Monday Madness: "Longing"

I titled these things "Monday madness" because sometimes I am thinking of random things all weekend or all day long.  This is where I stop and enter into the madness.  

In dictionary.com - "madness" has a 4th meaning.  

intense excitement or enthusiasm. 

 

I have a hard time really communicating my heart out into the world, but yet somehow it does get out there.  If you don't see it in words then you see it in pictures.  My viewpoint is my own.  My eyes are my own and my madness is my own!!!!

 

I am reflecting this morning about my short time in Maine.  I look at the images and how blue and crisp the waters were and I want to be there again.  I want to be there longer than 2 hours.  I want to sit on the rocks and absorb the surroundings to the fullest.  

 

I realize that even if I planned a trip up again - it would not be the same as before - but would be another UNIQUE experience to life and love.  Embracing all of who I am NOW and all of who I am in the future.  Realizing that every day dreams that are seeds have to take root, then BURST into the light for all to see.  

 

Enjoy a few beautiful moments from Maine.  

 

I had never been to this state before.   

Now I feel myself being drawn back - if only for the water's edge.

 

Thank you for enjoying and reaching for inspiration every day!!!!

Monday Madness:

-what right now are you INTENSELY excited about? 

-share an image with your friends and family about something you experience in 2014 that ignited your passions

-write a paragraph about how you felt in THIS moment.

"Take my Hand"................

"Take My Hand" - inspired by the Galveston Beach this morning as we stood and watched wave upon wave come in.  The surf wasn't just the one wave coming in to crash - there were about 5-6 simultaenous waves that came in all curling around each other.  The beach was scattered with the weeds of the sea...giving this great bulbous texture mixed with greenery. 

The challenge for you now:  Where are you going in the next 3 months?  Where is your art taking you?  Who is holding your hand?  Who is the partner that is taking you on the journey?  No matter how much ALONE we feel - we are not alone.  So I'm taking the hand....and walking forward!

I feel that in some ways - the girl on the left is walking forward facing backwards. Not in a way that stops her walking - but looking behind for anything coming up to pull her back. Both girls move forward, both with missions to do going in the SAME direction.

~Pink Light Images~
Galveston 2014
"Take my Hand"

BEHIND THE SCENES:

The art of self-portraits during self-portrait class - with Brooke Shaden & After Dark.

Ok! so one of the things we got to do at not only Creative Live but at after dark was SELF PORTRAITS.....now mind you - I have notes somewhere about everything Brooke taught us about shooting the "self". :)  What is the ART of telling our story? LOL  Good question!!!!

Ok, so like I said in previous posts on Facebook - I wanted to take all of Brooke's classes that I had never previously taken....one being underwater and one being SELFportraits. :)  I remember seeing the fun that everyone had in past classes and thinking I should probably do it - or i would regret it. :) 

We started in the special hallway upstairs that looked out over the archways of the grand hall.  It was such a shame the grand hall was under construction, but you could still enjoy the archways of the ceiling. :)  We went through the location...the thoughts...the whys....the hows...and the lack of tripods and how to think about using stuff when you don't have a tripod.  :)

So we were taken to a room with lots of storage and old christmas trees...it did have an eerieness and quietness to it...along with crazee darkness.  I know that in some cases using a long shutter would do the trick...but good lordy what about focus!!!! :0

A good number of people were positioned here.  For good reason i know! Look at it!!!  But I felt that I couldn't get enough thought time or thinking into what i really wanted with the time i had....so i moved on....I moved to the storage room with all the crap laying around...to see what i could come up with.

This is me trying to set up the shot to get the luggage cart in there.  Without a tripod I felt my angles were waaaaaay off...and I wanted to act like i was flying a bit on the cart...so i moved the camera!

as you can see, complete miss!!!!!!!!!!!! heeheheheeehh
I found (IN THE DARK) mind you - a desk semi-across from the luggage cart and attempted to move my image over there.  It helped a lot - and then with my long (probably 10 second) shutter I waved my arms...to see what I could get.  I honestly had no idea what was in focus...but being at 24mm...i figure...WHATEVER!!!! hahahaahahah

Yes, i only shot this about 2 times...before i got the look that i wanted.  Kinda looks a bit more like daylight now....even though it was night-time. :)  I wanted to feel like i was flying and/or moving in some way...because I felt this whole season of just movement forward....and pushing forward...so I was happy with this shot as I ended the first phase. :) I then moved on.....
TO STAIRS.

I liked the curves of the stairs - but wasn't sure where to put myself or position myself.  Again, no tripod...and the tiny tiny one i brought couldn't hold the camera anything but straight.  I think I ended up propping it up on something in my purse....then making sure it didn't slip by letting the lens/filter rest on the concrete. :)  I thought to myself....why don't i just run down the stairs to that window and balance on the beam.....SURE??? THAT IS EASY RIGHT?  noooooooooooooooooo

Sure, my arm is flying - but what does that tell me?  NOTHING!  It was a really narrow staircase with high steps...and CURVED...so running up and down wasn't super super fast....:)  I thought to myself...head down...and moving...this is SOOO not me. :)  Maybe this is the me going up the stairs in real life...but really, i don't hide that often.  So I did it again....and thought to myself - why don't i just run up the stairs...and smile! :)  That sounds easy right? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I already told you - this was narrow and curved...meaning the stairs were EASY to trip on....and i had a hard time looking UP to shoot....notice, i'm still looking down...and then i thought...ok no wonder people didn't choose THIS for their portrait! HAHAHAHAHAAH  I tried it one last time....running UP the stairs....and looking at the camera....and this was my final image. 

Yep folks, that is about IT!  Class was literally ending....and I needed to get it done.  This was the last image I took....and I got my smile...and I got my running...and I didn't fall! :)  I came real close though....ya had to time how far to run downards before running back up....so there you go....my results from Brooke Shaden's "self portrait" class. :)  I think if I had more time to think even more...I would have re-visited the junk room and found a corner to say something...but honestly?  

I like the idea of flying on a baggage cart...and running up the stairs without looking...I think they portray me in a way I have not seen put into picture. :)  

When was your last self-portrait? 
What would you want someone to know about YOU that you are afraid to tell?
Tell it.

Inspired by Inspiration part 2. - the "Breakdown" of the vision.

I just finished reading MeRa's blog about her starting an art class.  I think because I grew up DOING art...I can relate to the process a little more that way.  I also know that my pencil/pen/painting doodles were merely me passing time and expressing myself as I went through life.  I still have many of them hanging in my home.  I don't have anywhere else to HANG them! :)

So to get where I'm going - read THIS blog entry...and then i'll talk about MY part as well that I related to:
MeRa Koh: "How to draw a siamese cat"

When I read this, I could relate off the bat because many years ago, probably 10 or so I was going through my phase of seeking again.  I took an art class locally in continuing education.  I believe it was a still-life class in which we drew various objects and learned about shading, details and which pencils to use where/when.

I have great drawings on paper of white on white objects (where it was all about shading only)...and a few other fun things.  But eventually the teacher was like.... "OK!!! our final project is drawing from a photograph!".  But what she didn't say right away is that it would be OUR FACES!!!! Yes, indeed.  We took pictures and printed out a 4x6 or 5x7 - I don't remember which - and we had to draw our HEADS.

What I remember briefly about mine is that we had a grid that we laid on top of the image so we could break it up into squares.  This made the task actually EASIER to comprehend in stages for me.  I looked at my picture and my face and thought, WOW, am I really going to do this?  I have a foggy memory about it but I realized that as we went box to box...I could see the picture starting to form.  We had laid out the foundations...lightly sketched our grid onto the paper and box by box...we filled it in.

The part where I freaked out the MOST was when I got to my eyes.  By the time I left the 2nd class session I was starting to see myself STARING back from the paper and it freaked me out.  A few people would come over and comment and I would say YEA I'm creeped out by me staring at ME!!!!!!!  Bit by bit...I worked through the eyebrows...the eyes...the mouth....the nose....and I just looked at this 10 minutes ago.  I even filled in the details of my EARRINGS to perfection . Every DETAIL about my image was on that paper.  In that moment, I was clear.

I don't have any of the old pictures of the process - but i do have the final result. :)

You can see WHY I got freaked out by staring at it. :)

May 2000 - Art Drawing Class - CCCCD

 Every once in a while I glance locally at the classes going on and wonder ....what other new thing could I try that would enhance the creativity inside? <3  I've done arts, sewing and even took an archery class.  I hope I find that next fun thing soon....I could use a break from the norm! :)  I have been learning a LOT....and celebrating how far i've come.  I hope you do the same today!

CELEBRATE YOU.

Love Jen