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I’m honoured to have contributed a photo essay to the December Issue of the lovely Sprout Magazine, an digital magazine created by the lovely Amanda Fall.
This months subject totally sang to me as my relationship to taking photographs really changes as summer shifts to fall and winter and it becomes more about noticing the little things, engaging with the simple moments, and I was happy to spill words onto a collection of images to share this experience in the new Sprout Mag!
I’ve been quiet here lately. Quiet in general in fact, as I’m nestled in at my parents place back east in Ontario over the holidays. I arrived earlier last week with lots of time before the busyness of Christmas. It has been really lovely to just get some time with my folks, to go on daily (sometimes twice) walks around town or in the forest. To get to go for coffee with my mom, out for lunch with my Dad and to get an extra visit in with my Grammy.
While I’ve been quiet online, the camera has been clicking away. If we’ve found each other on Instagram, I’ve been posting lots over there. I live on the other side of the country from my family so it feels important to get lost of photos of us while we’re together. Plus, its pretty darn beautiful where my folks live which is only a few hours away from where I grew up. Though I love the city life, I’m a country girl at heart so its been good to just be around wide open fields, cows grazing on rolling hills, old red brick farmhouses and longstanding barns (the one posted is actually my great grandparents house where I spend so much time growing up).
My brother just arrived too and we’re heading into the festivities of the season. The house smells like cooking turkey and we’re excited to gather with more family tomorrow at my Grammy’s for some Christmas Goodness. There will be lots of sitting by the heat of the woodstove, savouring our favourite holiday dishes and curling up on the couch in the quiet moments with a book.
Happy Holidays! I hope this week is good to you!
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I’m mighty excited to share that I have a beautiful new PDF to offer you (and its totally free) when you sign up for the Mailing List!
It is 27 pages packed full of images all with the focus of warning you about THE DANGERS OF SELF-PORTRAITURE!
When I first started the You are Your Own Muse E-Course, I had so much fun spreading the word about it by creating a series of posts called ‘The Dangers of Self-Portraiture’ warning folks of the risks of turning the camera on yourself. If you’d like, you can check out the original posts here and here.
So I felt like I should probably keep warning you about these dangers! Very risky things like the danger of seeing your own beauty, the risk of self-love, the oh so dangerous possibility that you might unravel stories you thought were true and start re-writing new ones!
If you are already on the Muse Mailing List, check your inbox as I’m sending the E-Book your way too of course!
If you aren’t on the mailing list yet, join in and you’ll receive the Dangers of Self-Portraiture PDF right away!
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Home.
I rarely take photos inside my home but this winter I’ve been challenging myself to shoot indoors a bit (plus it is something I encourage participants in YAYOM to explore, so I’d better take my own advice).
The bathroom is usually my indoor photo comfort zone. Bright light, white walls and the mirror to use to help me compose the photo.
In the rest of the apartment? Not my comfort zone at all.
Its kind of a challenge because, well, I live in a lovely tiny little nest of an apartment. I feel so at home here, totally safe (with my history of getting robbed many times this means a lot). But it is indeed really tiny (what you might call a studio or bachelor apartment) and has very little natural light, especially on grey or rainy days.
I decided to just go for it. To not be afraid to show you my home because I really do love it. Living in a small space has proved to be much more lovely than I expected it to be. It helps big time that my little nest is only 3 blogs from what I think is one of the best neighbourhoods in Vancouver.
So, part of that mission to shoot indoors more is to get a photo of miss Ladybug and I. A family photo of sorts. Its been a mission for a long time and it sure is a challenge to get her into a photo with me (she doesn’t like to be told what to do). I adore that little bug. She makes living in such a small space total bliss ’cause she helps fill it up with love.
If you’ve joined me here in the last few years, you may not have heard that I’m a total cat lady and that this little meow meow of mine has a chronic illness (polycystic kidney disease). Her sibling Elliot passed away of the same disease 3 years ago and I’m beyond grateful that she’s been able to stick around for all these years. She’s still super healthy and it seems like she’s going to be around for a while now, but having Elliot go so quickly, I’m not taking for granted that she’ll always be around.
So I’m setting aside any fears of sharing my home with you. I feel really grateful to be creatively self-employed and living in a city with a pretty high cost of living, I do indeed love these four walls in which I get to live!
So the mission to take more indoor selfies with Ladybug begins…
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**I’m so excited to share a guest post today from the incredible Jennifer Belthoff and her Love Notes Project! I adore Jennifer’s incredible poetry and am so smitten with this new project of hers and am honoured to help spread the word! Plus, it was such a treat to see her create the video during her time in Montage and I love how it helps bring the magic of the Love Notes project to life!**
What arrives in your mailbox these days
Bills, junk, coupons
When was the last time you were excited to get the mail?
The Love Notes Post Card Project is about to change the dreaded mailbox mindset
Handwritten notes are being sent through the mail ~ the real mail
And you could have one sent your way if you take part
Here’s How it Works:
* The Love Notes Post Card Project will run for three weeks ~ December 9th – December 23rd
* Each week you will send out one postcard to a fellow love note participant who is assigned to you. Don’t worry, you will receive a special writing prompt for each week so that you do not have to stare at the blank page unsure of what to write.
* Then before the week ends simply drop your post card in the mail
You will receive a lovely note in your mailbox ~ your real mailbox ~ from someone else in the group who is sharing a piece of their heart on paper, just for YOU!
So, are you ready? Do you want to be a part of Love Notes? We would love for you to join us. If you are in and ready to sign up, head on over to HERE.
If you are unsure and want to find out more check out the Love Notes Blog.
We will be starting soon and we hope you will join us. Receiving a little love in the mail will brighten your day, bring a smile to your face, and maybe give you a little skip in your step. We hope you will join us.