soft focus

focusing, 1, 2... - mrll 2013

aftershowers - mrll 2013

While technically speaking, soft focus is actually a lens flaw, I've chosen to interpret it a bit loosely for Day 3 of this project.  I couldn't quite choose, so this will be one of the rare days I post two :)
See Juliana's photo here.  Tomorrow, we tackle Contrast.

the colour blue

the colour blue - mrll 2013

Day 2 of our photo-a-day project!  It feels great to be picking up my camera every morning - sometimes we just need a little motivation from a friend.  Check out my collaborator's shot here.  Tomorrow's theme is Soft Focus, if you want to follow along!

new year's day

new year's day - mrll 2013

The first installment of my photo-a-day project!  In collaboration with Juliana Wigmore - her photo is here.  The theme for tomorrow is The Colour Blue.  Happy New Year!

submissive to every thing, open, listening

The title of this post is taken from Belief and Technique for Modern Prose, List of Essentials by Jack Kerouac, a list that I have had taped to the walls of my various homes for almost 15 years.  It continues to be full of sage advice for surviving creatively.  This particular advice, #2 on his list, is how I'm approaching the end of 2012 as I prepare to set goals and clear my vision for the new year ahead.  As we all know, the end of a calendar is an arbitrary marker of time, but it also provides a defined moment in which to reflect, process, and gather one's strength to move forward.

Þhingvellir National Park, Iceland - mrll 2012

I know many people who beat themselves up for making the same resolutions year after year, but I think that renewing your resolve to be always improving is not something to be ashamed of, it is something to celebrate and a reminder of the power of our will and discipline.

After a wonderfully stimulating and lengthy phone conversation yesterday with one of my closest friends, I have a bit of a list for myself; a basic daily structure around which I can build my goals and plans for the new year.  She reminded me about the potent exercise of Morning Pages, taken from The Artist's Way, a book on my own personal list of essentials for creativity.  We encouraged each other to have faith in ourselves, to believe in possibility, and to persevere when things get tough.  We talked about going on a diet from the Internet (imagine!) and the amount of time that would free up for productive endeavours.  We discussed starting the day with yoga & a protein shake rather than coffee & sugary cereal.  She is a fellow photographer, and we will be collaborating on a photo-a-day project beginning January 1st that we will post on our respective blogs.

As 2013 rapidly approaches, I am taking the time to be thankful for the blessings that came into my life in 2012, and for all the successes and lessons of the past year.  I am looking for patterns and indicators of the direction to head next, for signs and signals, for opportunities and collaborations, for wonder and knowledge, for challenges and goals.  Most of all at the close of the year I feel thankful for the people in my life, my amazing friends and family, colleagues, mentors, and acquaintances, who are making this life so exciting, so uplifting, and so truly magical.  Happy New Year.

blocks are for building

canal house, Amsterdam - mrll 2012

Everyone knows about Writer's Block, it's hugely famous and has accounted for a lot of historical drinking by authors.  The thing is, you can get blocked doing anything creative.  I happen to be at the moment in a weird limbo place of feeling visually blocked, where I have just been kind of banging around in my studio and not actually hitting upon anything.  I know that the moment will pass, and in the meantime it's a great opportunity to tend to tedious admin tasks, like updating websites and CVs, and to explore the work of other artists, find inspiration, and participate in my community.

Recently a fellow Charlottetown artist, Donnalee Downe, and I teamed up to organize a 'support group' of sorts for isolated artists; a montly gathering for sharing and collaboration, and so we don't all go nuts holed up in our studios over the long, dark winter.  This kind of thing is what I miss most about being in school - having a constant community available for dialogue & collaboration.  Well, we'll just have to create it ourselves, 'tis the name of the game on small islands:  you want it, you build it.

And for inspiration?  O Internet, you magical beast full of goodies :)   Right now I'm getting fuel from amazing sculptural books, assemblage, residencies I want to attend like this one, and getting encouragement from projects like 100 Bad Paintings.

Every part of the process is a part of it, and no matter what, you must trust your own process - that much I know is true.

skipping stones

When you're building something from scratch (a fort, a relationship, a meal, a career, a song, a story, a house, etc.) there are two things that are crucial:  first, that you can imagine & visualize the end result.  Second, that you accept the fact that if you can imagine it, it can really happen.  This can be a hard thing to remember during the Dark Months, when the sky is grey and energy is low.

I'm working on a variety of submissions right now; art projects for which I must generate new & brilliant ideas.  I often find it challenging to allow myself to dream big for these projects - my inner critic will be telling me to tone it down, not to get ahead of myself, to start small, etc.  But big dreams are what make all the difference in this life.  So, when I'm at this point in my process I seek inspiration anywhere & everywhere I can find it.  Frequently it's artwork  or artists I greatly admire, other times it's something ridiculous that just cracks me up, and sometimes, like right now, it's the great tunes on CBC radio 2 on a Sunday afternoon.

This morning I was reading some Deepak Chopra and his theory of the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.  Sunday is the day of the Law of Pure Potentiality, a day of non-judgement, which was ideal for the brainstorming I needed to do today.  I took a drive to the shore & sat a while just looking at the water, coming in & pulling back, coming in & pulling back, the gentlest sound, the softest wind.  Found some perfectly flat and round stones, skipped them across the still surface of the water - always a miracle that it works, no matter how often I do it.  Reminding myself that if I can imagine it, it can happen. 

getting back on a speeding horse

abandoned tower, Sardegna - ml 2012

With the speed of life these days, I sometimes find keeping an up-to-date blog nearly impossible, but then there are all these highly active bloggers who have a bunch of children & a full-time job & still manage to post regularly.  So, here I am, getting back on the horse.  I have a bit of an excuse, seeing as I've had a whirlwind few months:  got married, took a 3 week honeymoon to Europe, installed an exhibition, and now I'm catching my breath.  While I do that, here are some links for you on a variety of topics:



getting started
setting goals
to relax
participate in a neat project
listen on a rainy day

Riding Icelandic ponies outside Reykjavik

And I'll get back to you sooner next time :)