Art Slam

“Never permit a dichotomy to rule your life, a dichotomy in which you hate what you do so you can have pleasure in your spare time. Look for a situation in which your work will give you as much happiness as your spare time.” – Edward L. Bernays

I looked up the word dichotomy and it means a division into two especially mutually exclusive or contradictory groups or entities. When I read this quote, I knew immediately what area of my life this applied to. There have been times I felt I settled for something, believing the end result was worth the pain and agony to get there. Usually, the misery was not worth it. We owe it to ourselves to live our most authentic lives and be true to who we really are. I am not allowing a dichotomy to rule my life, are you?

I started this week off posing  a question to my Higher Power about a particular situation I would like to change. I focused on being open so I could receive my answer. I made sure my energy was closer to positive than negative. I must tell you, I have been experiencing an overflowing sense of happiness and abundance. I left work yesterday laughing out loud. I could not hold it in. I did not care who saw me or who heard me.

I have seen how fear has paralyzed my friends and family into misery. Settling for working jobs that are literally sucking the life out of them all for the almighty dollar. When I suggest they leave, they rattle off a multitude of excuses justifying their current state of misery. Unfortunately, fear of not knowing, of failing, and even the fear of succeeding stops so many people from ever following their bliss. We would rather be in a crap situation than take a leap of faith.

My mantra lately is, I am taking a leap on faith, believing the net is there even though I can not see it.

That is some serious faith. It’s that good faith, unwavering faith. I have no idea what the future holds for me, yet, I have a sense it is wonderful. I wake up each morning excited to see what God has in store for me. I am trying to live fearlessly. It is not always easy, but I am doing it. And, you know what? I kind of like it!

I posted this over at the Art Slam and thought I should share it here, too.

I get quite a few emails from aspiring photographers asking how they can improve their photographs. Having the best equipment does not instantly improve your photography. If anything, having a camera with all the bells and whistles has scared many a beginner into using the automatic mode the majority of the time. With a clear idea of what you want your pictures to look like, I am sure the following tips will have you well on your way to being a much improved photographer.

Composition Counts
Take the time to make sure everything in your photo is balanced. You do this by making sure the horizon line is level, using the rule of thirds , cropping out distracting elements and playing with patterns and perspective. The rule of thirds states that an image can be divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines. Where the lines intersect is where you want to align the main subject of your photo. It is believed by following this rule, you create interest and tension in your photo…but rules are meant to be broken, so you don’t have to follow this all the time.

Fill the Frame
Filling the frame basically means get closer. If you think you are close enough for your shot, move in a few steps and shoot it again…then move in a couple of more steps and shoot again. I bet you will end up liking the second or third image a lot better because the focus is on your subject instead of the stuff around your subject. Seriously, this will dramatically increase the attractiveness and intimacy of your photographs.

Be Choosy
Be selective with what you choose to include in your photograph. Traditionally trained as an artist, I was taught to take it all in and include as much detail as possible so the viewer of my drawings would see what I saw. With photography, I find it to be the opposite. Decide what the focus is and remove everything from the frame that detracts from the focus of your photo.

Focus!
I admit it, I love soft, buttery bokeh. Bokeh is a Japanese term for the subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of a photographic image. If you want to really put the focus on your subject, play with your aperture and blur the background out. Your ssubject can not help but pop off the page. The smaller your f-stop number, the blurrier your background will be.

The Light…the LIGHT!
If you learn how to take advantage of lighting situations, you will end up with some interesting and dramatic photos. When shooting people outside, I like to position them so they are backlit. I will have my subject turn until around and tell me when they are not squinting. Nine times out of ten, the sun is at their backs. This effect creates a beautiful glow. You get the best effects when the sun is rising and setting. I do not believe there are bad lighting conditions. There are challenging ones, which lend themselves to fun experiments. So, play and see what you get.

K.I.S.S. Your Camera Settings
If you primarily shoot in automatic mode, it is time to get a little risky and switch to one of the semi-automatic mode. I primarily shoot in Aperture Priority mode (that whole bokeh thing). It is my favorite. Since I shoot a lot more portraits than stationary objects, I don’t have a lot of time to play around with my settings, but I do like having control over how my photos look. Keeping your settings simple allows you to focus on creating a great picture while controlling how the final image looks.

Just Do It!
If you really want to improve your photography, the best advice I can give is this…experiment, play and have fun. The great thing about digital photography is you can instantly see what your photo looks like. You can shoot as many pictures as you want without worry about processing rolls of film. Have a sense of adventure and don’t be afraid to try something new. While rules are cool, they are meant to be broken. Master a skill, then find a way to do the opposite. Some of my best photos have been happy accidents.
I hope these tips help you improve and grow as a photographer. Now go forth and shoot. Capture beautiful people and sunsets. See things in a different way and be a photographic rebel!

India.Arie is one of my favorite singers. I have been listening to her music a lot lately. So many of her words have been resonating with me; helping me connect with my Light. As I was driving this morning, There’s Hope started playing and I listened to the words like I always do. Then, something happened, I listened with my soul. These are the words that got me:

Back when I had a little
I thought that I needed a lot
A little was over rated,
but a lot was a little too complicated
You see-Zero didn’t satisfy me
A million didn’t make me happy
That’s when I learned a lesson
That it’s all about your perception
Hey-are you a pauper or a superstar
So you act, so you feel, so you are
It ain’t about the size of your car
It’s about the size of the faith in your heart

-India.Arie

You wanna talk about having a moment. I had a big one. Back when I first started blogging, my first blog was called Believe Big. I chose that title because I believe if you are going to believe in something, you might as well do it as big as you can. One of the things that undermines our believing with our whole hearts is that we are so busy comparing ourselves to others. Then, I read this post at Zen Habits this morning. I am going to post my favorite section from the post, but you should go to Zen Habits and fill up on some serious food for the soul. I can not say enough about what a great site it is.

Breaking the Habit of Comparing Yourself With Others
So how do you break this cycle of comparing yourself with others? Here are some tips I’ve found useful:

• Awareness. Most often we do these social comparisons without realizing we’re doing it. It’s a natural act, I suppose, and as a result it’s something that is done without consciousness. So the solution is to become conscious — bring these thoughts to the forefront of your consciousness by being on the lookout for them. If you focus on these thoughts for a few days, it gets much easier with practice, and soon it’ll be hard not to notice.
• Stop yourself. Once you realize you’re doing these comparisons, give yourself a pause. Don’t berate yourself or feel bad — just acknowledge the thought, and gently change focus.
• Count your blessings. A better focus is on what you do have, on what you are already blessed with. Count what you have, not what you don’t. Think about how lucky you are to have what you have, to have the people in your life who care about you, to be alive at all.
• Focus on your strengths. Instead of looking at your weaknesses, ask yourself what your strengths are. Celebrate them! Be proud of them. Don’t brag, but feel good about them and work on using them to your best advantage.
• Be OK with imperfection. No one is perfect — intellectually, we all know that, but emotionally we seem to feel bad when we don’t reach perfection. You aren’t perfect and you never will be. I certainly am not, and I’ve learned to be OK with that. Sure, keep trying to improve, but don’t think you’ll ever be the “perfect person”. If you look at it in a different way, that imperfection is what makes you who you are, you already are perfect.
• Don’t knock others down. Sometimes we try to criticize others just to make ourselves look or feel better. Taking someone else down for your benefit is destructive. It forms an enemy when you could be forming a friend. In the end, that hurts you as well. Instead, try to support others in their success — that will lead to more success on your part.
• Focus on the journey. Don’t focus on how you rank in comparison to others — life is not a competition. It’s a journey. We are all on a journey, to find something, to become something, to learn, to create. That journey has nothing to do with how well other people are doing, or what they have. It has everything to do with what we want to do, and where we want to go. That’s all you need to worry about.
• Learn to love enough. If you always want what others have, you will never have enough. You will always want more. That’s an endless cycle, and it will never lead to happiness. No matter how many clothes you buy, no matter how many houses you own (seven, in the case of one famous candidate), no matter how many fancy cars you acquire … you’ll never have enough. Instead, learn to realize that what you have is already enough. If you have shelter over your head, food on the table, clothes on your back, and people who love you, you are blessed. You have enough. Anything you have over and above that — and let’s admit that all of us reading this blog have more than that — is more than enough. Be good with that, and you’ll find contentment.

And, because I am having a love overload moment, go read Jen Lemen’s post at Supersisters.

“Dreams are astoundingly important. They keep nagging you because you’re supposed to fulfill them. When you sense you’re special, you’re not neurotic or grandiose. Something inside you is calling to you and you have to listen. When you love to do something, that means you have a gift for it…And when you’re gifted at something, you have to do it.” – Barbara Sher

I think my dreams are trying to tell me something. In fact, I know they are. It could be the only time your subconscious can get you to listen is in a dream when you can’t really move around and you have to listen. I am finding it harder and harder to follow the status quo and do what is “expected” of me. If you are miserable, is it really worth it to do what is expected? I don’t believe God put us on the Earth to be miserable. We have to use our gifts. Sometimes that means taking a risk or taking a leap of faith. I am ready to leap.

I will be in Atlanta the week of October 19 for BlogHer and I will have some time to do a few shoots while I am there. If you are interested, send me an email so I can schedule some time for you.

When I look at this, I am not sure if I relate to some of the words it pulled for me. Good thing is I can see how I have evolved from some of them that were really important to new ones. That is a blessing. You can make your own word art if you to Wordle.

I like this one much better. It is more me.

I get quite a few emails from aspiring photographers asking how they can improve their photographs.  Having the best equipment does not instantly improve your photography. If anything, having a camera with all the bells and whistles has scared many a beginner into using the automatic mode the majority of the time. With a clear idea of what you want your pictures to look like, I am sure the following tips will have you well on your way to being a much improved photographer.

Composition Counts
Take the time to make sure everything in your photo is balanced. You do this by making sure the horizon line is level, using the rule of thirds, cropping out distracting elements and playing with patterns and perspective. The rule of thirds states that an image can be divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines. Where the lines intersect is where you want to align the main subject of your photo. It is believed by following this rule, you create interest and tension in your photo…but rules are meant to be broken, so you don’t have to follow this all the time.

Fill the Frame
Filling the frame basically means get closer. If you think you are close enough for your shot, move in a few steps and shoot it again…then move in a couple of more steps and shoot again. I bet you will end up liking the second or third image a lot better because the focus is on your subject instead of the stuff around your subject. Seriously, this will dramatically increase the attractiveness and intimacy of your photographs.

Be Choosy
Be selective with what you choose to include in your photograph. Traditionally trained as an artist, I was taught to take it all in and include as much detail as possible so the viewer of my drawings would see what I saw. With photography, I find it to be the opposite. Decide what the focus is and remove everything from the frame that detracts from the focus of your photo.

Focus!
I admit it, I love soft, buttery bokeh. Bokeh is a Japanese term for the subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of a photographic image. If you want to really put the focus on your subject, play with your aperture and blur the background out. Your ssubject can not help but pop off the page. The smaller your f-stop number, the blurrier your background will be.

The Light…the LIGHT!
If you learn how to take advantage of lighting situations, you will end up with some interesting and dramatic photos. When shooting people outside, I like to position them so they are backlit. I will have my subject turn until around and tell me when they are not squinting. Nine times out of ten, the sun is at their backs. This effect creates a beautiful glow. You get the best effects when the sun is rising and setting. I do not believe there are bad lighting conditions. There are challenging ones, which lend themselves to fun experiments. So, play and see what you get.

K.I.S.S. Your Camera Settings
If you primarily shoot in automatic mode, it is time to get a little risky and switch to one of the semi-automatic mode. I primarily shoot in Aperture Priority mode (that whole bokeh thing). It is my favorite. Since I shoot a lot more portraits than stationary objects, I don’t have a lot of time to play around with my settings, but I do like having control over how my photos look. Keeping your settings simple allows you to focus on creating a great picture while controlling how the final image looks.

Just Do It!
If you really want to improve your photography, the best advice I can give is this…experiment, play and have fun. The great thing about digital photography is you can instantly see what your photo looks like. You can shoot as many pictures as you want without worry about processing rolls of film. Have a sense of adventure and don’t be afraid to try something new. While rules are cool, they are meant to be broken. Master a skill, then find a way to do the opposite. Some of my best photos have been happy accidents.
I hope these tips help you improve and grow as a photographer. Now go forth and shoot. Capture beautiful people and sunsets. See things in a different way and be a photographic rebel!

I was reading Ali Edward’s blog this morning and she was bringing us back to the word we chose as our theme for the year. I can not remember what I picked. So many things happened this year I did not expect and honestly, my focus stopped being on my chosen word.

I was looking back through some of my journals and one word kept coming up over and over again. Connect. Over and over and over again, variations of this word kept coming up in my art and my writing.
Dealing with various trials this year helped me reconnect with my Spirit. Scrapbooking and creating art helped me connect with many wonderful creatives. Speaking at BlogHer connected me with kindred spirits who believe you can post a message that resonates with someone and counter negative energy with an abundance of positive energy. Being in uncomfortable, even confrontational situations connected me with my inner warrior. Sometimes, you have no idea how strong you are until you are forced out of your comfort zone.

I see this word everywhere. One of my favorite magazines (and I have many) to read is Hallmark. They have an entire section devoted to connecting. When I shoot photography that involves more than one subject, I look for connections. Those are the images my clients love because this is how they see themselves. Connected.

That word is so profound. So powerful and I will honor it by looking for connections in my daily life, in my relationships and with my Spirit. You can not ask for more than that.

I am so excited to have Christina, owner of Lazar StudioWERX guest slammin’ for me this week. I had the honor of being a member of her design team and I must say it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. Christina also has a great online shop houses all kinds of goodies for hybrid scrapbookers and creatives.

You can see all the details of her project at the PaperWerxings blog…she has taken the Art Slam to a whole new level of cool! Thank you, Christina! I love this!!!

Hybrid Art Slam

Lu emailed me today, confirming my ’slam’, and one little word in her email jumped out at me and led me down my chosen art slam path… digital. now that was a word. a word that led from digital to digital paper projects, digital scrapping, hybrid scrapping and on and on. so, with that pivotal word in my mind, the plan was set… an art slam about hybrid paper arts projects. so let’s get to it!

step 1: picking your subject…

for me, that was the easy part. my hubs. i’ve been with my hubs for 14 years [married for 8 of those] and he is often the focus of my photography and my favorite person to journal about.

step 2: picking your colour palette…

this is usually a little harder for me because i’m a mixed media artist and i love colour. but… lately i’ve been drawn to [almost hypnotically!] to blues and browns, with bright shots of white and contrasting black. it’s my favorite yum-go-to palette.

so… rifling through my vast inventory of supplies – i’m a manufacturer of stamping and scrapping supplies after all lol! – i dug up some of my favorite paper, a few of my favorite newish stamps, a couple of great ink pads, some rubs and kicked-up the computer so i could add some digital goodness to my chosen patterned 12×12 paper. this is essentially what i pulled together:

step 3: pick and print a photo…

again. easy. picked a great photo of my hubs terry and printed it in black and white so the colour palette would stay crisp and clean. then i mounted the pic on chipboard, rounded off the corners and sanded the edges for a distress look.

step 4: pick and digitally alter pattern paper…

i decided to use our paperWERX organic collection paper called mud bay since it had light enough areas for digital printing to show up on it. it was also a new and still current favorite of mine. plus i love that it has ‘visual’ texture without the bulk of actual texture. wicked!

i cropped the 12×12 pattern paper to 8×10.5 so i could feed it through my laser printer, then i opened up photoshop on my computer and loaded a digiWERX ledgerbook digital sheet. i converted the ledger page to b/w, adjusted the ‘levels’ of the paper and resized the ledger page to a 8×10.5 digital layout base. then i added a piece of graphic stock for the title frame and finally set up the title using a bold, blocky font.

i placed my cropped 12×12 paper in the by-pass tray of my laser printer and printed the digital layout onto the patterned paper. so cool! i took a regular scrapbook paper and customized it simply by doing a few simple things in a graphics program like photoshop. many paper artists know this as hybrid paper arts or scrapbooking. i just call it like i see it, cool as heck!

step 5: start scrapping…

so first i adhered my mounted, distressed and oh-so-handsome pic of my hubs on the altered pattern paper. i covered up the butterfly in the paper because butterflies aren’t that manly. LOL! then i layered on a hambly screenprints journaling spot and journaled in my own handwriting, i used a black sharpie pen for the journaling. love those!

step 6: breaking out da rubbah!

next, i used two ink pads from the staz-on ink line in timber brown and jet black to stamp layered concentric circles around the edges of the layout. the cool thing about that was that it ‘inked’ the page edges without looking forced and contrived. love that. the randomness of the strong concentric circular stamps perfectly complimented the structured lines and rectangles of the printed pattern and photograph… cool beans man!

step 7: add the rubs…

suddenly as the stamping took over and i got all rubber happy, the layout started looking a little dark! dark stamping, b/w image, dark writing and journaling spot was all adding up to a heavy looking layout. not my plan… so as usual, flying by the seat of my pants, i hauled out the basic grey white rubs and started randomly applying them on the layout. i pretty much added the rubs whereever looked ‘right’ or was too dark. no master plan, just a quick ‘lets do this’ attitude. worked well IMHO =)

then, to spice up the rub-ons, i used a uniball signo white pen and added scribbles, fills and outlines to the basic grey rubs.

step 8: finishing up…

the final step in this fast and fun, add a ’subtitle’ to the layout. using my favorite, hard-to-find american crafts roosevelt jr. alphabet, i added the word ‘baby’. a small word, but one that fit the bill of this layout to a tee.

the final results of this layout are pretty dang cool in my humble opinion. the design of the layout is simple and clean. the graphics trendy, fresh and funky with a touch of tribal. the colour palette a favorite of mine, restrictive and simple – which means it works! it was a layout that took all of 30-45 minutes to complete and the results were quick. dirty. and lots of fun!

i hope that this piece shows you how you can combine what you already have, supply wise, and how you can ‘tweak’ your projects with digital hybrid media. hybrid paper arts are all about chucking everything in your arsenal of supplies, including the kitchen sink and your computer skills, at a project and seeing what sticks. there are no rules. nothing is wrong. as long as you like, or hopefully love it, it’s all good. use what you’ve got… or download digital media to make what you’ve got, better! now go forth and hybridize your projects.