Levitation

Sometimes...you've just got to fly to make it there...

mischievous

When I took this photo, I was not feeling all that mischievous. It was windy out and very cold. I was waiting for a friend who was late and a girl in the parking lot behind me would not stop staring at me while I took pictures of myself jumping and twirling around.

There is something about this photo though...
Yes, I have that smile. Yes, I am peeking around a rusted old pole. Yet, it is the eyes that get me. As though I have just come from some devious magic or crafty prank. There is a sense of waiting to this photo that I love...I am just waiting for the next outrageous opportunity to come around the corner...

Bear Ears

My tiredness shines through in the moments when I am not smiling...
A cold day in the snow wearing my bear ears.

Walk in the rain

Sunlight in the tentacles...

Yesterday I didn't take any photo's. I spent the day buried deep in boxes of paper, sorting and searching for a single piece of paper I haven't seen in eight years. It is not the proverbial needle in a haystack, it is the actually needle in the haystack. We should all have to do this kind of thing once in our lives, right? I still have not found it, but I have many many boxes to go...
Out of the habit, I did not pick up my camera immediately upon rising this morning, as I have done every other day this week. However, as I was waiting for someone to arrive at my house, I walked through the kitchen jellyfish (see this post) that was full of sunlight. The camera came out and this is what happened...

Rejected

Where I am at right now...

The well cared for Muse...

If I had a muse, I would treat that muse well. I would make sure that she was well fed, lots of sleep and rest. I would want her to be happy and healthy. I would want the world for her.
So here I am, taking a coures that asks me to be a muse for myself. Today I realized that means I must treat myself like a muse. Well fed, lots of sleep and rest. Happy and healthy...

I had an emotionally intense meeting today. The beginning of a process that will most probably involve university officials and mediation of some kind. I am not looking forward to it. In fact, it totally stresses me out (which is part of why I have come to this place to end up at that meeting). The situation causes panic to bubble up from it's dark home inside me.

As I left the meeting I made the decision to just go home. I had made plans of productivity and "good student" inclinations for the rest of the day. But here I was, relieved, emotional, and suddenly just wanting to be in my front door before the sun left the sky at least one day this week.

So as I left the building out the entrance for the bus, I saw the most beautiful tree. Tall, strong. Yellow leaves against a brilliant blue sky.
I knew I had to stand in front of it and pull out the camera. I knew I had to smile and to tell the camera the story of my frustration, panic, and anxiety...and my need to look after myself and rise above it all. To realize that, in the end, this stressful situation does not matter. It is my happiness and health that matter. It is my ability to keep truly smiling that matters.



I love this photo, because my smile is real, but I can also see, just beneath the surface, the tiny bits of trailing stress. It is not quite yet an unencumbered smile...not yet.
Today I started to learned to treat myself like a true muse. Well fed (chocolate at home), lots of sleep and rest (curled in bed in my jammies right now). Happy and healthy too.

Giving myself the world? Well, I'm working on it...

Inspired

I have been so inspired already by my Muse course that I got up this morning and immediately starting shooting pics of myself. Here is my favorite from today. As per usual, it is one of the first I snapped today.

I am...

In the Muse course today we were prompted to explore a series of sentency beginings, such as "I am...". I filled them in and then was inspired to take the following photos...

The Muse Set

I've created a Flickr set for all my photos from my Muse course.
It can be found here.

Muse

Today I embarked on a 6 week journey of self portraiture with the lovely Lady Vivienne and a bunch of other wonderful folks. I've known Vivienne since our time working at a local health food store and over the years I have watched her grow into an amazing photographer. She has the ability to show such courage and beauty in her work. So, when I heard inklings of a potential e-course with Viv I knew I had to be on board.
The course is entitled You Are Your Own Muse and is a wonderful journey through beauty and storytelling via self portraits. I am very excited to participate. I know Viv is already planning on putting this on again, so check it out if you are interested.

I've decided that part of my process will be to post some of my pictures and thoughts here on this blog. It might be the best picture of the day or (as a challenge) the worst picture of the day. Or it could be both.

Here is my favorite from today...