Home ~ where the heart is!

One of my biggest challenges with this site has been a concern about the importance of what I have to say and whether or not my world resonates with others, and unfortunately my feelings of doubt have succeeded more often than my commitment to my craft.

I have closed the door on that phase today and I think I have a sense of focus and what I want to communicate with this little corner of the cyber world - all things Cleveland! Not your usual news or puff pieces the parts of this metropolis that strike me as interesting, challenging, wonderful and oh so Cleveland!

To start off I'm going to share a recent skyline shot and my take on a tardy Beyond Layers assignment Fun With Type.


I hope you enjoy and come back frequently! If you feel so moved, please leave a comment!

Having a little fun with text!

What a beautiful day in the LAND!

Jumping back on the horse!

In less than twenty-four hours I will begin a new course aimed at assisting me with finding my voice for this site.  Reflection of You comes from the creative vision of Kim Klassen and Xanthe Berkeley two awesome visionaries who work at sharing their craft with the masses.

I'm very familiar with Kim, but I have only lurked from time to time on Xanthe's site. What I found really intriguing about Xanthe is her willingness to open her life to the world through Creating Time Capsules. When you drop by the page you are offered a glimpse into 'A Day in the Life' - and that to me is a testament to her willingness to help others grow.

I can't imagine offering so many complete strangers a glimpse into my day, but who knows maybe I'll learn to shed a layer of my mask in this new course.

While I know that Kim has taken Xanthe's course I have not seen her film, but through the written word she has opened her heart and soul to many on her site - and wow does she do it in such an unassuming way! The stories are very real, full of passion but not intimate details.

Oh wow, hold on I just had an 'aha' moment! As a writer I know that it is often hard to write about your life while in the throes of it, but if I look at it from a creative perspective maybe it will be a little easier. Uhmm...not sure, but we'll see over the next several weeks.

In preparation for tomorrow, I'm posting a photo from my Beyond Layers class, albeit late, but as the title says 'I'm jumping back on the horse'!

Why Do You Create?

So the question is fairly simple, what is the driving force behind your creations? Are you seeking approval, joy, accolades, or do you love what you do?

I'm sure that is something we have all grappled with a time or two, and I was reminded of this today over at "Beyond Layers" when Kim Klassen our guide recounted some awesome feedback she received on some of her work featured on Flickr. That's a good thing right? Well of course it is, that is until you begin to base your work on accolades, positive feedback and how you can outdo the last piece in order to receive more praise.

Now I don't believe praise is wrong, and neither does Klassen, but the key to your creative spirit should be what makes you as an artist happy. It may not always be the best or receive the most praise but at its core it is a piece of you - your creation!

I'm paraphrasing, but Kim questioned if we (artists) found ourselves constantly checking for new comments on our work, and basing our creations on the thoughts of others? Well I didn't have to think about it because I know the sense of elation I have each time I receive comments on my photos. I feel validated in some way, but also I feel inspired. The support and camaraderie I have found on the internet really helps to fuel my creative spirit, but I haven't always had this platform - nor have many of us.

The one area I continue to struggle with is with my writing. It is always difficult to start a new piece and see it through to the end, because I have demons or little minions telling me it is not good enough. This is a battle I fight regularly, but I also seek out support in the form of writing groups. Here I am seeking more guidance and constructive criticism over praise. I don't want to hear all praise without a suggestion for improvement, but ultimately I think that's what we are all looking for when we open our souls and share our creations with the world.

So here's to less obsession over positive comments and a shout out seeking constructive criticism that can guide us to higher levels of creativity.

So why do you create???

 Now, I'll share some of my latest creations - Enjoy!

Continuing Color Week at Beyond Layers

Color Week @ Beyond Layers

As most of the U.S. basks in an early and unseasonably warm spring, the group over at Beyond Layers is celebrating the season by seeking out color! It is truly amazing what you see when you really look! While I didn't find a lot of today's color in unusual places, I did know exactly where to go - Rockefeller Greenhouse. The many flowers and plants housed at this inner city treasure are too many to begin to name. My visit today was an exhilarating break in the monotony of the work day!

Enjoy the colors with me!

Monday - Green

Eclectic Green Grass

Tuesday - Yellow

Happy Spring using Kim Klassen's 'and then some' texture.

Wednesday - Pink

Thanks to Kim Klassen and all the wonderful ladies at Beyond Layers...they are all Beyond Awesome - to paraphrase Kim!

Beyond Layers - Catching Up

It seems I'm playing catch-up on a number of fronts, one being my Beyond Layers course work. A few weeks ago the subject was Storyboards and today I finally got around to making one. The title gives you location, but here is a little back-story.

The West Side Market is a landmark in Cleveland and this year marks its 100th  Anniversary. As one of the oldest outdoor public markets, the West Side Market is a staple to many Clevelanders and has been featured on many national cooking shows.

I decided to take some shots there this week thanks to Katrina Kennedy's "365 +1 Prompt" - a daily email I receive to offer ideas for the 365 Project. You can check out her site here, for prompts. So this past week the theme was food, and while I don't find my meals that photographically interesting and was lacking in that category I sought out fresh foods.

Enjoy, and as always if you see something you like or just want to acknowledge your visit, please leave a comment!

What's your Six Word Memoir

Let's continue the creative journey by writing Six Word Memoirs. Can you tell your story in six words? Well I never thought I could, and what I have attempted is by no means perfect, but for a first blush I'd say it's not too bad.

This exercise is also compliments of Kim Klassen and Beyond Layers. Kim recently came across the Six Word Memoir in I believe the latest edition of O Magazine. I, however, read about this form of memoir in a writing magazine - I believe Writer's Digest and I just glimpsed at the story, thinking I couldn't possibly do that! Again with the negative energy and fear leading the way.

Well no longer. This is the year of FOCUS and The Year of Possibilities. So when the prompt came on Monday I pondered it a little and in between cooking dinner I wrote out a few:

Giving to a fault; reassessing this.

Tired. Determined. Perplexed seeker.

Walking through Life. Yearning to Live.

After creating those I came to the conclusion that a Six Word Memoir captures a moment in time. I was convinced of this tonight when I wrote the following after a lovely conversation with my 10-year-old niece:

Bubbling. Overjoyed and Loving that Girl!

So now it's your turn, capture a moment in your life in six words!

For more on Six Word Memoirs check out Smith Magazine, the creative minds behind this form. You can find them here.

My Creative Story

As I peel back the layers and expose my creativity in Kim Klassen's Beyond Layers class one of the challenges or prompts is to tell my creative story. This was our first prompt last week, but it has taken me almost a week to conceptualize this story and sit here to share it with you.

I hope you'll grab a nice cup of your favorite beverage and take this journey with me.

As a youngster I did my fair share of coloring, but I was not one prone to start an art project - give me a book and I would be lost for hours. One of my favorite photos of me as a child is of me lying on the floor with my legs bent at the knee with a book in front of me. At first glance you see a child reading, but if you inspect that photo closely you will find I have fallen asleep!

Now my Mom was one to have you involved in several activities and having studied Early Childhood Education she also had many projects for us that included painting and creating. I eagerly joined in, but I can't say I was pleased with the outcome so I concluded art was not for me.

Early on I did have fascination with cameras and even had a Kodak Instamatic that I used to capture early memories. This would be the closest I came to being creative - or so that's what I thought at the time. I'm not sure if it was my efforts to emulate my Dad or an early notion of recording history, but photography planted itself in my life and has since become a fixture. By the time I was about 13 or 14 my parents gave me my first and only 35mm Nikon FG that I still own and use from time to time today.

As a voracious reader it would naturally follow that I would love the written word and follow some sort of literary path. My path was not literary, but journalistic. I'm not sure when, but I was fascinated with the news and newspapers specifically. So I took all the English classes offered in school including AP and studied journalism in college. While seeking out English classes I avoided Art classes if at all possible. Unfortunately, I came up during a time when Art and Music were still a part of the curriculum so I really didn't have a choice. I toiled through the assignments and my Mom even displayed my art.

Creative - not me. As a journalist with a weekly newspaper I used my camera to help tell my stories, and to document family events and my travels. I never looked at this as being creative. Over the years I learned how to do page layout and design at the newspaper, which I used later to create computer generated cards and invitations - creative, not me.

I didn't take to crafts either. My Mom and sister loved crafts from needle point to sewing and finally knitting - not me. When my Mom took up knitting she and my sister tried to get me to join but my response was "I have two left thumbs." I did give it a half-heart try, but to no avail. Then a few years later my sister announced she was pregnant with her first child and I decided I would try knitting again. I knit a cute, but imperfect blanket for my niece and I was hooked. Creative - not me.

About a year later when I was planning my wedding I created the invitations and a friend of my Dad's - a tenured Art Professor and Artist received the invitation and was so impressed he framed my "artwork" and gave it to me. Creative - maybe I am.

My framed "Art" Wedding Invitation

Since that time I have taken up card making, I knit regularly and I have created wedding invitations for a few people. I have also taken up photography again. Today I still struggle with the designation of "Creative" but I'm working on accepting the "Creative" in me with Beyond Layers and renewed confidence.

Wrist Warmers I knit for a friend.

As I close I want to give a shout out to my "Cyber" friends! Over the past year I have met many women who have offered a wealth of advice for free, but more importantly have given me and many others the confidence needed to continue honing our skills. Also, the many participants in e-classes who have offered their kind words when viewing my work - it gives me hope and inspiration! The ladies I speak of include but are not limited to Shutter Sisters, Karen "Chookooloonks" Walrond, Kim Klassen, Kat Sloma, and Big Picture Classes.

What happens when you focus!

2012 is my year of Focus and boy has this been an adventure and we are only 23 days into the year! As I allow my chosen word to marinate and resonate with me I am finding that focus is a very broad and general term.

When I decided to choose a word focus just kept coming to me because while I don't think I have a problem focusing all the time, I can get sort of scatterbrained - jumping from one thing to the next. This happens primarily with creative ventures and I think that's because I have developed a number of interests over the years. So I was/am determined to focus on the key ventures and see them to fruition.

To that end I have enrolled in Kim Klassen's Beyond Layers e-course. Now one of the difficulties I have found with e-courses is that life just gets in the way of creative endeavors, but I'm determined that will not be the case with Beyond or with Ali Edwards One Little Word e-course.

So at least once or twice a week I make sure to check in on both sites and to produce a little something related to the prompts.

These are examples from last week's Beyond Layers photo prompt. The goal was to take a simple image and add a layer, but always keep it simple. I think I nailed it! What say you?

Daisies to brighten your day!

Another take on the daisies

For the One Little Word January prompt you are encouraged to take a self-portrait or have someone take a photo of you. I had not gotten around to this portion of the prompt, so when Kim's prompt suggested either using a self-portrait or something else I decided to try both for my "keep it simple" assignment.

Selfie leaving white space

Still leaving white space, but a fuller view

Not sure what I think of the selfies, but they're done! Will do more as the weeks progress.
Thank you so much for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment.