30 Wednesday May 2012
Posted in Abstracts, Craft, Creativity, Inspiration, Photography, Solitude
Tags
abstract photographs, abstract photography, cure for boredom, Hotel Modera Portland abstract images, images of hotels, Modera photographs, photographic abstract ideas, random loose photography, random shooting, think abstractly
Think abstractly!
*I made these images while wandering around the (beautiful) Hotel Modera in Portland, Oregon (a while back)…by simply taking random shots as carelessly as possible!
29 Tuesday May 2012
Posted in Creativity, Inspiration, Landscape, Lensbaby, Nature, Photography, Poetry
Tags
apples4theteacher, colorado images, colorado summer, estes park colorado, in a shady wady, In July, In July poem, lensbaby, lensbaby estes park, lensbaby photography, lensbaby summer images, poem by Evaleen Stein, poems about childhood, poems about summer, summer and childhood memories
In July
by Evaleen Stein
Let us find a shady wady
Pretty little brook;
Let us have some candy handy,
And a picture book.
There all day we’ll stay and play and
Never mind the heat,
While the water gleaming, streaming,
Ripples round our feet.
And we’ll gather curly pearly
Mussel shells while bright
Frightened minnows darting, parting,
Scurry out of sight.
What if, what if, – heigho! my oh! -
All the “ifs” were true,
And the little fishes wishes,
Now, what would you do?
I saw some kids riding in the back of a pickup truck the other day (it was really hot outside) and my first thoughts were ‘who would be so cruel to make their kids ride in the back of a pickup?!’ – but then I noticed the smiles on the kids faces…
They seemed to be having a great time and I remembered thinking (as a kid) how fun it must be to get to ride in the back of a pickup. I never got to…but I had lots of friends who did and it wasn’t for punishment!
This just made me think about how different the perspective of a child is and so, I went looking for something to illustrate this..
I found the poem on apples4theteacher.com and the image is one I took with my Lensbaby – in Estes Park, Colorado.
I hope it brings up nice memories of summer for you too!
27 Sunday May 2012
Posted in Creativity, Infrared Photography, Inspiration, Landscape, Photography, Road Trip
Tags
Blue Cowgirl, Blue Cowgirl Dreams, Cowgirl Dreams, historic downtown infrared, infrared cowgirl, infrared photography, Memorial Weekend 2012, Memorial Weekend photography, reflection infrared photography, reflection photography, road trip infrared, street scenes
shot while on location…
hmmm…wonder where that might be??
Infrared photograph of a store window reflection – street scene in a historic downtown – somewhere.
Hope you’re having a great Memorial Weekend too!
23 Wednesday May 2012
Posted in Cool Stuff to Know, Creativity, Inspiration, Landscape, Photography
Tags
14, 259, Colorado, How to summit life's everyday mountains, Life is like a mountain, life's mountains, Longs Peak, Longs Peak climb, Longs Peak Colorado, Scott Dinsmore article, sumitting mountains, Zen Habits
This bit of wisdom was found on Zen Habits: a guest post by Scott Dinsmore
Pack light. Every unnecessary piece of gear complicates things and detracts from the experience. Aside from the bare necessities, things do not make life better. They often cause more stress and keep you from what’s most important. The lighter your pack the better. Life is too short to be burdened with excessive possessions, emotional baggage or regrets. Positive thoughts, relationships and experiences weigh nothing at all. Pile them on and leave the rest behind. They’ll lift you to the top.
Take one step at a time. Any major accomplishment can be broken down into a series of single steps. If your summit is too intimidating, break it into smaller steps. Focus on those one by one. Eventually one step will be the one that puts you on top.
Don’t go at it alone. When climbing, a partner is a must. For safety, support, camaraderie, motivation and simply to share the journey. You’d be silly (and putting yourself in great danger) to go up alone. Life is meant to be experienced with others. It makes the valleys shallower and the peaks higher. Relationships magnify experiences and help you do things that prove impossible alone. Don’t leave home without your support team.
Listen to the experts. While we all ought to experience our own paths, it’s foolish not to learn from and observe the guidance of experts. Choose your life models wisely and keep them close by on your journey.
Slow down. As Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia says, “It’s about how you got there. Not what you’ve accomplished.” Despite what colleagues and competitors may tell you, there is no rush. Rushing on the mountain risks slipping, not acclimating to thinning air, exhaustion and possibly death. In life the biggest risk is that you miss the wonders of everyday experiences in your pursuit to the top. The top is secondary to the process.
Look back and take in the view. There’s never any guarantee that you’ll get to the top, but you always have the ability to stop, take in a deep breath, smile and enjoy the view-whether it’s miles of wilderness or two feet of fog. It’s all wonderful. Every moment of life is a new view to appreciate.
Save some energy for the trip down. Things will inevitably take longer than expected. Don’t be discouraged. Budget your capital, energy and drive appropriately. Rarely is anything in life an all out sprint. Treat it like a marathon. You may need your reserves when you least expect it.
Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory. These are Ed Viesturs’ famous words; the first U.S. man to summit all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters with no bottled oxygen. The summit will be there tomorrow and likely so will yours. If more planning, a stronger team or more support is required, then save the summit for a time when the payout is safer and more probable. If you are outmatched, know when to turn back, only to return stronger and more savvy tomorrow. Stay objective and don’t let short-term excitement get in the way of long-term fulfillment.
Failure is a part of the process. Be ok with not reaching the summit every time. Falling short is inevitable. You will never learn more than from your failures…at anything. Embrace them.
A daunting summit is nothing more than a challenge. A challenge is simply an opportunity in disguise. You won’t summit every one you come across, but you will become a better person with each attempt.
There will always be another mountain. You are not meant to conquer them all. Past summits are simply preparing you for the next. With the right strategy, you’ll put the top within reach. When your summit arrives, you will be ready.
*That’s me – with my hand touching the summit marker of Long’s Peak, Colorado just after reaching the top at 12:40pm on August 22, 2007; 14,259′. That’s FOURTEEN THOUSAND, two hundred and fifty-nine feet. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done and one of the best!
22 Tuesday May 2012
Posted in Abstracts, Creativity, Encaustics, Inspiration, My Studio, Photography, Poetry, Solitude
Tags
All that is gold, encaustic poetry, enchanted encaustic, enchanted poetry, fantasy encaustic, fantasy landscape encaustic, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings poetry, Middle Earth, Middle Earth art, Middle Earth encaustic, Middle Earth poem, Not all who wander are lost
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings)
“Middle Earth” – is one in my (rapidly growing!) series of ‘fantasy landscape’ encaustic pieces.
I don’t know if you can feel it -but this piece holds a bit of magic – just over the horizon there…where the glow is.
.
16 Wednesday May 2012
Posted in Cool Stuff to Know, Creativity, Inspiration, Mindfulness, My Studio, Solitude
Tags
aromatherapy and creativity, art and aromatherapy, Bellaonline.com, benefits of aromatherapy, esential oils and aromatherapy, essential oils and creativity, livestrong.com, olfactory nerve
Have you ever considered using essential oils in your studio?
Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils to stimulate healing and promote a sense of well-being and calm. The reason aromatherapy is so effective is that the olfactory nerve, the “smell” nerve, is connected directly from the nose to the brain and is the shortest of the cranial nerves. This means that scent has an immediate connection with the brain and is capable of quickly triggering emotion and memories. Scents can transport you to another place and another time,
And another article…(by Deanna Joseph from the site bellaonline.com)
Aromatherapy is the art of using the essential oils of plants to heal both the body and spirit. There are many benefits of using aromatherapy; they not only help facilitate healing in our physical bodies, but they also ease emotional hurts in our mind and spirit.
I have found over the years that essential oils can be especially beneficial for the creative soul. Many times creative people will feel blocked due to a difficult work environment, or because of pressure at home. Too many of us look at creativity as a luxury, or at the very least, a pleasant diversion, when in fact, creativity needs to be nurtured for our lives to actually work well for us. When we aren’t allowed to be creative, it becomes much more difficult for us to deal with stress!
Essential oils can be used for just about anything. I’ll go over the best ones for creativity and inspiration here!
Chamomile
Though not one of my top ten favorite smelling oils, it is very powerful when it comes to dealing with things like work upset, stress, anger and grief. This is also a great oil for those who tend to be empathic.
Cinnamon
I love this one when I feel like I need motivation. Sometimes I have days where I just want to flop in front of the TV, and the cinnamon gets me moving again.
Frankincense
One of my favorites. This spicy oil protects us from absorbing the negative emotions of those around us. I also like using it on my kids when they are worried about nightmares.
Lavender
The all around perfect oil! It’s great for mood, and especially great for relaxation – though be careful to use this in moderation. Also yummy when mixed with the Cedarwood.
Peppermint
This is one of my all time favorites! Not only can it help with headaches but it clears the mind and refreshes the spirit. I frequently use peppermint when I’m writing and have found it to be very helpful.
Rosemary
Another fabulous one for inspiring creativity! This is a mood lifter that clears the head and allows one to think. I like to use it with the peppermint.
Sandalwood
This oil promotes a sense of ease and inner peace and confidence. When I feel like I need a bit of encouragement, this is one of my favorites.
Tangerine
Another oil of emotional support – I like to mix this with sandalwood. It seems to give me that extra little feeling of “YES I CAN DO IT!”
Texas Cedarwood
A favorite for grounding when I feel scattered. I like to use this when I feel that I have too many ideas, and can’t focus on one thing in particular.
Ylang Ylang
I like this for those times when I want to relax with something creative – like reading or coloring or painting.
When using essential oils, it’s a good idea to first put a bit of olive or vegetable oil in the palm of your hand (the size of a teaspoon) then add a couple of drops of your favorite essential oils. You also probably want to test for an allergy first – and you can do this by trying a bit of the mix on a tiny area of skin. Some people can tolerate putting the essential oil straight on the skin – but be aware that it can possibly cause a rash or tenderness on the area. Though I’ve never had this trouble in the many years I’ve been using them. Just to be safe, always check with your health care professional before using essential oils.
Essential oils are fairly inexpensive, but their benefits are priceless. They promote relaxation and support a creative and inspirational flow of energy. I wouldn’t want to be without them!
These articles were found at: www.livestrong.com and www.bellaonline.com.
15 Tuesday May 2012
Posted in Creativity, Inspiration, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Poetry
Tags
forest photograph, Kubla Khan, Kubla Khan poem, poem about Xanadu, poem by Coleridge, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, sunlit photograph, Xanadu
Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round:
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.
But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!
A savage place! as holy and enchanted
As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover!
And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,
As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,
A mighty fountain momently was forced:
Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst
Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,
Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher’s flail:
And ‘mid these dancing rocks at once and ever
It flung up momently the sacred river.
Five miles meandering with a mazy motion
Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,
Then reached the caverns measureless to man,
And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean:
And ‘mid this tumult Kubla heard from far
Ancestral voices prophesying war!
The shadow of the dome of pleasure
Floated midway on the waves;
Where was heard the mingled measure
From the fountain and the caves.
It was a miracle of rare device,
A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!
A damsel with a dulcimer
In a vision once I saw:
It was an Abyssinian maid,
And on her dulcimer she played,
Singing of Mount Abora.
Could I revive within me
Her symphony and song,
To such a deep delight ‘twould win me,
That with music loud and long,
I would build that dome in air,
That sunny dome! those caves of ice!
And all who heard should see them there,
And all should cry, Beware! Beware!
His flashing eyes, his floating hair!
Weave a circle round him thrice,
And close your eyes with holy dread,
For he on honey-dew hath fed,
And drunk the milk of Paradise.
(another cell phone image of my forest)
14 Monday May 2012
Posted in Cool Stuff to Know, Creativity, Mindfulness
Tags
article on heart health, change of heart changes everything, Daily Good, Heartmath, human heart quote, quote by Robert Valett
Jun 26, 2011– Did you know that briefly re-experiencing a cherished memory creates synchronization in your heart rhythm in mere seconds? It increases the release of healthy, energizing hormones, while decreasing levels of damaging stress hormones, and strengthening the immune system. HeartMath, an emotional physiology research institute, has also discovered that if someone has a coherent heart rhythm, it has a demonstrably positive effect on other people in close proximity. Their cutting edge research establishes the physical heart as central to human health, success and fulfillment. But how do you ‘change your heart?’ According to their research, “If you consciously shift your attention to a positive emotion, like appreciation or care, or if you allow your thoughts to return to the feeling of a cherished memory, your heart rhythm changes immediately.”
You can read the full story at: www.dailygood.org; search ‘HeartMath‘.
