Yea! Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap is Back!!!

Wow, it has been a over a month since I shared any news with you and I apologize for the lapse in time. Today I'm stopping by to share with you the news that the Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap is back for 2012!

I am beyond excited about this and can't wait to begin sorting through the many shots I have taken this year to choose the art I will set free and share with the many participants.

For those unfamiliar, the Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap comes from the creative treasure trove of photographer, blogger and instructor Kat Sloma. Kat is such an inspiration to photogs around the globe, with her inspiring courses and her true belief that what each of us creates is a form of art, and that we must embrace it and share it with the universe.

I'm feeling pretty good about some of the shots I will be able to share this year because I can definitely see growth in my work.

To learn more about the Swap, click here and join the fun - It is Liberating!

Samples of the Art I received last year.

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!

365/66 Photo Challenge - Day 15

For today's installment of the 365 Photo Challenge I thought I'd go back to the park and shoot my favorite tree seen here, but unfortunately I couldn't find it during today's brief walk. Bummer! Not to be deterred I will return when the temps are a little higher.

While I did not find the tree I did have a nice brisk walk and communed with nature just a bit, and that in and of itself is a milestone for me! I am not opposed to walking totally, but when the mercury hovers around 25 degrees you are more likely to find me next to a fire as opposed to traipsing through the snow.

It was actually somewhat invigorating so I may try to make this a weekly habit - just have to bundle up a little better than I did today!

Take a peek below! Enjoy! Also I love comments, so if you're so inclined let me know you stopped by!

The water keeps rolling...I wonder if it ever actually freezes. 

365 Photo Challenge - Playing Catch Up!

I'm playing catch up with my posts, but not with my shooting! I have taken a photo a day for the first 11 days of this year; however the last several evenings have left me weary and unable to post. I didn't want to go another day without posting so here's a three-fer!

Enjoy!

Longing to be here for several hours at the end of the week!

Drawn to the lights and quiet at the end of a long day.

Just love the colors in these daisies, hoping they'll brighten my evening.

365 Photo Challenge - Day 8

Feeling refreshed after a wonderful Sunday! It was a gorgeous day on the north coast, the sun was brilliant and the air was brisk but not bone chilling - what more could you ask for in January in Cleveland?

The highlight of the day was a meet-up with two of my Literary Sistas at Starbucks. It's always great to see Kim our founding Sista who now resides overseas and only gets home once or twice a year. Just love her, she is such an inspiration and just an all around great person. I get to see Angela more often, but she is just as special - she has a great heart and is a pleasure to be around. Love them both.

As we parted Kim made note of the moon which was kind of eerie and reminded me of the old TV show "Dark Shadows". So there you have it, my Photo of the Day!

Have a wonderful week!

Angela, a great friend and Literary Sista

Literary Sistas founder Kim

OPD-8-JAN 8 2012, the Eerie Moon

2012 365 Photo Challenge - Day 7

Fresh Bay Leaves with textures courtesy of Kim Klassen.

Another take on the Bay Leaves

365 Photo Challenge - Day 6

The perfect end to the first work week of the New Year!

One Little Word 2012 + 365 Photo Challenge Day 5

As I approach the end of the first week of 2012 all I can say is WHEWWW! I hope that translates into a very heavy sigh!
This has been a very busy week on the work end (what pays the bills) and not a bad week on the personal end (means the creative future work that WILL pays the bills). Not to be deterred I have kept up with my 365 Photo Challenge and working on One Little Word 2012.
My word for 2012 is FOCUS. I chose this word to help guide me into the new year and new ventures. For a number of years I have been less than regular with my postings to this site primarily because I haven't taken the time to focus on what I want to say, and most importantly what I want this site to represent. I can't say that I have found the answer, but I believe if I take the advice of so many people and begin to plan I will find the answer.
My plan was not to write about the One Little Word project today, but with such a hectic day at work I was struggling to come up with my photo for today when I began concentrating on my word. Before I go much further I should explain OLW for those of you unfamiliar with this annual project. The brainchild of Ali Edwards, a guru in the scrapbook and photography communities, OLW is the practice of choosing one word that will act as your beacon throughout the year. This is my first time using the practice, but based on what I have read on other blogs, it really helps free that inner spirit striving to come to the surface.
Ali leads you through monthly emails, videos and assignments that help you incorporate your word into your daily life. One of the first assignments is to define your word, find synonyms and explain why you chose the word.
This evening while checking the thesaurus I came across CENTER and experienced an `aha' moment. Focus does draw one into the center, and if you are truly focused you are Centered! Thus, the photo below. Talk about focusing!

One Little Word 2012 - Focus

Enjoy and do stay FOCUSED!

365 Photo Challenge Day 3

An unexpected Christmas gift and the return of an old friend - maybe

Lately I have had a love/hate relationship with A.T. Cross Pens, well more specifically their pencils. I have owned a Black Classic Pencil and Pen for more than a decade, but only in the last several years have I picked them up again to use on a regular basis. Unfortunately, I have had difficulties with the pencil - my favorite mode of everyday writing and had to return it to Cross twice in less than six months.

The last time I sent my pencil back I began surfing the net looking to find a similar pencil to replace it with, yet always in the back of my mind was the feel of the pencil in my hand and the perks of a lifetime guarantee. Needless to say I found a few mechanical pencils that were working in the interim, but it just wasn't the same.

Today I returned to work after a short holiday break to find a Christmas present waiting in my chair. When I opened the package I found the nice gold Cross pencil pictured in the foreground above! Wow, what a surprise. This was a totally unexpected gift, and one that I am truly grateful to have received.

When I arrived home this evening what do you think was waiting for me - old faithful, or so I thought. Inside the package instead was a replacement called the "Switch-it". This is a pen and pencil in one according to the directions included in the package. Reading the instructions it seems a little more complicated than I would like, so the gratitude for the new pencil becomes even greater.

I am truly grateful for the many friendships I have and particularly for those that know me well enough to pick out thoughtful and most important useful gifts.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your day/evening!

What Do You Do...Create!

I've been away quite a little while, but I have been busy creating! With all of the creating I have done of late not much of it has included the written word which has always been the backbone of my creativity. The funny thing about creativity and creating is that the creators are often so hard on themselves. You never think you are really any good. There is a voice that lingers in your head questioning your every step and stating with authority that you are not "all that and a bag of chips" even though you may think so.

This voice or gremlin (thank you Karen Walrond) is very loud and fills your mind, and head with so much doubt you begin to suffer from creative block. Writers refer to this as Writers Block, but I speak of creative block because as the title says I create! I create through words, photography and papercrafting! These are the things that bring me joy, but these are also the things that leave me feeling less than more often than not.

Kat Sloma recently wrote a post about the many hats she wears and how it is difficult to answer the question "What do you do?" with a single response. I too would be limiting myself and the things I love to do by simply stating "I am a Marketing Manager," in response to that question.

As I close out 2011 it is with the strong desire that I will learn to ignore the GREMLINS in my mind and continue to pursue and practice the things that I love to do.

Here's some of the work I have been creating of late:

Taken for both the texture and the composition - I came across this fence during a recent Photo Walk.

I really love this next picture because it shows how beautiful, and intriguing nature can be. I have recently become a big fan of the outdoors and trying to see the beauty that exists around us, but that we rarely take the time to see.

Hairy Tree is what I call this photo, because I never recall seeing a tree with all of this hair or fur.

This last shot would fall under the category of paper crafting I believe and is my first attempt at Subway Art. Thanks to Jessica Sprague for her recent class Mouse, Paper, Scissors - Give which incorporates Photo Shop and paper crafting as ways to create wonderful gifts and works of art. Joining Jessica in presenting the class is Heidi Swapp. The class has been a true journey and I've learned a great deal about Photo Shop! If you're not familiar with the work of Jessica Sprague, you must check out her site here.

Subway Art

Picture Inspiration - The Shape of Surprise

Loved the way the straight bricks, began to swirl as if in motion!

Silencing your inner doubts

Reflections - my shadow

If we're honest with ourselves we all a doubting Thomas swirling around in our heads denouncing our abilities, and if you are lucky you take those threads of doubt and tie them into a knot which is thrown out the window. But there are those occasions when Thomas is persistent and you stop creating for fear of failure.

I can say that Thomas has a semi-permanent residence in my head and at times I really let him hang out a little too long. Recently I have found that participating in groups with like minded individuals and having the courage to post what you have created does a good job of ridding us of the Thomas' in our head.

Over the last four months I have had the pleasure of participating in a number of online forums for photography over at Big Picture Classes and the community I have found there is awesome! Just think, you are interacting with hundreds of like minded people and you share your work and you receive thoughtful remarks that give you that little boost of energy you need to keep trying.

In life all things are a challenge and whether you succeed depends on your passion, persistence and commitment to the task at hand.

So today I'll post a few shots from my journey with Big Picture Classes. I hope you enjoy!

Welcoming Spring

Dropping in to offer you a view of my ventures by the lake yesterday. As I continue to seek out my Artistic Muse I have taken up photography again, and yesterday I took a walk around the lake for a little while to try and capture nature. I'm not sure if this is a Groundhog or a Beaver, but I found him to be rather interesting.
Much more to talk about later, but for now -take a gander at Bucky! I named him that because I assumed he was a beaver.



I'm also pretty proud of the watermark I created, thanks to the free tutorial offered by Kim Klassen over in her cafe. If you're looking for help with texture and Photoshop, stop by she has some very helpful information.

Mastering Manual Mode

For the last five weeks I've participated in "Mastering Manual Mode" a photography class presented by Big Picture Classes Online, and I'm really enjoying it! Today I finally downloaded the 522 pictures I have taken in the last couple of weeks, which is not all of the photos taken.

I recall someone saying you shouldn't delete your bad photos, well I'm not totally sure about that, but I can say that some shots that are not the greatest, can have merits. A case in point is this photo of the tree in my backyard. I like this shot, but I can say it is not the shot I was looking for.

It is bit over processed, but I was able to learn a thing or two about ISO, shutter speed, and aperture from taking this shot.

This next shot is much better and also is the end result of several shots taken at the Westside Market.

Keep an eye out for more photo posts! Now off to do some knitting. Have a great week!

A Day of Accomplishments

Trying to find time to engage in some of my favorite activities has been a bit of a struggle lately.I love to say 'work gets in the way of life', but we all know you have to work in order to enjoy some of the joys in life!

Work is not always the problem. You see I enjoy a number of creative activities - writing, photography, paper crafting, knitting and reading. Now, each of these activities can be intense and time consuming so actively engaging in th

ese activities on a regular basis can be difficult.

Let's take a look at these activities:

Writing has been a love and a neglected passion for a number of years. I say it has been neglected because I have not quite figured out a good writing routine. I started this blog as a means to find my way back to writing, but as you can see from

glancing at the previous posts lists I have only been able to keep this up in spurts. The problem maintaining this blog consistently is that I don't have a true focus

.

You see truly successful blogs tend to focus on one, possibly two subjects and there are scheduled postings with a minimum of one posting per week. I have really got to get busy on making scheduling regular posts.

Additionally, I think I need to redesign my blog so that I can have sections for my various passions. This is a future endeavor, one I hope will take place in the near rather than far off future.

Photography has been a regular activity since I was about 13 and probably earlier than that, but that is when I received my first 35mm SLR camera. Over the years I

have taken photography classes and dabbled with developing

my own photos, but my diligence waned. This Christmas I received a Digital SLR and the photo-bug was reignited! Below is an example of some photos taken while playing around with my

new camera.

These photos bring us to another of my passions - knitting! I recently completed both of the hats pictured above! The bottom over processed photo was taken as part of my work for my Mastering Manual Mode class at Big Picture Online Classes.

The purpose of this class is to help owners of digital DSLR's take the camera off of automatic and add art to your photography. I can say it's been a bit of a challenge, but a lot of fun. I'm revisiting some of the basics of photography that I left behind when I picked up my first digital camera.

This is another example from class - the focus of this sample is a

perture settings.

Paper crafting really entails making greeting cards and invitations by hand. Utilizing stamps and a variety of techniques I have come to enjoy creating cards, but I have not found much time to create lately.

Finally, I love reading and every six weeks or so I read a new title thanks to my book club The Literary Sistas! My Sistas and I read only African American fiction, and it is usually of the literary variety. Some of the authors we have read include Toni Morrison, Tananarive Due, Carleen Brice, Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant, Mat Johnson, and Leonard Pitts to name a few.

I read all authors and some non-fiction because I truly love a good book. The race or nationality of the author is not the first thing I look at, but I do have a tendency to read works by authors of color because they are so often overlooked by the masses.

To further my writing efforts I also post book reviews. Check back in the next couple of weeks for new reviews.

Today was a productive day because I dabbled in photography and found the time to write this post. Progress is made one step at a time! I hope you will join me on this journey.

Comments are always welcome...let me know what you think this might inspire a new post!

Photography Links

Today I've spent much of the day just perusing the internet checking out some of the wonderful photography sites. One of my passions that has been pushed to the rear over the last several years is photography, and in 2011 I plan to change that.

Here are some of the links those of you interested in photography might also find interesting:

• Shutter Sisters - A photoblog championing the beauty found with women behind the lense. It is a place for women to showcase their art as well as receive regular inspiration.
• Northeast Kingdom Photography - This specific link is to the ABC's of Photography, but the entire site is worth a viewing.
• 365 Words Through Photos - Looking for inspiration or a unique perspective to jump start your creative juices, then join Jen Hannux on this daily journey.
• One Word Project - Shutter Sisters offers this great tool, similar to the one above to help spark creativity and to urge you to express yourself through photos. This challenge is monthly as opposed to daily.
• Mastering Manual Mode - If you're looking to get more out of that DSLR you received for Christmas, this is the place to do that. The class starts in February, but promises to help you learn all about the new camera and how to use it in other than the "Auto" mode.
• Big Picture Classes Online - Don't let the name fool you, the crew over at Big Picture offer online classes in more than just photography. It is also a great place for scrapbookers too.

There are many more that I'm sure I missed, but these should get the juices flowing. If you know of a cool photography site, I'd love to hear about it! Leave a comment with a link.