity.

From the Basic Principles on page 3
The Artist's Way
Julia Cameron

Tom DeBiaso's new video

2009-11-05T22:34:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un8tkYmeLbo

Art Explosion

2009-10-25T11:15:00.001-07:00

The photos above are from the art show I was in this past Saturday at Zinnia in South Pasadena. 350 wood panels. 6 of them were mine. It was a great show and amazing to see all the panels together - creating another - bigger creation.
2 of my panels sold the first hour - not sure if the others sold as we had to run home with baby for his feeding time.
But it was exciting to make new work and share it with others and then see some of it sell!

this photo was taken yesterday after a flurry of printmaking happened in about a half an hour. I just ADORE making prints and once I get going - WATCH OUT!
There are prints all over the dining room and table and coffee table. I'm calling it an Art Explosion!

Must go to Max's first halloween party.....he's going as a hotdog and we are mustard and ketchup. Can you guess which one is going to be in red and which will be yellow??

xo
*c

Dream the Big Dream

2009-10-22T08:26:00.001-07:00

Click here and scroll through it all.
It will make your day.
promise.

Best Motivational Video Ever

2009-10-21T20:58:00.000-07:00

I love this!

Someone taking the Mondo Beyondo Class just posted it for us.
I had to share it with you all.

I'm in the middle of taking action in shifting my creative life into the vibrant vision I have been dreaming about for a LONG LONG time. Fear is a common feeling, lots of old thoughts rushing in my head about my ability to achieve what I really want. I'm not smart enough, I don't really have anything to share, This work is mediocre, etc........... Nice eh? I would never talk like that to anyone else about their dreams or talents. Funny how I let myself get away with it when it has to do with ME!
however - this class I am taking - Mondo Beyondo - is helping me remember that my thoughts are not the truth. They are just thoughts. They don't run the show. I do. The "I" that knows that these dreams need to happen. And CAN happen. And are in the process of happening RIGHT NOW!

I've been updating and changing my website around, making new work, picking dates for my photography workshops and getting support for all of these things from many different places and people.

I learned this week that the universe is like the most talented dance partner ever. He holds me and leads the way and makes me look so graceful and it feels easy. Just take a step and it flows smoothly and feels so good!
( I'm remembering my last dance lesson and how it made me giggle inside with glee when the dance teacher lead the way. )
I'm being held around my waist by a hand that knows how to move me in the right direction. Turning my waist at the right moments, and without much force - but with a feeling of knowing that helps me release my control and allow him to move me around the dance floor.

I'm learning how to take action toward my highest dreams for myself and my life and also how to allow the universe to really hold me and show me the way and trust in that. That trusting thing is harder for me than just pushing, controlling, getting intense with it, obsessing about what the "right" thing to do is, working and working and working on it - etc....and in the end I feel exhausted, disconnected with my community, separate and unhappy. So the consequence is so much greater even though it feels easier in the beginning.

Must go spend time with my baby and husband and my cat now and BE in my life and allow the dreams to actualize in the exact way that they are suppose to.

Have a dreamy evening.
xo
*c

go ahead...Open it

2009-10-20T14:39:00.001-07:00

inside this envelop is a list of all of my wildest dreams.
I hid it for a week and tried to forget about it.
I went to where I thought I'd hid it - and it wasn't there. I actually forgot where I put it.
When it finally dawned on me where it was - I retrieved it
and have been looking at it on my art table wondering if I should open it or not.

A lot of the dreams I wrote on the list are already starting to come true.

I could open it and take a peek - re-write it - and put it in another envelope and tie it with a bow
or
I could leave it sealed for a while longer
or for years.

What would you do?

Would you be curious what you wrote last week and see if anything seems like it needs to be deleted from the list - or edited - or updated? Would you open it and add to the list? Would you open it and burn the list? Would you open it and post it all on your blog for the world to see?

or would you put it away in a secret place and try to forget and allow the universe to do it's magic?

Mondo Beyondo Moment - 350.org - Zinnia

2009-10-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

Go to Zinnia
at 3:50pm on Saturday October 24th for an art opening featuring 350 panels of art made by all sorts of creative folks. Including me!
I printed block prints directly onto the wood panels. I love how they turned out.
The opening is called 350
and is in conjunction with 350.org
Which is bringing awareness to climate change.
why 350?
it's what scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Learn more on their website. It's an international day of awareness and important for all of us to participate on any level.

The panels will be for sale for 350 pesos ($26.58 ) a portion going to 350 Carbon.

Here are my panels

Hope to see you at the Opening!

Hope Note #1

2009-10-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

Mondo Beyondo

2009-10-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of Mondo Beyondo
I signed up so I can get started creating my dreams with a group of like minded and supportive people.
I've been so excited about this.
Just recently I've started dreaming again about what I want my creative life / business to look like.
It looks like so many things! But happiness, ease, laughter, simplicity and being more focused on what I love are some key factors I refuse to give up this time around.
Yes - what I am saying is that I gave up all of these things when I had my business going on at full steam before.

I've learned many lessons.
And feel ready to create something fresh / new / vibrant.

Here is a little video that made my day today as I waited for my confirmation e-mail to start the mondo beyondo workshop.

enjoy
as I enjoy the pause in between saying goodbye to my old business / creative life
and the beginning of the new dream.

inspiration

2009-05-10T20:19:00.000-07:00

not many things inspire me in the art world.
In art school it was the Starn Twins and Sally Mann
Joseph Cornell and Francesca Woodman
About a handful of others ....

Today I went and visited Aline Smithsons blog and stubbled upon more inspiration.
Makes my mouth water and my entire body feels the NEED to create my own work.
To learn alternative photography processes
To get back into the darkroom
To use a vintage camera
To find ways to dive back in deeper
to that place I go when I make my work.

Here is the link.
http://lenscratch.blogspot.com/2009/05/charles-grogg-and-jeri-eisenberg.html
Go there.

Mother's Day Video

2009-05-10T13:36:00.001-07:00

Dreaming...again + still

2009-03-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

hi there - it's been a while
I've been busy creating a human named Max- and now that he is born I am finally starting to feel that feeling again of wanting to create more art and wanting to figure out what is my next incarnation as far as careers go - or lifestyles go.

I'm going to stay at home and raise Max without going to a formal type of job for the first year - at least. I'm so happy we are in a situation which can accommodate this life/career choice. Raising Max will be the most important creative venture ever. And I want to expand even further!

Lately I've been thinking about teaching art again. teaching art to kids with special needs. And to anyone really who wants to learn how to express themselves through this type of medium. My high school art teacher really planted the seed for me many years ago when she taught me that I was talented - and had something to offer the world. I had never really heard that before. She helped me feel I had something I needed to do - something I could do. Something special.

After I got sober at 18 years old - I used this creative outlet as a way to express my emotions. It saved my life really - to have had my art teacher show me how to draw and paint and "see". It gave me something to do after I got sober. A place where I felt inspired, curious and some what confident. Helped give me direction. Helped me notice things beyond the drama of a teenage drug addicts life who was newly sober and still learning how to be in the world without hiding behind that fog. I Felt naked.

Anyhow - I've ALWAYS wanted to pass it forward. Share with others the power of creativity the way Mrs. Burke did with me.
I feel that this will be the time for me to do just that.

I'm starting to look at schools ( again ) and revisiting the idea of getting my teaching credentials in single subject of Art - so that I can create classes for kids that have special needs ( like my Max ), and get more involved with teaching as a way of giving back and as an offering.

People tell me that I could do that without going back to school. I know that it's possible. But I want to get more instruction on different creative processes and how to create a class outline - how to give them more then just the few things I know. I want to be educated about teaching art.

I also crave learning more about printmaking.

So while I get my teaching credentials I will also be taking an art class or two for myself.

I may actually take the art class before I go back to get my teaching credentials - if I can find a class that is just a few hours one day per week and jerry and I can work out a way for me to be there and have Max taken care of. I'm not much into daycare or babysitters just yet.

So that's what's been rolling around in my head lately.

If you know of a good place to take a printmaking class in Pasadena - let me know. I'm going to check out the armory!

Yipeeeeee! I love my life. Anything is possible. And I love that I get to recreate it any time I feel like something is stale or in need of an upgrade.

raddical sabbatical

2009-03-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

My last post was on Feb 3rd. That evening I went into labor and gave birth the next morning to Max Harrison Seiner.
I've been taking nothing but baby photos for the past 6 weeks and have been posting them over on my baby blog at
http://www.hang-on-little-tomato.blogspot.com

I've been posting over there pretty regularly.

My creative pursuits consist of how to get the most out of the 2 hours I have in between each feeding and usually it's just managing the basics - like showering, eating, e-mail management, cleaning the kitchen etc.

My artistic outlet has been all about learning about this new human and listening, watching, noticing, engaging, talking, singing, playing with him.

I hope you stay tuned for more here - or visit my other blog to see what's up in the family.

Much love
Catherine

these are a few of my favorite things

2009-02-03T15:54:00.001-08:00

A magical necklace made by my mom and 25 of my closest friends and family at the baby shower Sunday.
Love how it's glowing. I don't ever want to take it off.

good thing I took a photo of the 3 mini cupcakes today because there's only one left now. TASTY.
plus they are on one of my favorite plates from anthropologie. Also tasty.

taking these photos with my nikon 50 mm lens that opens to 1.8 is one of my favorite things. Makes my mouth water. Yep you guessed it. It's tasty.
Love the shallow depth of field. I usually use this lens when I really want to see. It helps me to get closer, and pay attention to the details. If I use this lens too much I start to see everything at 1.8 with or without my camera.

Nice to feel inspired to pick up the camera today. It's a slow day at home - trying to rest and get better from a virus.
Nothing like a little "seeing" to perk up the afternoon.

artist's way, artist's date, artist's inspiring me.....etc.

2009-01-23T03:56:00.000-08:00

© Anselm Kiefer

I was invited to join an artist's way group and decided to give it a shot.
I did the artist's way book in 1994 when I was living in Minneapolis and working at the Guthrie Theater backstage - down in the depths of the Vom, as a dresser.
Doing the 12 week program in the book helped me so much and change my life really.
As a result I moved to the pacific northwest and went from wardrobe to stage management, and viewed daffodils and tulips growing everywhere in February. ( I think it was feb? )
anyhow I'd never seen that before. Ashland is Magical. I worked at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for one season. It was amazing. Then up to Portland for another 5 years. The artists way got me dreaming about living surrounded by trees and green.
And I don't think I would have ever gotten to a place of confidence about going - without the help of the book!
It also got me in touch with childhood dreams I had, and how I used to be when I was younger. It helped me tap into my authentic self a lot more.

So - It's been a zillion years and I'm in the middle of a major life transition and not really sure how the art career will go after baby is born - so it felt like a perfect opportunity to break out that book again. But this time do it with supportive friends and meet weekly. Well my weeks are numbered because baby is due in about 5 weeks - but I can do what I can with them and then allow it to sit until I can get to it again later. I needed to allow myself to just go with the flow and not be all or nothing with this artists way thing because I'm a professional at that ( all or nothing ) and I know with a baby on the way - I will need to learn to let go a bit! ok A LOT. when it comes to my own schedule etc.

anyhow - week one has been so interesting. I already have resistance to the morning pages. WHY? what are they going to do to me?
And I've been very inspired by artwork that i've looked for when searching for a good artist's date.

There's a show at the Hammer Museum right now that I would love to take myself on my first artist's date to.
However - because of my current state - I'm not sure I can really drive all the way over to West wood alone and feel confident that I won't go into labor since I'm having braxton hicks contractions, and then walk around a museum with any pleasure at this point. ( Sciatic pain from hell ). It actually feels kind of good to feel antsy to go see some art!
I've been considering printmaking - as a new direction - although I've been a printmaker since college it was never a primary focus for me.
Right now there is a show on woodcutting/printmaking and I'd LOVE to see this.
Anselm Kiefer is one of my all time favorite artists.
If I don't get to this show - maybe you should!
work like his actually make my mouth water!

Jerry offered to take me there this Saturday - but then it's not an artist's date - and maybe that's ok too for right now. I need to let go right - go with the flow?
At least I would be getting to an art show and excited about it which I cannot say I have felt for many months.

paper whites

2009-01-15T08:18:00.000-08:00

Good morning to you.
enjoy simple beauty around you.
it might be right out on your front porch, sitting right next to you, or inside your heart.

It could be a fragrant smell that reminds you of a time in your past that you cherish.

the way the light falls on the wall out front of your home.

The stare of your favorite pet.

a warm meal made by your favorite human

or a warm pair of socks that you just took out of the dryer and put on your feet.

What simple beauty do you notice this morning?
I'd love to hear what you find/ see/ experience.

xo

mornings

2009-01-07T07:19:00.000-08:00

Up early again.
This morning I was inspired by the sunrise and wanted to share it with you all. Taken at 6:39am
Love watching the light change in the morning. There's nothing like it.
I sit in the dark living room with just the glow of the laptop screen and I can start to see the light coming in through the sides of the blinds. Then the color of the light changes as well as the brightness. Right now the sun is blasting into the room and creating an amazing warm glow on the fireplace mantel. It's gorgeous.
I am grateful to witness this.

I purchased a gratitude journal. It has the dates and 5 lines under each date so I can get back to that way of thinking and looking and noticing on a regular basis. The camera actually helps with that as well. Reminds me to really LOOK! I want to come up with new things each day to write in my gratitude journal. It's easy to just say the same things over and over. This practice helps me to see, feel, and be in the moment.

One of my favorite all time assignments was from Doug Beasley on one of his photo workshops at Beitenbush Hot Springs in Oregon.

he suggests to go out and take photos of things you find to be "not photo worthy" and see what happens.
I think this was one of my "ah hah" spiritual moments for me.

If you have a camera I suggest trying this assignment out.
Go ahead - take a photo of what you think is NOT photo worthy.....I dare you......
Would love to hear what your experience is.

friendship

2009-01-03T13:01:00.001-08:00

This morning I was up early ( 3am ) I made my tea and sliced an apple and opened up the curtains so I could watch the light changing as the sun came up. Around 7am Jerry rolled out of bed and came over to ask me if I wanted to go visit with some friends this morning. I decided it might be nice. Boy am I glad he asked me to go do that today. Seeing old friends is so healing.
I'm so glad I got to see:
Valerie, Mindy, Rafe, Ron, George, Chris, Sue, Dave, David, Richard, James, Jill, oh my the list goes on and on! I felt so loved, and in love with all of them.

Sometimes I feel a bit like what that leaf looks like in that photo I posted. Alone. Then my mind attaches to that story and runs with it. I get hooked by what my mind is telling me, I believe it, and I chew on that story until I am deeply sad by how lonely I am. In the meantime I've taken no actions to change this thought or story. I call no one, I don't reach out to say hello, I don't leave the house all day - for days. I am unplugged and not in a very good way for me with the mind that loves to try to make me believe something that is more damaging then necessary. It's almost like I'm addicted to the thoughts that are harmful to me and love the taste of them. And I love to eat them over and over and over again, like a donut or candy bar that I know is only going to make me fat.

Then one day I get up and go out and see all of you lovely lovely people that I've known for about 3+ years now and I think - oh my god - I created the entire story and it's a lie. Gosh am I talented!
Now when I look at that photo I see a pretty leaf - it's blushing it's so pretty. It's not alone at all but a part of the rest of the universe which is air, water, ground, concrete, people walking by it, the tree it came from etc. No shortage of community when you take the time to connect with it!

Glad the husband asked if I wanted to see friends this morning. I didn't realize how much I NEEDED to see them.
Amazing how my life can change in an instant just by taking a different action, and allowing my thoughts to rest and just be in the moment.

enjoy the leaves on the ground and the friends around you.
xo

power sign

2008-12-29T08:36:00.000-08:00

when I was a part of the Toltec Community - we learned that everything could be seen as a power sign. We wore a symbol on us to remind us to "wake up". I wore a necklace with a sword on it. Others wore a ring or something. It all meant the same thing. When we looked at it - hopefully it would snap up out of being "asleep".
Being Asleep meant we were believing our own mind. We were taking things personally, making assumptions, holding resentments, being angry, feeling like we weren't enough, or we were too much. You know, all that inner dialogue we believe about ourselves and our surroundings. It's all garbage. And we think it's the truth. Then we punish ourselves by how we treat ourselves or by living small - or trying to be bigger then others. It's a living hell.

After 5 years of devoting my life and work to that community and practice of " waking up" I decided to leave and go off on my own and start my photography business and practice the tools in my life without signing up for more Toltec Workshops, or weekends. It was for me like leaving a church I went to regularly.

Life was really ok for a while. But little by little I started to allow the beliefs to win out again and I didn't have the same practice I had before to shift my awareness quickly away from fear and back into love. I'm so glad I had that experience. It helps me to understand the importance of community, or of having a place to go regularly for spiritual input. If it's just me - I tend to spin out a bit.

So I decided to head back to 12 step programs. I had gotten my spiritual start there 20+ years ago. Again, I find a community of people all looking for and living in the solution. The answer to internal suffering is simple, yet profound when you are addicted to drama, sadness, depression, and your story. What if that story didn't exist?
Anyhow - my point in all this? Just that the feather in that photo above reminds me to wake up. It's a power sign. It's something out of the blue that catches my attention. I use to collect them. Now I take photos of them. It brings me back to a time when I was new to the Toltec Practice and trying to figure out what the heck the teachers were talking about.
In my life today I realize that all it takes is a moment - a shift in perception - a contrary action - taking direction from another person who may have "been there", and being open and taking action.

I don't act out the way I use to 20 years ago. The drama is much more quiet. Both internally and externally.
The feather reminds me of where I've been and how far I've come and to stop believing the fear based thoughts and beliefs and return to love.

p.s. look at all the potential 4 leaf clovers - talk about power signs!

I needed this!

2008-12-24T09:12:00.002-08:00

Another video I found on Superherodesign blog. I love this so much and is a perfect touch for the holidays. Our artwork is our gift to ourselves and to others. Check this out and tell me what you think of it.

thank you

2008-12-23T08:19:00.001-08:00

Looking at all the holiday cards we got this year and feeling filled up with friends and friendship, family and meaningful relationships.

Thank you for putting me on your holiday card list. It means a lot, and feels good to see you in our home in some small way.

and YES that is a paw shaped christmas stocking for our cat next to the ones for us humans. It's actually her hanukkah stocking. And it's filled with cat treats. she gets one per night. Last night she got a red bouncy fuzzy ball to chase around the house. And yes she became a kitty on crack and sped through the house with that little thing! It was hilarious.

yesterday I remembered that happiness comes from expressing Love OUTWARD. Not from what you do for a living, what people do for you, not what you wear, eat, where you live, the car you drive etc. Just loving. I learned this from Miguel Ruiz when I was a part of the Toltec community. It's nice to shift back to that place of Loving and not worrying so much about what other people are doing or not doing. Or judging myself for doing or not doing this or that in my personal and professional life. I can get caught up there. For a while I was feeling pretty low. It was all based on expectations and assumptions and taking thing personally. Now as I sit here this morning after seeing a handful of great friends last night and hearing the solution, I feel uplifted again and remember that all it takes is a shift in perception.

The way the sunlight lit up the cards this morning just made my day. Not just as a photographer who chases light around, but as a person who sometimes needs a very obvious indication that all is alright in this moment.

The cards remind me of you. And that makes me feel filled up with Love.
So thank you!

Sending Love back atcha.
xox

little bean

2008-12-22T11:29:00.000-08:00

iphone photo from our nature walk.scavenger hunt.

happy hanukkah!

2008-12-21T08:57:00.003-08:00

I LOVE THIS SONG!!!!!!

Happy Happy Hanukkah!

seeing spots

2008-12-19T06:28:00.001-08:00

Another photo from my walk with Jerry a few weeks ago. This one I took at the Kidspace Museum which I didn't know existed until we roamed around the area near the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center. The Museum was along a nature trail. Look at how cool that window is. It gives you a tiny idea of how amazing this place is from the outside. I can't imagine what it's like on the inside.
I'm sure when our little bean enters the world we will be heading over there to take a look inside.

what I found on my walk

2008-12-17T21:36:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Jerry and I got up early and went on a walk near the Rose Bowl. I had my iphone and took some photos with it while we walked. I was inspired by Andrea Scher and her blog Superherodesigns.com. it's the first time in a LONG time I thought about taking photos at all. So glad that she posts the way she does. So raw and real and open. I love that about her.
So what I found along the path on our walk - was my eyesight! Seriously. having my camera ( even though it's a phone ) helped me open my eyes and notice. I love that about photography.
here is the first of many photos I took as I LOOKED.
I felt like I was on a scavenger hunt instead of a walk.

not a new photo series but....

2008-12-11T12:02:00.000-08:00

I've been working on and off on a baby blanket since June. I was pretty invested in knitting in the first trimester of my pregnancy and then I wasn't. That's how I am in general with my creative inspiration. It comes and goes and I just have to be on alert when the juices start flowing. Well 7 months later and the blanket is finally done. I ran out of yarn on the LAST row and found some left over ribbon and decided to see how that would work. I really like how it turned out. I took a photo with a onsie on the blanket that my friend amy sent to me - so you can see the size of it - relative to a newborn baby. I can wrap him up in it and he can use it for a while before it's too small. I almost wish it was larger but - I can always start a new one!

Now that this one is done I'm on to figure out how to make a baby sweater. I picked up the yard this week and plan on taking a class to get some pointers. Looking forward to it. It's all part of my creative outlet. Photography, knitting, cooking, baking, printmaking. oh yea, every time I think about printmaking I want to dig into it even deeper. Take classes, print print print, look at other artists prints, make handmade books with my prints in them, sell my prints, put the prints onto t-shirts. etc etc.
Might be a new direction for me. But I've also been dreaming of creating a new cupcake and baking them in small batches on the side to sell in the area. Cupcakes and printmaking. God that sounds delicious. YES? Oh and of course pinhole photography.
That love will never die.

I love dreaming. Don't you? Especially when wrapped in a handmade blanket!
What are you dreaming about?

Wisdombook.org

2008-12-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

© Andrew Zuckerman

http://www.andrewzuckerman.com

please click on the link for Wisdombook.org and watch the mini movie.

So inspiring!!!

Have a wonderful Thursday !

xo

©

prop 8 - the musical with Jack Black, John C Reilly, and more!

2008-12-03T09:24:00.000-08:00

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/c0cf508ff8/prop-8-the-musical-starring-jack-black-john-c-reilly-and-many-more-from-fod-team-jack-black-craig-robinson-john-c-reilly-and-rashida-jones

napili bay - my favorite beach on the planet

2008-12-02T18:46:00.000-08:00

My favorite day in Maui.
Look at it!!!!
No waves ( this is a PLUS for me! )
clear water
serene
calm
easy
perfect
beautiful
wonderful
smooth
relaxing
fun
meditative
wait wait wait..........wait a minute!
That's what my life is like right now!
So that photo represents my favorite beach and it's a metaphor of my life here right now!

i'm so lucky!

polaroid love

2008-12-01T07:19:00.000-08:00

Gazing at the sand and the water......

funny how polaroid shifts the color. The sand was definitely not this yellow.

looking up

2008-11-29T15:30:00.000-08:00

Another view from maui 2008.

Looking up.

Love these trees. even though we have them here in LA and I grew up with them everywhere in San Diego - they are a little different in Hawaii. You'll have to get yourself there to see for yourself!

Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving.

I'm loving the long weekend my husband gets off from work. It's been a quiet time for us and very much needed.

now I'm off to go try to make my very first baby quilt. Wish me luck. I may need it.

looking forward - looking back

2008-11-26T11:58:00.001-08:00

This is a polaroid I took in Maui while Jerry was in the ocean Scuba Diving.
I have a pile of polaroids I took and I can't wait to post them all.

I love the memory of the ocean. Especially the day we went to Napili bay. My favorite spot on earth.

2 years ago we actually spent Thanksgiving at Napili Bay.
This year we will spend it at home - listening to the rain that has finally come - eating simple thanksgiving food that we buy premade from whole foods - and watch the parade on tv and all the movies that I tivo'd. Simple - Relaxing - Perfect.
I'm thankful for days like this. With my little loving family. The last thanksgiving before our little baby arrives.

Today we had an ultrasound and got to see the little guy again. He is doing well and is cozy in there. My cat is laying on my lap purring on him right now. It seems this year is all about going slow - and paying attention to the little moments.

I have so much to be thankful for. The list would take up so much room here.
But all i want to really say is that I am filled with Love and I receive so much love that I feel very complete with that alone!
Don't get me wrong - I love our home, the heater, the windows letting in the light, the sounds of rain, the sunshine peeking through it, the couch, the blankets, all the stuff we have here. I know that many lost their homes just recently in the fires near us and now it's raining on the ashes of the remains. I wish for them much love and comfort right now. I hope they are all doing ok and are surrounded by loved ones.

Which is why I am noticing that Love is what I am grateful for most of all.

xo
*c

tribute

2008-11-23T21:33:00.000-08:00

This cat was one of my all time favorite boy cats on the planet. He lived up in Portland at my friends Katye, Brandon's and Tate's house. One day he just cried out and then died. Just like that. It shocked the household. I just found out today and am really bummed out. Thought I'd post this photo of him as a tribute.

Pootie Tang!

a blast from my past....

2008-11-22T12:23:00.001-08:00

Today I got an e-mail from Google alerts - that someone was looking me up for wedding photography. I'm sure they figured it out - that I no longer photograph weddings.
However they were sent to this LINK- which I read through and it brought me right back to my first year of wedding photography. That year was so fun for me. I loved my clients, It was fresh and new for me, and I was surrounded by other talented photographers who helped me get my start.

The photos above were taken at a wedding a few years later in my career. They are actually from one of my favorite weddings of all time. Not that I pick favorites (!) But look at how gorgeous that dress is. That gal is stunning and the venue was dreamy and I just adored it all.

I won an award for the image with the bride looking in the mirror. It was picked as one of the best wedding images of that year in PDN magazine. That was a moment for me.
And the bride was Thrilled too! Here is the LINK to that. You'll need to enter the gallery and look through the getting ready images to find mine.

Those weekends were filled with documenting other people's amazing life events.
These weekends are filled with being with my husband, cat, pregnant belly, friends, listening to music, eating grilled cheese and chicken broth ( I have a cold ), and lounging around listening to Amy Mann on KCRW and wearing my sweats all day because I can!

I guess this blog entry is my documentation of an amazing event in my own life. A weekend with my family. I created an exit strategy from wedding photography just so I could have more days like this.

Although I do miss meeting newly engaged couples and hearing all about their relationship, and their upcoming wedding - and then finding magical moments at their wedding through the lens of my camera - I do adore this chapter in my life as well.

I'm getting to know what it's like to have weekends OFF!!!!!

YAY FOR WEEKENDS OFF, lazy days, and remembering your past with fondness and no regrets.

now I must go eat that gooey grilled cheese and sit with my husband.....

3 month comparison

2008-11-18T10:02:00.000-08:00

I'm an artist...what does that mean? Does it mean anything?

2008-11-17T15:39:00.001-08:00

photo © Keri Smith

So I had a very intriguing conversation with my friend Nancy. We were talking about the Getty and going there to do research. Somehow it struck me. Why is it when some people ask me what I do for a living, I think to myself that being an artist isn't really anything of importance? I don't always think that. But sometimes I do. I project that certain others are going to think "oh....she's an "artist". That's ridiculous. " But then when I think of the Getty and the collection of art there - I think " that place is so important. " Why is that place that carries other people's artwork so important - but I am not as important to the world as an artist as those others? "
Of course I know a lot of things I could / should say as to why it's important to be an artist.
I remember Daniel Vosavic on Project Runway being asked why he should win Project Runway.
his answer was something like " Because I have a unique vision. "
That was really all he said. But it was very true. He does and I love his work. It is inspiring to me. I'm sure he doesn't make his work to inspire me. He makes his work because that is who he is. He has to.
I also was so inspired by the art during Obama's campaign. The Hope Poster, And Will.I.Am and his song "YES WE CAN" and the video that went with it. Brought me to tears.
Artist's who inspire me off the top of my head:
Frida Kahlo
Remedios Varo
Leonora Carrington
Francesca Woodman. Why did she kill herself?
Chagall
Mozart
Will.I.AM
Justin Timberlake- yes really. especially when he is on SNL!
James Fee
Dorothea Tanning
Keri Smith
Andrea Scher
Alison Kaplan
Nancy Haselbacher

Oh there are so many - and I didn't even touch on all the photographers yet!
maybe my next post will be dedicated to them!

Anyhow - My point being is that
this belief that takes up space in my head sometimes
HAS GOT TO GO!
Low self esteem is so boring. B.O.R.I.N.G!!!!
I'm over it.
OVER IT!
I'm also over all of those people who think that art and making art is something lower on the totem pole then what they do.

I AM AN ARTIST!!! - you got a problem with that???!!!

I remember coming to a realization while on a spiritual power journey in Mexico many years ago.
I realized my artwork is important because:

Because I was given the gift of "seeing".
It's a gift. A treat. A talent.
It's given to me.
I should use it.
Because it's the thing I do well.
And I enjoy it.

I enjoy digging, researching, looking, experiencing, slowing things down to really notice, being in the moment, being involved in a process with my hands, eyes, and heart. All at once. It's an amazing feeling. It's a bit like tennis at some moments. All of your senses have to be aligned and you need hand eye coordination. and you also need to "know" when the right moment is to make a mark, or hit the ball or take the photo.
It's a full contact sport. It's relaxing and meditative. It's exciting. It's working with the unknown. It's a spiritual practice.
It's a way of observing and documenting the events that occur on the inside and the outside of my life. My life.
My observations of the world.
My friend Nancy and I are trying to come up with a different way of saying " I'm an artist " that gets right down to the essense of what that means for us and what our artwork is.
What an assignment that is!

I'd love to hear from any of your artists out there - why you make art. Why it's important to make your art. And what your artwork means to you.

( and yes - I mean photographers, crafters, knitters, cooks, bakers, anything you consider a creative living. )

xoxox

ocean and sky

2008-11-10T14:33:00.000-08:00

this photo was taken in Maui on November 1st with my iphone. Jerry my husband is out there in the water doing his first scuba dive ever. I waiting for him on the shore. Watching the clouds, watching the water move, watching.
And waiting for him to come back.

He did.

and he had a fantastic time swimming with sea turtles down deep in the ocean.

coming up for air.

2008-11-07T14:10:00.001-08:00

Well I'm working my way through a lot of mind chatter today. Yesterday was similar. Believing myself. Feeling down based on expectations I have of where I think I "should" be right now, or comparing myself to others, or using the same sad stories I usually tell myself about myself. We all know how well that type of thing works out. "they" say "What ever you put your attention on gets bigger". It some times feels like a tug of war. I know in my mind that this is not a good road to go down. But at the same time it's familiar like a nice old blanket that tattered and torn, but feels like home somehow.

At some point I remembered to "wake up" and Choose again. Choose happiness. Choose light. Choose Love. Choose to let all the darkness go for this moment and try something new, fresh and more vibrant.

I think I get this way after a vacation. It's like coming down off a real good high. Now I'm learning to get more balanced here and get back on track.

Looking through the Maui photos perks me up. Sea Turtles are MAGIC. I wasn't able to go into the ocean to see them up close like I've done on past trips but on one sunset at the beach one came to me! I was taking photos of the ocean and all of a sudden a giant sea turtle was at the shore! here she is coming up for a breath of air. I always love to watch them come up for air. Feels like me right now - Coming up for air.

I'm grateful I was in Maui and had the chance to see this turtle!

and here is more gratitude that "coming up for air" inspires in me:

* the chance to go to maui on our babymoon and be with my wonderful husband for 8 days in paradise.

* feeling our baby move inside my belly

* having medical insurance

* having a car to get to the doctor, to a meeting, to see a friend, to buy groceries, to take a road trip on a whim.

* having internet

* glorious November days in Los Angeles when it really does feel like Fall mixed with Summer.

* Friendships around the world

* connecting with other creative artist activist mommas! Thank you Mary Catherine!

* having my cat Pretty Girl lay on my belly and purr on the pregnant bump. also known as "helping".

* airconditioning in the house and in the car

* trees of all kinds

* birds in general. all of them.

* all the cat family. I want to squeeze them.

* artistic expression of all kinds

* not having to label myself as anything ( ie: a photographer ) in order to find value in who I am. ( still working on that one )

* our new president, his wife and their example

* 12 step programs and the spiritual aspect of them even though sometimes I rebel against them.

* principles before personalities.

* learning to bake and gluten free blogs to learn from.

* people who inspire me like Andrea Scher!

* having freedom of choice in most cases.

* sobriety

* LOVE

* great music like pink martini, jill scott, kanye west, no doubt, sting

* napping

* bubble baths

* star glitter and friends who get that!

* my best friend and lovely husband Jerry

* our warm and cozy house

* a driveway to park in

* a grocery store a mile away

* health food stores - all of em.

* jon stewart, tina fey, amy pohler, bill maher

*aline smithson

* cameras, paper, linoleum blocks, inks, pens, puffy paint, glitter, craft projects, art projects.

* sunlight that is romantic, like right now. The fall sun.

* did I already say Sea Turtles?

* good food

* cooking, baking for fun and to express love

* sharing my life with my love.

* pretty plates from anthropologie.

* grapes

* watermelon

* travel

* walking in the woods

* the smell of the woods

* the smell of rain

* having a prudent reserve

* lack of drama or chaos

* soap that smells of roses

* pretty ribbon

* socks

* flip flops

* photographs

* gratitude lists.

Mr. President - BARACK OBAMA!

2008-11-06T14:45:00.000-08:00

Just got back from a relaxing and beautiful trip to Maui with my husband and 6 month baby bump.
We had a fantastic time. Laying by the pool, floating on a raft in the water, eating great food, watching sea turtles, laying on a raft in the ocean at Napili Bay ( our favorite beach and where we stayed on our honeymoon last year ). Jerry did a Scuba Dive, and he drove up to Haleakala Volcano at 4am to watch the sunrise. I couldn't take part because of the pregnancy but was excited that he got to do those things. It was a trip to celebrate our one year anniversary and our "babymoon". The last vacation without a diaper bag and or a child! I miss it there already. I do Love Maui so much. We have been going every October for the past 3 years and hope to continue the tradition with our baby.
Our last day there was voting day. We sat in a cafe that had a huge screen tv with fox news on. It was funny to watch that particular channel. A group of strangers sitting in the cafe all sharing our opinions and rants.
We went and had dinner and on the way to our car we peeked our heads in the cafe again to see the tv screen it said
" OBAMA WINS PRESIDENCY".
I was stunned. We went in and I asked if it was real. They said yes - it just happened. I expected a lot of commotion in the streets - especially since he is from Hawaii - but it was strangely quiet.
We missed hearing his acceptance speech but I read it on my iphone and was in tears from the first paragraph. It was stunning, meaningful, inspiring, thoughtful, bigger then just about himself. I love that about him. I have loved him since he first announced his candidacy. And have never felt so inspired to be a part of his idea of change and hop and get in the trenches and do something to help be the change I want to see. I bought a lawn sign, and a "mama for Obama" t-shirt.
I am reconsidering my career path and want to be more involved in helping the community. Not sure what that is going to look like yet but it is seriously on my mind these days. I'm so proud we all got together and voted for him. I didn't trust the voting process after - well - you know what happened. And here he is Barack Obama....Our PRESIDENT.
What a way to end our vacation in Maui. With an inspiring new President I am proud of and a sense that our country is on the right track again.

Now - about Prop 8 passing..........
I'm shocked and humiliated that so many people out there are still - well
my friend Brandon said it better then I can so here is the link to his blog. Go read it - it's worth the effort.

A friend of mine just went through a very shocking experience at a 12 step meeting of all places. Her Sponsor told her that she can no longer work with her because she ( my friend ) is a Lesbian.

Um....WHAT?????

What does that have to do with helping someone with the 12 steps?

Fear is alive and well here in Los Angeles. So Sad.
And it happened the same day Obama won.

A gal suggested that you fight hatred by stepping away from the hater.
Obama is a great person to look to as a symbol of this. No matter what the Republican party was saying about him - he didn't react - didn't get angry - didn't veer from his path. A path absent of immaturity and ignorance. He is so above it that nothing could really bug him. His wife is the same way. She said they have a purpose and focus their energies on that instead of what people say about them. There's no time for that.
I love them.
Thank you for being an example I can look to in my own life of how to be in the world, change the world, and no get wrapped up in all the toxic energy that people throw around.

YES WE CAN!
YES WE CAN!
YEA WE CAN!!!!!!!

5 months

2008-10-27T09:07:00.003-07:00

ok so here is a peek at the belly and how it's growing! Crazy what a month can do! I'm in the bliss months of pregnancy. Although for me what I feel is normal instead of like a freight train ran over me. The first 3 months were not bad at all - I was just exhausted beyond anything I'd ever experienced before. I am enjoying this time in my life very much. No schedule but to tend to myself and the growing baby inside of me. To rest, relax, pamper, eat well, enjoy the peacefulness, and prepare what I can for the unknown. My nesting instinct has kicked in and I've been learning to bake and cook gluten free muffins, cake, lasagna, mexican hot dish, etc. That comes and goes the urge to cook and bake. Right now we are blessed with friends who dropped off a bunch of baby stuff. Makes it feel more real that a baby is on the way! Even though you can see by the belly that it's real! Somehow baby chairs, swings, mats, etc, in the living room make it feel like a home that has a baby instead of a home with just a cat. ( don't tell my cat I said it like that ). We are going on a babymoon to Maui. Can't wait to wear a bikini and show off the belly, and take photos with my pinhole camera at the same places that my honeymoon series was taken. I've been feeling the itch to create new work and have been gathering up polaroid film, and other such precious things to bring with us on our trip.

And here is a quote I found today on SuperHero Design's Blog. My favorite blog of all.

“This is the true joy in life, to be used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, to be thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap. To be a force of nature instead of a feverish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am a member of a community and as a member it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can before I die. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch that I want to make burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.” George Bernard Shaw

new series

2008-10-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

I took this photo of myself a month ago when my belly was just starting to really look like there might be a baby in there.
When I look at this now it doesn't even compare to what my belly looks like now. People think I'm carrying twins! ( I'm not! Just one big baby! )

I took this photo in our bedroom. I felt it was a continuation from the newlywed bed series I was working on earlier before I got pregnant. Those photos were taken every morning of the bed after we got out of it in the morning. The bed took on a sculptural quality when all the photos were made into large contact sheets 17x22. The funny thing is, I had no idea I was actually documenting the bed during the time frame that I got pregnant! I love that this is documented. It goes with the honeymoon photos I took in hawaii - the long exposures of our "merging". So it felt right to take these pregnancy photos on the very bed where the baby was conceived. I love the out of focus painterly quality of this image. The quiet feel of it. I plan to take more of these out of focus portraits of myself. Not sure when. But consider this a new series to work on. It won't be as intensive as the tree series where I took a photo every month on the 18th day. But it will show the progression of the pregnancy in a dream like - soft and quiet way. When the belly gets bigger ( is that possible? ) I've asked Jerry to take out the 4x5 camera and take some black and white 4x5 images of my body. I look forward to that.
And in between - I'll be taking a new series of images in hawaii again - yes with the pinhole. But I'm also bringing the holga, and a polaroid camera with left over polaroid from my birthday party. Looking forward to looking.

***

Quote of the day
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
- Barack Obama

quote for the day - year -lifetime

2008-10-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

I found this on Mary Catherine Hamelin's blog and thought it felt right for me and for you too.

I hope you agree.

I call this time in my life my radical sabbatical. I love the ease of my life right now and the absence of any amount of pressure that comes from some inner dialogue that tells me I'm needing to do more, make more, get more.
I have everything I need. The world is wide open. It's slow, relaxing, and stress free.

I'm reading a book called "Giving: How each of us can change the world" by Bill Clinton. It's inspiring and is the direction I am starting to make in my own life. Looking at where I can put my energies to help make a difference and help others. I think this slowing down period in my life has helped me to get more focused on what's important to me - how I want to spend my time - and BE in the world and in my life.

enjoy slowing down. It's a nice pace.

$$ cost of the war

2008-10-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

click here to learn more

Imagine Wish Tower - Yoko Ono Project

2008-10-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

I am so inspired by this project. I had to put this video up for you to see. Please watch this and share it with your loved ones.
Yoko Ono is amazing.

I took my mother to the wish trees in Pasadena yesterday and took a photo of her putting her wish on the tree. I will post that tomorrow. If you are in Pasadena - go see the trees. Add your wish. be a part of this project.

Imagine Peace

Wish trees by Yoko Ono in Pasadena!

2008-10-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

Please go to this link to learn about "Imagine Peace Tower" and watch the video. It is SO POWERFUL.

The other day I was walking around Old Town Pasadena. I turned a corner and was stunned by what I found. A group of little trees covered in tags with wishes written on them. I had read about this art installation but had forgotten all about it.
Here is a little blurb about the installation I found online:

Wish Tree for Pasadena is an art installation that consists of 21 living crape myrtle trees installed amongst the café tables and chairs in the Courtyard of One Colorado. Visitors are invited to write their wishes on pieces of paper and hang them on the tree branches. Yoko Ono’s Wish Tree for Pasadena is free and open to the public.

Wishes from Wish Tree for Pasadena will be joined with others from all over the world and placed in specially constructed capsules to be installed in the area surrounding Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace Tower on Videy Island, off the coast of Reykjavík, Iceland. The artwork is dedicated to the memory of John Lennon. The tower, a column of light emanating from a stone base with a radius of about 10 meters, is lit for two months each year starting on October 9, John Lennon’s birthday, and ending on December 9, the anniversary of his death. The artwork is also lit at certain other special times during the year. For more information, visit www.imaginepeace.com

If you get a chance and are in the area here is a link for more info:

http://www.onecolorado.com/fun_yokoono.php

I had the pleasure of writing out a wish of my own. These photos were taken with my iphone. I know my wish is going to come true. But it is stunning to me that all of these wishes will be re-located to a peace tower in Iceland in memory if John Lennon.

We can all use a dose of his vision for peace right about now!

May all of your wishes come true!

YES WE CAN!

2008-10-15T16:19:00.001-07:00

our 1 year anniversary!

2008-10-13T06:13:00.001-07:00

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A MINI MOVIE OF OUR WEDDING by MODERN 8 FILMS!!

Yay! it's our one year anniversary! I can't believe how fast time is flying by with the love of my life! We are having a wonderful life together. I'm so grateful to have met Jerry and to explore life with him. Our wedding was a big gathering of friends and relatives to celebrate our merging and it was a glorious weekend event! Thanks to so many people who helped us create it! There is no way it could have been possible without their help!
Here is a mini list of gratitude to all the people who helped us create a beautiful wedding:
1. My parents of course!
2. Jerry's parents of course!
3. Alison Rudrud - only the BEST coordinator on the planet.
4. Yvette Roman and Suzi Varin
5. modern 8 Films - ok people - this was the best last minute addition to our wedding. So talented. So much fun. and they put a photo of jerry on the cover of their website ! Go look!
6.La Costa Resort and Spa!
7. Amy and Joanne, Sean and Sean the bridal party and helpful through out the planning! believe you me, I needed it!
8. Nicole Degraaf - best cat sitter ever! Pretty girl thanks you!
9. The Vintage Photobooth - super cool and fun!
10. All of our friends and family that made the trek out to San Diego that weekend! Thank you for being there to help us celebrate. It was so great to have you all there. I was very touched by all the love and support you gave to us!!

Of course this is a MINI LIST. there are so many others.....!!!

And on the top of this list of course is my beautiful husband Jerry!!!!!

hey - here is a link to his fabulous website! He is so talented. He inspires me in so many ways. In photography, in the way I treat others, in the way I look at work, and in the way I express love. He is a great example of all of these things. He is my best friend and soon we will be venturing into parenthood! Today is the 20th week of my pregnancy - we are half way there! What a gift.

And what a fantastic first year!

Thank you Jerry.
I am honored to be your wife.

You are my sunshine. My only sunshine. you make me happyyyyyyyyyyyy when skies are gray. you'll never know dear, how much I love you.....let's go to MAUI! ( 15 days and counting! )

Sean Meszaros has a blog worth checking out!

2008-10-10T10:23:00.001-07:00

"Dad Wanted To Fly" © Sean Meszaros

One of the most talented photographers I know. Sean Meszaros just started a blog called lowryandcentral.

Go check it out. Daily.

New work by a talented photographer!

2008-10-07T15:43:00.000-07:00

Photo ©Jerry Seiner 2008

yes - My husband Jerry created that image above. It's for a Project he worked on for Trade and Row. They are curators who are doing lots of work these days with artists around voting, registering, politics, etc.

Here is a link to see more of what Jerry's Project is about

http://www.tradeandrow.org/campaigntrail/ballotinitiative/

Check it out and then send it to all of your friends - or people you know who still need to register! Get the word out! It's important. I'm thrilled that Jerry was a part of this project! The image is beautiful if you ask me!

harvest

2008-10-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

On Jerry's Birthday we went out to the backyard and picked as many pomegranates as we could reach. There were so many of them on the bottom branches that we filled up 3 trader joes bags full of them. We gave one bag to our neighbor, another went to Jerry's work and another ended up filling a bowl on the dining room table. I love how they look and taste. Our Friend Brandon suggested to us that we plant more fruit baring trees. I'm thinking lemon trees might be in our future. Oh how I love a tall glass of ice water with a slice of lemon.
enjoy the fruits of your labor, or the fruits in your backyard, or the fruits in your fruit bowl....Especially the ones you pick yourself.

10 days

2008-10-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

Today is October 3rd and in 10 days Jerry and I will celebrate our 1 year anniversary.
My head is in the clouds because we went to hawaii for our honeymoon and we are going back again this year to celebrate our baby coming ( babymoon! ) and our first year of marriage. We took these photos on our honeymoon. The one of the two of us was taken on a sailboat where we went out to a small island and had dolphins swimming along side the boat with us. It was amazing. The beach shot was taken at Napili Bay which is our favorite beach spot. We've been there 2 years on a row. The turtles peek their heads up out of the ocean for air and I just love watching them. We go to Maui at the end of this month. Both of us are dreaming of turtles, the beaches, listening to the ocean, laying on rafts in the water, snorkeling, eating papaya every morning, the list goes on and on. This year I get to show off the baby belly and I need to go buy a two piece that fits! I tried on the honeymoon bathing suits and um NO. I may start my hunt for the bathing suit today so I have some time to find it!
I'm bringing my pinhole camera and will start a new series of photos for the babymoon, that will be along similar lines of the honeymoon photos - only less about consumation of marriage ( done that ) - and more about the transition into parenthood ( doing that ) I'm looking forward to breaking out the camera again after it sitting on the fireplace mantel for almost a full year. It's strange how things have changed for me with my work. I no longer feel a frantic need to make several series of work and have a bunch of shows and get the work out there. It feels more like water. It's just flowing the way it needs to and I don't need to push it. It is happening and it is a wonderful feeling to let it go and have it not be the way I value myself or get my worth from.

List of things I love:

1. Jerry of course!
2. our sweet little baby boy.
3. living a slower paced life and lifestyle
4. listening to the birds outside while sitting on the porch with my cat pretty girl.
5. listening to my cat purr by my head when we are getting ready for sleep.
6. watching Jerry dance around the house.
7. being married to Jerry!
8. our wonderful - warm - cozy - beautiful home.
9. baking things that make jerry smile from ear to ear!
10. talking with amy.
11. Friendships where I feel like I can be myself and they can too.
12. checking in with other friends by reading their blogs. Helps me stay connected.
13. avocados
14. Papaya.
15. Listening to the ocean.
16. feeling a light wind.
17. sunny days that are cool and crisp and I need to layer and wear my boots.
18. the leaves turning in Minneapolis.
19. Hawaii!
20. traveling anywhere with jerry.
21. the hand / eye / heart connection when I take photographs and feel it.
22. Learning new things.
23. taking classes
24. Loving.
25. e-mail!
26. internet.
27. being barefoot on our hardwood buttery floor.
28. My friend Joanne that I've known since Junior High!
29. Having A friend from High school live in the same area of LA.
30. Mexican Food. Cheese enchiladas specifically!
31. Water with ice and a slice of lemon in it.
32. cooking for friends
33. having tea with my friend Christina.
34. taking a walk.
35. Living in a quiet neighborhood.
36. Fall.
37. October.
38. Jeans.
39. photobooths.
40. lists!

I could go on and on.
Have a fabulous day filled with lots of things you love doing, seeing, and creating.

iphone photo at the ultrasound

2008-10-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

yep that was yesterday - having the ultrasound done. Finding out that there is a little boy in there. What an amazing moment for Jerry and me. We loved the Doctor that gave the ultrasound. He was funny and had a big heart. I could tell the moment he walked into the room. It was so fun to go. It took about 20 minutes. But it changed the way we think about the little bean already!

thought for the day: ( sent to me by my father earlier this week )

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day.
I love you.

P.S. And, remember...
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

***

This was a great little love note to get. I do happen to spend more time in my head trying to work things out - and I worry about things I cannot control. One of those things happens to be our little babies health. Am I eating the right foods? Am I resting enough? Am I too old for this? Blah blah blah blah blah! How the heck can I know all of this? I have to let it go and trust that it is all going to work out the way it is suppose to and just do my best. No sense in wasting precious time in my life focused on things that are not mine to figure out. I need to step back, take a deep breath, and enjoy the moments I have and focus on gratitude and love. Not on changing others, fear, worry, or trying to distract myself with meaningless time wasting activities.
I've been noticing that I have HUGE boundary issues with people who don't have any. I am very sensitive about this. I'm learning to let go of how other people behave and set my own boundaries and let go of how I think or know they will react to them. Another reason my dad's little e-mail was very important to get. I need to remember that I can just relax and enjoy my day today. God's taking care of the rest.

I don't really know who or what God is - but I do believe that there is something bigger then me out there and in here - and that is enough to keep practicing letting go. Sometimes I think of LOVE as GOD. And that helps me too.

***

I'm grateful to my dad for sending me that e-mail.

I hope some day to pass it on to my son when he needs it.

Oh my GOD I'm having a BABY!!!!!!!!

YAY YAY YAY!!!!!!!!

and the results are in!

2008-09-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

So are the poll results -

8 of you were RIGHT!

it's a BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When my friend Amy asked me how I felt
My response was

" Of course its a boy! "

I felt it was a boy from the minute I saw the pregnancy stick show me the positive blue lines!

We did check for twins just in case that person who voted for twins was correct - but there is just one cute boy in there!

yay!!!!!!!!!!!

is it a boy? a girl? twins?

2008-09-28T12:21:00.001-07:00

I haven't been taking too many photos lately. But I have been making a baby so that counts for something yes????

So here is a photo Jerry took of me last week.

We are suppose to find out the sex of the baby on Tuesday if the baby is facing the right way and his or her legs are open! Hopefully he or she isn't shy that day.

Everyone gets a "feeling" about what it is I'm going to have so I thought I'd put a poll up so you can vote. lets see how many of you are right!

pomegranates and fertility

2008-09-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken on Monday out in our backyard! We have the most abundant Pomegranate tree that I've ever seen. The branches are almost touching the ground!

Did you know that the Jewish star - the 6 pointed star - was designed around the points on the top of the pomegranate ? take a look at the close up and you can see the outline of the star. Pretty great.

It is said that the pomegranate is the symbol of fertility. This MUST be true!
I have proof!

I'll show it to you in 5 months!

( oh my god I'm having a baby in 5 months! That is amazing! )

I haven't been taking many photos lately. Jerry's been working on a series of my belly so we have a document of it's growth over the 9 months. It's pretty incredible to see it grow! I've been busy baking and cooking! That's been the new creative outlet.
I found a few gluten free blogs and I'm amazed at how good things taste when I substitute sugar for agave nectar, and wheat for brown rice flour. I'll post some recipes soon!

xoxox

friends from portland

2008-09-18T08:36:00.001-07:00

Last weekend some friends of mine came down from Portland Oregon for a visit. I've known KT for some 13 years. We worked together at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Then both of us moved to Portland a few years apart from each other. We then worked with Miguel Ruiz for a few years. Somehow our lives keep matching up at all the right times, and none of it was planned or discussed. Must be fate?

Her husband BP is a dream boat and he and my husband Jerry are great friends now too. So having them over was a real treat. They are the first to stay over in our home.

We power lounged a lot, but when we had the interest - we wondered about town.
We went to El Arco Iris for authentic mexican Food right around the corner on York Boulevard. After that I took them across the street to Galco's soda pop shop.check out this article from the NY TIMES! Aisle after aisle of all the sodas you remember from your past and ones you've never heard of but seem tempting. the photos above are from our galco's outing.
We went to see " Burn after Reading " at the arclight theater
where we had a star sighting at the movie theater of Natalie Portman and I almost flipped out. P.S. She is TINY! We went to Auntie Em's in Eagle Rock for Breakfast and the bacon is well worth it! SO GOOD!
And a visit to La Brea Tar Pits was a blast from my childhood past. I hadn't been there since junior high.
I also got to try out a few new recipes. They got to try out my lasagna and a flourless gluten free, sugar free banana snacking cake. Both of which were most scrumptious. You can make the lasagna too - get the recipe here
and the banana snacking cake recipe here.

It was a glorious weekend. The weather was a bit unusual. Overcast most days and not much sun. But still a bit on the warm side. Of course the day they left the sun popped out in all it's Southern California glory.

Glad they came out to visit. Much too short. I still want to take them over the "suicide bridge" into Old Town Pasadena, take them to the beach, and power lounge some more in the back yard on the hammock and have some of my friends over for a BBQ to meet them.

Maybe next year ?

Yoko Ono - 100 acorns

2008-09-16T09:41:00.001-07:00

Check out this blog by Yoko Ono.
http://100acorns.blogspot.com/
She says this on her blog:

"It's been 44 years since my book of conceptual instructions, GRAPEFRUIT was first published in 1964.

On 15 June 1968, John Lennon & I planted two acorns for peace at Coventry Cathedral. It was the first of our many Peace 'Events'.

In the summer of 1996, I picked up from where I left off, and wrote 100 ACORNS.

Starting on the 40th anniversary of the Acorn Peace Event on 15 June 2008, I will publish here an 'Acorn' every day for 100 days.

After each day of sharing the instructions, you should feel free to question, discuss, and/or report what your mind tells you.

I'm just planting the seeds."

Have fun.
Love, yoko
June 2008

SNL Clinton and Palin - Tina Fey rocks it!

2008-09-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

Did you see Saturday Night Live this weekend? If not I've posted the best part right here for you. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler doing their version of a Palin / Clinton Press conference. Hilarious.

sorry guys - I had to!

2008-09-12T09:21:00.001-07:00

this is the BEST episode of Jon Stewart I've ever seen. I HAD to share this with you......

transformation

2008-09-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

my belly - busy at work - growing our baby!

today I went to visit one of my favorite blogs
Superherodesign

her post on September 8th is so perfect for how I'm feeling today. all about wondering what you should be doing with your life -
questioning which road to take.

I commented on her blog and realized that I needed to post it here too. It's what's on my mind lately.

here were my thoughts:

I think: should I become an art therapist and go into treatment centers and teach art because art transformed my life and I want to give that back to others? Or should I teach in high school? Or should I do my travel photography workshops and blend a mix of spirituality with art making and have a loose schedule and have day trips in LA and trip to Mexico? Or should I be an at home part time artist who makes crafty things and sells them on Etsy? Or should I get my MFA in photography and Printmaking and then teach college level art?
I have been on spin cycle for a few YEARS now about all of these topics - and which way to go.
All of which cost money for schooling and so it feels more loaded then just deciding to get a job somewhere and see if I like it. I think the answer is YES! Be myself and take an action! YES YES YES! There isn't a wrong decision!

Andrea said at the end of her post:" If we can be masterful at anything, it's being ourselves. "
That is a perfect point of view. I take it as mine now!

***

After I wrote this out - I realized that when I head in a direction - things just seem to fall into place for me. So when I do decide to follow one of these paths - all of the things that need to happen to support it - will happen!
That is how life is. When you really know and believe in your direction - the universe turns and looks your way and smiles on you. Whose to say that I shouldn't teach art in treatment centers, teach my photography workshops in Mexico, make cute things and sell them on Etsy?!?! That sounds like fun to me!!!! And all about my purpose which is to be of use to the planet. Give back. offer my talents. give others a hand up. create, explore, and have fun. It's all about love baby!

***

Monday there is an open house at UCLA for the drug and alcohol counseling certificate program.
I'm going to go check it out.
I was told by a career counselor that if I wanted to do art therapy or art in treatment centers that this certificate would help. It's a year long program and I could do it part time and take 2 years if I need to with a little baby on the way!
Then if I wanted to I could go on to get my Masters in Art Therapy.
I'm not sure if the certificate program is really necessary but I have nothing to lose by going to an open house.
I took this certificate program when I was up in Portland but didn't finish it. Long story - but it was the right thing at that time in my life to move on. Now it's back in my head and heart and I need to move towards it and see what that feels like.

***

Thank you to Andrea Scher from Super Hero Designs for always saying it out loud and being one of my superheros!

Ideas

2008-09-02T05:13:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to feel that tug of inspiration to get my hands dirty with art projects while I'm creating this little bean - I'm about 14 weeks along now and am starting to have a tiny bit more energy.

Printmaking, drawing, painting, and pinhole photography are all buzzing to make an appearance again in my daily activities.

For my birthday I found a box of Polaroid Type 79 and have a pinhole camera project in mind that I plan on starting today. Since Polaroid is no longer making Polaroid - it was a real treat to find this box. Even the guy at the camera store was jealous of me when I bought it. It was the last box they had. Using a product that is no longer made feels like I am using something so sacred. like a lost artifact that was once a prized object in a culture from the past. But it is my past and my photo work that is shifting as a result of the end of this products life......believe me when I say it is hard to use it now because it is so rare and prized. I am actually saving my last sheet of unused Polaroid type 54 and framing it!

anyhow....

I stopped by Keri Smith's website today and found a list of 100 ideas. This just made me giggle. Some of these ideas are so great and out of the ordinary for me. I thought I'd share 40 of them with you. There is a link here to the rest of the list. you should check it out. She just had a baby and is still finding ways to be the creative artist she always has been. She inspires me.
This list makes me feel like taking a bubble bath, put on my favorite clothing, and heading to the park with a bag of creative tools: like a journal, double sided tape, paints, pens, crayons, an orange, some water, my iphone to take photos with, a blanket to lay on, a book to read, and a smile!

Keri Smith's 100 ideas
ideas
1. Go for a walk. Draw or list things you find on the the sidewalk.
2. Write a letter to yourself in the future.
3. Buy something inexpensive as a symbol for your need to create, (new pen, a tea cup, journal). Use it everyday.
4. Draw your dinner.
5. Find a piece of poetry you respond to. Rewrite it and glue it into your journal.
6. Glue an envelope into your journal. For one week collect items you find on the street.
7. Expose yourself to a new artist, (go to a gallery, or in a book.) Write about what moves you about their work.
8. Find a photo of a person you do not know. Write a brief bio about them.
9. Spend a day drawing only red things.
10. Draw your bike.
11. Make a list of everything you buy in the next week.
12. Make a map of everywhere you went in one day.
13. Draw a map of the creases on your hand, (knuckles, palm)
14. Trace your footsteps with chalk.
15. Record an overheard conversation.
16. Trace the path of the moon in relation to where you live.
17. Go to a paint store. Collect 'chips' of all your favorite colors.
18. Draw your favorite tree.
19. Take 15 minutes to eat an orange.
20. Write a haiku.
21. Hang upside down for five minutes.
22. Hang found objects from tree branches.
23. Make a puppet.
24. Create an outdoor room from things you find in nature.
25. Read a book in one day.
26. Illustrate your grocery list.
27. Read a story out loud to a friend.
28. Write a letter to someone you admire.
29. Study the face of someone you do not like.
30. Make a meal based on a color theme. (i.e. all white).
31. Creat a museum of very small things.
32. List the smells in your neighborhood.
33. List 100 uses for a tin can.
34. Fill an entire page in your jounral with small circles. Color them in.
35. Give away something you love.
36. Choose an object, draw the side you can't see.
37. List all of the places you've ever lived.
38. Describe your favourite room in detail.
39. Write about your relationship with your washing machine.
40. Draw all of the things in your purse/bag.

***

Quote for the day:

" Just love yourself and do it! "
- Luis Canalas - My triathlon coach
(yelling this while we learned how to swim in the ocean and then bike and then after all that....run.)

today is my birthday - the big 40!

2008-08-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

Yep - I'm 40 today.
Feeling good after a morning of sleeping in.
Now I'm making tea that my friend amy sent me.
And plan on having a day of pampering.

It is strange to be 40 ( like "how did I get here!" kind of strange ) but also really great.
I feel more comfortable in my own skin and that counts for a lot.

My life is wonderful.

Figured I'd spend the morning writing a gratitude list to get this off on a positive start for this next year:
p.s. this is just off the top of my head - not in perfect order - but perfect anyhow!

1. I got to 40!
2. I get to listen to birds singing every morning on the front porch with my cat Pretty Girl.
3. I have a wonderful husband who I adore and we have so much fun together and support each others dreams.
4. My husband Jerry and I have photography in common.
5. Jerry and I love to travel together and bring our cameras with us.
6. Jerry and I enjoy living life at the same pace.
7. I am healthy and still full of life and energy. ( and so is my husband and my cat who is 15 years old now! )
8. I live in Southern California where I can wear my flip flops, jeans and tank tops almost the entire year.
9. We live on a very quiet street
10. we live near 2 trader joes, 1 whole foods and close to the freeways but far enough away. ( food is important! so is travel)
11. I have glorious, wonderful, caring, supportive friends all over the globe! How lucky am I to know them.
12. We have hard wood floors and I walk around barefoot all the time and feel the buttery flooring on my feet.
13. We have the best tree outside in our front yard.
14. We have a pomegranate tree and a eucalyptus tree out back in our big back yard.
15. my parents are fabulous people that live close enough that I get to see them pretty regularly.
16. my parents have a lot of energy and are young in spirit.
17. I don't have to wake up with an alarm clock. I wake up naturally when I feel ready.
18. I don't have to clock in or out at a job that isn't fulfilling.
19. I get to work as a photographer and artist
20. I live in the USofA.
21. I got to witness the first african-american to be nominated for president of the united states.
22. there isn't any drama in my life these days. I used it all up in my teens and twenties....and some of my thirties.
23. I've been sober for 21 years and don't struggle at all with being in the world. My insides have been transformed over time.
24. My life moves more slowly and I don't have the need to be somewhere else. I enjoy where I am.
25. I live in a world where we can re-invent ourselves as many times as we want to in order to figure out what fits and what doesn't.
26. we have a bath tub I get to take bubble baths in.
27. We have cable and tivo - i know that's so sad to you - but for me - it's a dream after some of the experiences I've had.
28. We don't use credit cards and have very little debt.
29. I got to work with Miguel Ruiz and it changed my life.
30. I get to practice what I learned from him whenever I remember to - and it helps me shift back into love and out of fear.
31. I have limited hearing in one ear - but the other one is better then most people can hear out of both!
32. My limited hearing helps me sleep at night and tune out the snoring that happens at the other side of the bed!
33. Jerry takes care of me when I am not feeling my best and he never complains about that.
34. Amy sent me birthday gifts that I get to open today!
35. Jerry is going to bring me my favorite dinner tonight.
36. My friend Erica is taking me to my favorite vietnamese restaurant for lunch today.
37. There are so many things to be grateful for that this list could go on forever!
38. I'm grateful that I have internet - ( high speed! ) and that I can e-mail friends who live far away and keep in touch with them because they mean so much to me!
39. I'm grateful I had great teachers who encouraged me to keep on going with my artwork.
40. If you made it to the bottom of this list then you get to read the biggest news of all! I'm grateful that I am pregnant with our first child!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am 3 and a half months along now and doing very well. Starting to show. our doctor told us that it is due March 2, 2009 which is EXACTLY 7 years from the day Jerry and I met! Goose Bumps! We will find out if it's a boy or a girl in about 7 weeks or so.

i wonder who made it to the bottom of this long list.??
do tell.

I hope you have a glorious day today and I'm off to finish my tea - and keep on having my fabulous birthday!

xoxoxo

mexican food and cupcakes

2008-08-27T06:53:00.001-07:00

Had a birthday party on Saturday. my parents came up from san diego and there were about 35 friends there. It was a back yard party - low key - with mexican food for dinner - and cupcakes for dessert. ( best cupcakes I've ever had ) We pulled out 2 couches into the backyard with a bunch of chairs to give it a more relaxing feel. I think it worked out nicely. The strings of lights lighting up the space with warmth. We also hired a palm reader/ tarot card reader gal to do mini readings for everyone. That was pretty fun. I've never been to a party that had one there - but for my 40th birthday party - it felt like a real treat. It was nice to give all of my friends and family something different to experience as well.
My reading was quite amazing. I'd go into it - but it would probably bore you. It's just amazing to ME!
I had an astrological chart reading, a palm reading and a tarot reading! yes all three! I missed a bit of my own party during the reading- it took a while. But it was fun and different.

I had a polaroid guest book as well. So when people arrived they took a photo of themselves with the polaroid, taped it into the book and left me some words of wisdom. It was fun to go through the next day. Since polaroid is not making polaroid anymore it felt important to create something while I could. I few years from now I'm sure we won't be able to find any. It will be a relic from the past. Like 8 track tapes. Or the past 40 years of my life!!!!

Tomorrow is the actual birthday. I feel a gratitude list coming on.....

Tomorrow.

Quote of the day
" the human condition: lost in thought"
- Eckhart Tolle Stillness Speaks.

This is from a book two of my friends gave me for my birthday. It's a great little book. I was looking for a new source of spiritual goodness to read and it came to me in this book. My friends are so great!!!! thank you!

So glad I got to see everyone that night. I've been in the house a lot lately. Laying low, and working on that new project I eluded to a few entries ago. More to be revealed on that soon!

It was refreshing to hug so many people and spend time with folks I love.

dreaming

2008-08-26T09:13:00.000-07:00

Last October we headed to Hawaii for our honeymoon. This October we are heading back!
Our one year anniversary will be spent at this exact beach - hopefully under cabanas like these! I just loved laying by the ocean and reading. Watching people play in the water, napping, listening to the waves. Glorious. We just finished making our arrangements, and I can't wait! We'd love to make it an annual trip, and living so close makes it easier. Plus we have family there. My Grandma is a native of Maui, now living in Oahu. She is regal, elegant, worldly, amazing.

This morning I'm listening to classical music, while my cat lays on the front porch and soaks in the sun with her own type of nirvana.

Thursday is my birthday - the big 40. I'm actually already feeling 40. It feels really good here. Glad I've made the journey to get this far in my life. But more on that later!.

Today is another day of rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation.

and dreaming of hawaii!!!

this just makes me laugh

2008-08-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

Thinking of quiting your creative life for something else?
Do the above list of actions and see what comes up.

I know for me - I would have nothing circled!

August 18th! end of the tree project? or is it??

2008-08-18T17:58:00.000-07:00

yes - here it is... a year has past and I've taken the final photo for the tree project I've been working on since August 18th, 2007.
It felt strange today to go outside and take this photo. I felt distracted. disconnected in a way from the tree. My life is so very different then it was a year ago. For so many reasons. But the short version is that my life is much more rich, much more full, and I feel more grounded in general then I did back then. Actually the tree this summer is less full then it was last year. It had a big trimming in the middle of the project and never fully got back to it's original depth. I too went through a trimming of sorts.... Of friends that no longer fit, of a business that no longer felt right, and whatever else fell out of the "tree" as a result of those things. I also got married in between and we are working on a new little project together that will be revealed shortly.
I was reflecting on that tree as a metaphor for self. Watching the tree evolve as I go through my own evolution. And it is very clear that I have and so has that tree.

The project was called "the 20th year"
But I think it too might evolve to be called "the family tree"

and I have a feeling that there might be an evolution to the series - a branching off - (pun intended)! - into a new direction - but with the same tree.

We shall see what happens next. I do know that a few photographer friends and I are talking about having a group show that centers around our images of trees. All of us do very different work and I think it would look spectacular in one room together. That might be down the road a bit but something to look forward to and plan out. Trees bring oxygen to the planet and we all know that our planet could use some. And trees also bring freshness to a human beings life. Who doesn't love the sounds of wind flowing through the trees, or the rusting of leaves in the fall, of the shade it provides during a picnic at a park....I personally love the morning ritual of coming out to the front porch with my cat and sitting near the tree with her. It just feels good there. brings me back to myself and into my day.

i'm so glad I did this project and I look forward to sharing the completed series in a show or a book or both some day soon.

Today I feel grateful for so many people, places and things. And that tree is definitely on that list.

*** quote for the day

If you look up, there are no limits.
-Japanese Proverb

artist's survival kit

2008-08-12T12:52:00.001-07:00

I ran across Keri Smith's Artist's Survival Kit and had to share it with you.
Here is one that just cracked me up and also makes so much sense!
Why wait for others to award you when you obviously deserve an award.
Make one for yourself!

yes you! Go, Make one!

Why not?

World Wide Moment TODAY!!

2008-08-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

WORLD WIDE MOMENT
WWM logo © world wide moment

"My name is Brett Brownell and I am a photographer and citizen of the United States. I would like to tell you about a project I'm heading which uses photography to unite people around the world for a moment of peace. It's called World Wide Moment. The concept is for people everywhere to take a photograph at the exact same moment. We're asking for your support and help in spreading the word about World Wide Moment.

The moment we have chosen for people to take photos around the world simultaneously is 08.08.08@08:08+08hrGMT. That time corresponds to August 8th, 2008 in the time zone where Beijing, China is located (coincidentally, this happens to be the first day of the Olympics). So in Phoenix the moment corresponds to August 7, 2008 at 5:08PM, and in New York it corresponds to August 7, 2008 at 8:08PM, and so on. It doesn't matter what kind of camera is used. It doesn't matter how professional or amateur. All that matters is for people to pause for a moment of peace, take a photograph, and share their unique story.

After the photographs are taken we will collect them, as well as the photographers' stories, on our website (www.worldwidemoment.org). Our goal is to display the photographs and stories for everyone to see in galleries and online in order to discuss and learn from this worldwide experience.

Please feel free to email me at worldwidemoment@gmail.com with any questions or ideas. I look forward to talking to you soon and we thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Brett Brownell"

Westcoast takes place on Thursday, August 7th at 5:08pm.
Mark you calendars and read more about this here.

Julia Dean Opening

2008-08-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos I took with my iphone at the Julia Dean Opening Friday night.
The gallery was packed and there were people over flowing outside as well. It was a great turn out. The work was beautiful to see, and it was wonderful to spend time with good friends. My parents drove up from San Diego to come to the show which was so fun. We spent the day roaming around the Abbot Kinney area of Venice Beach. Super cute shops over there. Dinner at Hal's was Super too. Their Cesar was delightful!
Nancy, Aline, Liv, Eric, Marian, Maura, Ron, Jessica, Michael, it was great to see you there.

Life is really lovely these days. Working on knitting a blanket, reading, napping, spending time with friends and with my fabulous husband Jerry, sitting on the porch with my cat "pretty girl", going to BBQ's, Birthday parties, Baby Showers, and planning our one year anniversary trip to Maui, as well as my 40th birthday party which is right around the corner. Feeling like I am more comfortable in my own skin then ever before and that my life is sweeter then I imagined it could be. Creating my photographic work is an extension of all of that for me. i'm on my way to pick up a box of Polaroid this week so I can get started on another project.

Stay tuned..............

Friday August 1st - Alternative Photography Show Opening!

2008-07-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

"Wedding Night"
From the series "The Honeymoon Sacrament"
©Catherine Just 2008
This is a photograph taken with a pinhole camera and type 54 Polaroid film. It's an exposure that was taken all night long. Capturing traces of the sacred on our wedding night. This is one of a series of images I took on our honeymoon.

There are many layers to the sacred quality of this image:
1. It's our wedding night.
2. Most Religions deem the wedding night and sex within marriage as sacred.
3. The honeymoon only happens one time during the marriage and is something we cannot do over. It's a romantic bubble, merging the two of us as one.
4. Polaroid is no longer made. It's a nostalgic memory of my photography past.
5. The Polaroid was made into a copy negative and printed in the darkroom. The darkroom is considered a thing of the past. As digital takes over the photo world, A darkroom printed image is seen as "alternative", or precious.
6. The image was then toned with a sepia toner which gives it a warm brownish tone. Reminds you of those old fashioned images of the past. Again. you know - precious. Nostalgic.

The wedding night. romantic, sacred, honored, precious, sentimental, unique, merging, seen as a communion between the husband and wife and of the spiritual element of god of the energy of the universe.

sac·ra·ment
–noun
1. Ecclesiastical. a visible sign of an inward grace, esp. one of the solemn Christian rites considered to have been instituted by Jesus Christ to symbolize or confer grace: the sacraments of the Protestant churches are baptism and the Lord's Supper; the sacraments of the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches are baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, matrimony, penance, holy orders, and extreme unction.
2. (often initial capital letter) Also called Holy Sacrament. the Eucharist or Lord's Supper.
3. the consecrated elements of the Eucharist, esp. the bread.
4. something regarded as possessing a sacred character or mysterious significance.
5. a sign, token, or symbol.
6. an oath; solemn pledge.

This image will be shown in an upcoming Juried Group Show called:

" Alternative Photography "
Julia Dean Gallery
801 Ocean Front Walk, Studio 8
Venice beach, CA
Friday August 1st 6-9pm

19 photographers will be showing all types of alternative photography. Toy camera, Lensbaby, Platinum & Palladium, Collodion, and more.

Come on by and view all the work!

**A big thank you to John Matkowsky at DRKRM Gallery for the copy negative, printing, and toning.

Quote for the day:

“Every human is an artist. The dream of your life is to make beautiful art.”
Miguel Ruiz

Thursday check in!

2008-07-17T16:32:00.000-07:00

Hi friends, Here is another view from the lake.
a polaroid that was scanned in.

I'm still in denial that polaroid is a thing of the past....

Not much to say - just felt it was time to post another image from the vaults and to wave hello.

My photography work is changing. I think that the lack of drama and chaos in my life in general - creates a different palate to draw from. I know that wonderful work comes from pain and suffering - like alanis morissette's "you outta know" song. WOW what a gut wrenching and honest angry song. My work used to come from that place. But now. My work is a bit more quiet. Still looking and digging underneath the surface of everyday life - and finding something more like a Pink Martini Song, or meditative music like Dead Can Dance. Oh how I love that sound.

Tomorrow I take a photo of that tree out front. I will only have one more to take after that one and the series will be done....however I think it is the beginning of another tree series. one with my pinhole camera and 4x5 film.

Quote for the day:

" Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out your horn. " - Charlie Parker

days are rolling together into one...

2008-07-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

My days are moving swiftly past me even though they are filled with rest, day dreaming, napping, and yes a little work too. I'm checking in because it's been a week and I figured I should keep this blog moving along. Today I bought new yarn to start knitting a blanket, and going to the yarn store is always an adventure for me. My favorite one is in Santa Monica so it's more like a day trip. They have the best variety and colors.
I brought a big bag home and haven't started it yet - but plan to this evening. Sage green, deep forrest green, eggplant, and fusia. these are the colors that called to me.
Today I received a package in the mail that holds the key to starting a new photography project that's been in my head for months now.
Yes - I bought black sheets from target to be my black backdrop for the next series of images. I thought that was quite clever of me. Instead of buying a roll of black seamless that I have to keep in a roll, THis I can just fold up and put in a drawer when it's not being used. And it will be easy to set up and take down. Lucky me - I married a photographer who has some much needed photo stands and lighting in the garage! I'll be breaking it all out tomorrow on my big photo shoot day.
Lucky for Jerry he will be at work all day while I tear apart the living room and make it a photo studio!

Actually - I'll be working on 2 different projects.
one is inspired by my new "role" as a wife.
the other is about my new life being married.
Both are hot topics since I'm a newlywed. I love my new life and my lovely husband.
GO TEAM!

listening

2008-07-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

I'm listening more inward lately then outward. I haven't wanted to download all the photos I've been taking to get them on to my blog. I've been reading more, resting more, and allowing myself more time "off". It's been very necessary lately to give myself that time. I'm still working on a few photo projects, but allowing myself to stop the race and take my time.

This photo was taken in Arizona when I was there visiting a friend of mine.
I sat there - holding the pinhole camera and felt myself breathing and my breath gently moved the camera as the trees swayed in the breeze of the wind. When I take photos like this I feel like all of "us" have merged for those moments during the exposure on the film.

***

Quote for the day:

" The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities."
-Richard Baker
From the introduction to Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryo Suzuki

*

" If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful for what he's going to get."
- Frank A Clark.

***

Sunday Morning Gratitude

2008-06-29T09:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've stopped by my own blog. I've been in a whirl wind - although you wouldn't know it by looking at my schedule. It's been mainly internal.
A lot of changes going on the past few weeks that have gotten me going inward a little bit more.

Today we are heading to visit some of our family. It's an annual event where each of us has a specific process we have to do in order to make an old family recipe together. One person peels potatoes, another mashes them, another sifts flour, etc. it's a line up of family members all working together. I love the tradition. At the end of it we all hang out in the backyard and pig out. It's a perfect day for it. It's sunny and just the right amount of heat. One of those perfect Southern California days that reminds me of why I don't live anywhere else. Luckily this weather happens often, so I can sit on the porch with glee most mornings.

A mini gratitude list:

My lovely husband Jerry
My beautiful Cat Pretty Girl
this gorgeous home we live in together.
the amazingly delicious grapefruit I ate this morning.
cable ( ok i know that is so sad but true )
Bright sunshine streaming into our house.
Our front porch, plants growing out front, and shade from the tree.
That TREE!
my parents
the dishwasher my grandmother bought us so that "I am not his slave"
Creation and Creating
naps
no schedule
air conditioning
hammock
all my cameras
this laptop
my friends - far and wide -
friends who are on a similar path
choice
the right and freedom to vote
sugar free chocolate from trader joes.
Braggs
breathing
expressing love

ok - I'm getting off track and need to go get ready for the big family event.
Have a glorious day noticing all there is to be grateful for.

Teotihuacan, Mexico Sept 4th-9th Update!

2008-06-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

This year - we are lucky to be able to Partner with the Dreaming House. A place that was created by my friend and Toltec Teacher Lee McCormick.

So we've moved our accommodations to the Dreaming House which also means the price of the trip goes DOWN and it includes MORE!

Now the price is

$995.00 !!

It includes:
All meals !
Double occupancy accommodations at the Dreaming House
Transportation from and to the Mexico City Airport
All entrance fees

I'm excited that the trip has shifted to include Lee's Dreaming House, as the energy there is really wonderful.

For more information you can go to this link

Space is limited! Sign up soon to reserve your spot.

I'm looking forward to seeing you in "Teo".

****

Quote for the day:

Finally, If you are aware that no one else can make you happy, and that happiness is a result of love coming out of you, this becomes the greatest mastery of the Toltecs, the Mastery of Love.
- don Miguel Ruiz, The Mastery of Love Page 71.

It's June 18th

2008-06-18T16:33:00.001-07:00

yep - it's time to take a photo of the tree outside my house. And here it is. I literally just stepped outside about 15 minutes ago, looked up, and clicked. Just one image. Usually I take a few but this one just felt right so I am trusting it.

2 more months and this series will be complete. Strange to be coming around to the other side of this project I started Last August.

It's amazing to see the tree and how it has tranformed over the year - and how my life has totally bloomed in the last 10 months. And how my relationship with that tree and how I see it has changed over time as well. Ok that sounds weird but I didn't really notice the tree before and now I feel much more in tune with all the little changes it is going through all year long.

***
Quote for the day:

I did not come to my fundamental understanding of the universe through my rational mind. - Albert Einstein

Aline Smithson

2008-06-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

©Aline Smithson

Last Night was our Last Day of Class. I've been taking "the Next Step" with Aline Smithson.
It was a fantastic class. I cannot say enough about Aline. She has a gentle and supportive way about her that is pretty incredible in the photography world. Most people want to clutch what they know closely to them and not share information. Not Aline! It's the opposite! So much information was given we will need weeks to get through it all!!

We finished up the class by looking at everyone's portfolios. It was inspiring to say the least!

We are meeting up again in October for the "Next Step II " and I am looking forward to it.

Being in this class got my creative juices flowing to the extreme! I'm working closely on 5-6 different photography project right now and have about 12 of them I am working on in total! The others need to wait for me to give them some attention - And more ideas keep coming to me! The flood gates have opened!

Aline is a gem - if you can take her class - you will gain much, not the least of which is making a new friend.

***
Quote for the day!

You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait. Do not even wait, be quiet still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you unmasked. It has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.
- Franz Kafka

*

If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?
- Dogen Zenji

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

This image is of Lake Hodges. I took this with a pinhole camera and type 54 Polaroid.
The image is a long exposure - I am holding the camera in my hands while it's exposing so that the natural rhythm of my breathing is effecting the way the film captures the landscape. So in essence it's a self portrait with the landscape.
I grew up near Lake Hodges. We could see the lake from our backyard. My parents still live in that house, and we are visiting them today for Father's day.

I'm looking forward to it. I feel lucky to have such a warm, nice, loving and funny (!) father.
My dad taught me that work is exhausting, but funny movies help. He can quote you any movie that is a bit off center. Like Animal House, Pretty Woman, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, etc.

My father is a Haematologist and an Oncologist and is known as a warm, caring man who is very well liked by his patients and the medical community. I don't know how he does it and I admire him for what he has chosen to do with his life.

on days off he enjoys going to the beach, reading, laying in the sun and napping, watching funny movies, and spending time with his wife ( my mom ) and their dog Simon , who is also my mom's hearing dog. His favorite snack is a sugar free fudgsicle

Want to see some CUTE photos of me and my dad when I was a baby?
Click HERE

P.S. Want to read about the Lake Hodges Monster?
Click HERE.
***

Quote for the day:
Saying yes, opening up, and loving:
these are the keys that will unlock the prison door.

-Arnaud Desjardins from the beautiful book of quotes and photos called Offerings

Go Team !

2008-06-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

This has been a very productive week. All because of the some key players in my life that make a huge impact.
1. Jerry Seiner, my beautiful Husband
2. Aline Smithson
3. Julia Dean
4. Valerie Landsburg
5. Reva Kassmaul
6. John Matkowsky
7. Andrea Scher
8. Rafe

There are many many more but this is the beginning of a very long list of amazing inspiring people. I am grateful. Thank you!

***
Quote of the day:

" Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue to exist, a wonderful living side by side can grow up, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole against the sky."
- Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters

***

Today is the 8 month anniversary of our marriage. My parents read this quote above as part of their speech at our wedding. It was so wonderful to hear them speak these words. Our wedding was so wonderful - and our marriage is magical!

YAY FOR US! GO TEAM !! GO TEAM!!

newlywed bed

2008-06-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

new project.
taking a photo of the bed every morning when I wake up, just the way it is.
this is an ongoing project for the rest of the year at least.

( our friend Nicole fed our cats when we were on our honeymoon, and when we returned we found the bride and groom pillowcases on our pillows. We've grown attached to them! Thank you Nicole! )

Today I am starting my day with a pinched nerve in my shoulder, so I will distract myself by writing a gratitude list!:

1. that advil works and we had some!
2. the birds are chirping with glee outside
3. the weather is GORGEOUS already!
4. it's quiet on our street
5. we live in a very beautiful, comfortable home
6. I am lucky to have found my husband ( he is wonderful! )
7. can you believe my cat is 15 years old? I adore her.
8. I have food, shelter, clothing
9. I have electricity ( I did live without it for 6 months once on purpose! )
10. I am much more serene today then I was a few years ago
11. I am healthy
12. We have tivo ( isn't that a sad thing to be grateful for! )
13. I love our front porch, the tree out front, the yard, the plants, the backyard.
14. I have wonderful friends.
15. I don't have any credit card debt.
16. My life is focused on the things I love instead of those other things!
17. I have fabulous, caring, fun parents.
18. I live in a beautiful part of the country.
19. I live near trader joes and whole foods.
20. Some one smart invented the Larabar.
21. I am free of joint pain today. ( accept that pinched nerve that I've almost forgotten about ! )
22. I don't use an alarm clock anymore.
23. I get to wear jeans to work, or pajamas, since I mostly work from home.
24. I love my camera gear! My pinhole, panoramic, nikons, twinlens, holga, etc! YES!
25. I love the bounty of healthy food I get to eat.
26. I love how gratitude lists help remind me of how amazing my life really is
27. I love simplicity
28. I love that I get to start over at any point in my day if I am suffering.
29. I love that we have a bath tub.
30. I love my life.
31. I love getting inspired by other amazing artists, creatives and healers.
32. I love learning.
33. I love taking photographs, making images, creating art.
ok ok ok ok ok
aren't you ready to make your own gratitude lists now?
I'd love to hear yours!!

Valerie Landsburg

2008-06-08T10:20:00.000-07:00

©Valerie Landsburg

Yesterday I took a Business Plan Workshop with Valerie Landsburg. It was Incredible. I highly recommend it to anyone who is on the planet. Even if you don't know what exactly you want to be doing, or you already have a business plan, This is more like a vision retreat mixed in with specific tools to get specific about your life, your work, and your intention. Looks like Mine will be covering several different areas within photography - and this tool will help me to get it down on paper - in detail - without it being too painful! Valerie was a wonderful instructor and guide along the way.

This is how she explains a business plan:
Business Plans are not just that paper you give to perspective investors. They are powerful outlines that enable you to bring any idea from inception to fruition.

A Business Plan:
1. Lets people know you have thought a lot about what you are doing.
2. Lets you explore the unlimited expanse of any idea.
3. Lets you know where you need more information.
4. Lets others participate in cultivation of your ideas and more

If you are interested in finding out more you can e-mail her directly at
valerie@wholeacting.com

Quote for the Day:
Never lower your vision to suit your reality. Always raise your reality to suit your vision.
-Robert Fritz

Amanda Keller-Konya

2008-06-03T09:40:00.001-07:00

©Amanda Keller-Konya

Last night at the Next Step Class with Aline Smithson, we had the opportunity to meet with Amanda Keller-Konya and hear her speak about her work and see her images. It was so incredible to hear her talk about the work. The way she articulates the different components of the images just blew my mind. She is so smart and talented. Very compelling, important work. I'm really glad I had the chance to meet her. And the class is so good. All of us are so inspired! If you have a chance to take her class I HIGHLY recommend it.

Quote for the day:

" The camera is my tool. Through it I give a reason to everything around me."
- Andre Kertesz

Amtrak Train Photo Day Trip to San Juan Capistrano!

2008-06-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday July 19th

We'll be starting the adventure at Union Station

we will visit the The Mission San Juan Capistrano

Take a lunch break at Ramos House

Then head to Los Rios Historic District

and End our visit with a fun stop at Zoomars Petting Zoo

We'll watch the sunset along the coastline as we head back to LA.

The workshop fee is $150
and includes round trip train ticket, and admission to the mission and the petting zoo.

Space is limited to 12 people.

Grab your camera and join in the fun!

It's a great way to meet other photographers, create a new body of images, and work on your photography skills. All levels are welcome.

You will be given a few photo exercises along the way to help you push your own creativity, and explore new ways of seeing.

If you have any questions or want to sign up - feel free to e-mail me

cj@catherinejust.com

Quote for the day:

"Just Do It!"
- Nike

another quote:

" Just Love yourself and Do it! "
- Luis Canalas - Pro Triathlete ( and my triathlon coach! )

Building Community

2008-05-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

I found this great banner on Liz Kuball's Blog.

Photography tends to be a very competitive world. We get secretive about our business, our work, we don't want others to know how we did this or that. All of that comes from a place of fear, and of feeling threatened.

I've definitely gone through phases of it myself. What I find is that the outcome is isolating, lonely, and stressful. I'd rather enjoy my life, my friends, and remember that there is enough for everyone. It takes practice to really know this. But it is worth the trouble to be more open, more friendly, more helpful.

I find when I am helpful, I receive so much more then I thought possible.

***

Quote for the day:

Being Generous: Give away some form of supply ( money, food, clothing, time, etc. )to someone, remembering money or supply doesn't go anywhere and releasing-receiving are ONE and the same.

Page 96 The Abounding River by Matthew and Terces Engelhart

Teotihuacan, Mexico

2008-05-23T11:30:00.001-07:00

We've moved the dates of the
Power Journey To Teotihuacan, Mexico.
New dates are: September 4th - 9th 2008

Teotihuacan is called the "Place where man becomes God"

Come join us on this photography adventure.

We will use our time to get even more focused on our creativity, vision, and the connection between ourselves and what we see through the viewfinder. We will use the sacred sites of Teotihuacan to merge more closely with our own unique point of view and creative expression. Through photo exercises, journaling, discussion and more we will have the opportunity to work on a new body of images, meet other like minded people, and get away from our routine schedules to allow ourselves the freedom to pay attention to what we see.

For more information and to sign up click here

(The dates might not yet be changes on that link, but they will be soon!)

Hope you can make it. It's going to be a powerful experience.
(photo courtesy of sacredsights.com)

Vote for My Image!

2008-05-21T23:57:00.000-07:00

Go to this link and vote for my image.

JPG Magazine will publish images that get enough votes!

the whole point

2008-05-21T19:06:00.000-07:00

"White 1" ©Maria Luisa Morando

quote for the day:
"The making of art has nothing at all to do with Knowledge, education, technique, style, concept, process, the judgment of others, your age or your background. The single most important attribute to art, all art literature, music, cinema, photography is to make people feel""

-Mario Giacomelli

I heard this on Monday by a very talented photographer who shared her work with us.
her name is Maria Luisa Morando.

She is a very thoughtful photographer and her work is really elegant and soothing.
I'm so glad I got the chance to meet her.

dreaming

2008-05-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

Another view of the tree.

clarity

2008-05-19T07:48:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday to you.
Here is one of the photos I took yesterday of the tree. The tree project "the 20th year" has really evolved for me. I can't believe that it will be over in 3 months.
Well, at that point it will be time to start printing which will be an entirely new project to dive into. Still considering encaustic wax for these babies. but we will see how things play out. One thing that happened while working on this project - is a series within the series. There is a new body of work of the tree - taken with my pinhole camera - with black and white polaroid- that has a completely different feel than these do. And equally important to the series.

I'm thinking again about the importance of living with clarity rather then vagueness.
When I am vague it is a little like being drunk. I don't really know what it will take to create the project I have in mind, I am just acting on emotions and doing things because I feel I have to.

When I am living in clarity, I know exactly what it is going to take, I have a plan and I take one step at a time and don't worry about getting to the finish line in a certain period of time. It isn't a race.

quote for the day:

" Resistance outwits the amateur with the oldest trick in the book: It uses his own enthusiasm against him. Resistance gets us to plunge into a project with an overambitious and unrealistic timetable for its completion. It knows we can't sustain that level of intensity. We will hit a wall. We will crash.
The Professional, on the other hand, understands delayed gratification. He is the ant, not the grasshopper; the tortoise, not the hare."....

..." The professional arms himself with patience, not only to give the stars time to align in his career, but to keep himself from flaming out in each individual work. he knows that any job, whether it's a novel or a kitchen remodel, takes twice as long as he thinks and costs twice as much. He accepts that. He recognizes it as reality. "
-Steven Pressman, The War of Art page 75

The heART project

2008-05-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

Photo by Mark Mauer - artwork by Man One

last night I had the privilege to attend the 16th annual heART project art auction.

"The heArt Project creatively links overlooked teenagers in alternative high schools with professional artists, cultural centers, and communities to imagine, produce and present new work."

The photo above is of Man One. A graffiti Artist who gives his time and energy to teach the youth. He was one of the people being honored last night and he was very inspiring to me. I loved hearing his story and how the arts really helped him to express what was not getting expressed when he was in school. I could really relate.

I was so impressed with the event, the mission of the heART project, and the high school students who spoke and shared their stories of transformation.

There was so much amazing artwork in the auction. A few pieces from new friends of mine that I met in that class I took. When I heard about the opportunity to help out, I jumped at it and donated a photograph to the cause. If you are interested - get in touch with them to find out when the next auction is so you can donate your work too!

If you are looking to give back - this is a great place to consider!
It really touched me to be there last night and to witness the community of people who give of their time and energy to help the youth that usually go unnoticed.

***
Quote for the day

"Do not fear mistakes-there are none." - Miles Davis

"What's a Lady to Do"

2008-05-14T10:51:00.001-07:00

This is a blog post by photographer Cara Phillips. Please take the time to read it. It's very powerful. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

***
Quote for the day:

"I am a reflection photographing other reflections within reflections. It is melancholy truth that I must always fail. To photograph reality is to photograph nothing." -Duane Michals, A Failed Attempt to Photograph Reality (1976)

One on One Photography Coaching

2008-05-12T00:37:00.001-07:00

I just updated my website. Go check it out. catherinejust.com. I'm available for one on one photography coaching sessions. This is a way for you to have individual attention around areas of photography that you are still wanting to learn and grow.
We can cover anything from f/stops and depth of field
to
Pinhole cameras
learning digital or film
self portraits
lighting
editing a series of work for an upcoming gallery show
how to download your images to your computer
or you just want some photo exercises to get your creativity flowing

I can custom design our coaching sessions to fit your needs.

This way you don't have to sit in the back of a photography workshop and feel afraid to ask questions in front of the class. It's just me and you and we work on anything that limits you from your fullest potential with your photography work.

e-mail me for more information!!

***

Quote for the day:

"Concerning all acts of initiative ( and creation ) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would not otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man would have dreamed would come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets: " Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it. Begin it now."
-W.H. Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition

Melanie Pullen

2008-05-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

The image here is ©Melanie Pullen.
I just went to Julia Dean to listen to Photographer Melanie Pullen talk about her work and show us new work of hers. She is best known for her series called " High Fashion Crime Scenes ".
You MUST go to her website to find out more about her. She is really amazing and I love the idea behind these images. Basically she is researching actual crime scenes and then re-creating them based on that information, and the photos from the scenes.
There is MUCH more to it then that. It is very layered and smart. I remember seeing her work at PhotoLA a few years ago and it stuck with me more then most of the work I saw that day. It is haunting.

I'm so glad Aline Smithson is hosting these photography talks. And that a few friends of mine were kind enough to pass on her name to me.

I'm working on a new series. It started last night, but the image didn't turn out. Another one is going to be taken tonight. Wish me luck. Jerry is being a good sport and is ok with what I am up to. It's similar to the "Sacrament" series that I have on my website - Pinhole images, long exposures, Polaroid, and we are both in the images.
Now that the images have been taken of the honeymoon we are moving into married land.
More to be revealed as I work on this series.
Melanie talked a little bit tonight about series within the series, and this new body of work is along the same idea. It fits in with the "Sacrament" series and is I think another paragraph along the same lines.
I actually am so inspired lately that ideas are coming out of my pores. I had to write out a list of them all this afternoon because they are coming to me at lightening speed and I know that if I don't write them down I will forget them. It is like a song is coming to me in bits and pieces and I have to capture the floating melodies as fast as I can - in the moment - or the song will slip through the cracks....
ok it's late.....

Sacred Sight

2008-05-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

Here is the info on my upcoming workshop. Take a look. Pass it on to anyone who you might think would benefit from a weekend of creativity and community.

We will meet Friday May 16th from 7-9pm
Saturday from 9-5
Sunday from 10-3

Any photographic experience is welcome, although we are not focusing much on the technical stuff. A good working understanding of how your camera works is helpful so you can just jump in and create. But I am always available to answer any of those questions as well.

Breathe new life into your photography!

***

Quotes for the day:

" We propose that ego and scarcity are synonymous. Both are birthed by the illusion of separation."
- The Abounding River by Matthew & Terces Engelhart pg.10

" Whenever you are angered about someone else beating you out, remember this: the footrace mentality is always the ego's demand to be not just good but also first and best. It is the ego's demand that our work be original - as if such a thing were possible. All work is influenced by other work. All people are influenced by other people. No man is an island and no piece of art is a continent unto itself."
-The Artists Way by Julia Cameron pg 174

The Next Step

2008-05-06T08:42:00.001-07:00

Last night I started a new class at Julia Dean called the Next Step. Aline Smithson is the instructor. I am a huge fan of hers and excited about the class. I already feel inspired to make new work, update my website, get back into the darkroom ( yes the darkroom ) and make prints of the "Sacrament" series. I can tell this class is going to be good!

On another note, I just started teaching one on one photography instruction and it has been really rewarding for me. On Thursday I had the privilege to go out to Rancho Mirage and meet with someone who wanted to understand f/stops. I could see her struggling to get depth of field and then at one point the "light bulb" went off and she got it. Both of us got goose bumps. It was thrilling. I am looking forward to teaching her shutter speeds next.

My Sacred Sight workshop is coming up May 16th-18th here in Los Angeles. There are still spaces open. Come join us! We are coming together to get more focused on our authentic point of view, rather then on the technical stuff, so if you want to give yourself the gift of a weekend to explore the world with your camera - we would love to have you along!

You can find out more about it on my website

***
Quote for the day:

" The position of the artist is humble. He is essentially a channel."
- Piet Mondrian

" the kabbalah describes angels as bundles of light, meaning intelligence, consciousness. Kabbalists believe that above every blade of grass is an angel crying " Grow! Grow!" I'll go even further. I believe that above the entire human race is one super-angel, crying "Evolve! Evolve!"
- Steven Pressfield - The War of Art page 123.
( ps. get this book! )