Kat Eye Studio

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And the Birds Sing

Today is a day for pretty flowers and happy music! Sometimes you just need a smile in your day. So here are a few things to put a smile on your face…

1. A lovely wildflower scene from Glacier National Park.

2. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, a new book from Brené Brown is released today. I love the message of her previous books, The Gifts of Imperfection and I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn’t), so I have high hopes for this new one too. She is doing an 8-week online read-along from 26 September through 14 November on her blog. Want to join me in reading it?

3. Remember the Jumpstart Creativity Tour? I hosted Jess here in Corvallis in July. The tour is still going strong! If you can’t make an event, Jess has created an e-course to inspire your creativity. It’s a 13-week pay-what-you-can e-course. Check it out here. You just might see a little something from me in the course, too!

4. Some happy music! I’ve been listening to Tyrone Wells and I love this catchy tune, And The Birds Sing. Watch out, you might find yourself singing along!

Sing, smile and enjoy your Tuesday.

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Unlearning the Rules

Out beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
–Rumi

I read this fantastic quote this morning, in Life, Paint and Passion by Michele Cassou and Stewart Cubley. The words in the book and this quote connected to me on a deep level. The idea of unlearning the rules that limit us, of throwing away the strictures of what others define as “right” and “wrong” appeals to me. It has been foundational to my own creative journey.

Do you notice the rules you follow, every day? I’m not talking about laws that are there for the good of society, but cultural rules. Social rules. Family rules. Artistic rules.

There are so many rules. Simple little things, like “don’t wear white after Labor Day” that become ingrained in our head. That make us feel as if we are doing something wrong if we break them. Really, wearing white year round would not kill anyone. But try to go against those little rules we’ve picked up, and see what kind of internal struggle they bring up. The challenges to your confidence and competence. Yikes.

Rules can help us learn how to interact with others. They can help us get things done efficiently. But they can also put us in a box, where we are afraid to step out and be who we really are. Express who we really are.

What will happen if you break the rules? I don’t know, for you. But for me, I feel uncomfortable for a little while, but then I feel free. Free to be who I am, create what I want, in a way that works for me.

Why don’t you try it, and see?

PS – You know I love a good creative book! I recently completed The Practice of Contemplative Photography: Seeing the World with Fresh Eyes and added it to my Book Recommendations list. Have you noticed the “Resources” section I’ve added to the blog sidebar? You can find my Book Recommendations list there, along with other resources I use and recommend.

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The Beauty of Possibility

An open road. A blank canvas. A budding flower. All have one important thing in common – they are full of possibility.

Possibility is fun and open. Possibility is free and exciting. The delicious feeling of “possibility” happens whenever you stand on the precipice of something new and exciting. Something you don’t quite know the outcome, but you have hopes and dreams for what it may be. The hopes and dreams shape the possibilities that lay before you.

I used to be very goal-oriented. One of my favorite quotes was “A goal without a deadline is just a dream.” As if dreams were bad things. As if the only dreams that mattered were the ones accomplished.

Now I know better. Dreams are necessary. Dreams provide us with possibility, so that as our journey unfolds before us, we have a chance to see the branches and explore the options. We have the chance to say, “what if” and feel the possible outcomes.

A goal with a deadline is like marching down a path and not looking either way, at the branches and possibilities that become available. That’s not to say deadlines are bad things. I use them all the time to get things done. If you could see me working furiously behind the scenes to get ready for my trip to England in a few weeks, you would know I definitely use deadlines. But the whole trip started with a hope and a dream. Those dreams led to exploring possibilities. It’s not until you settle on one possibility that things can coalesce into a plan. A goal, if you wish.

We need possibility in our lives. It creates openness and space for new things to form. It keeps us fluid and adaptable, able to respond to what comes along. It allows us to see our dreams come true, because we didn’t decide the details on exactly how it might happen.

So dream. Hope. Allow the possibilities to unfold around you as you take a step into the unknown. Sooner or later, you might turn some of the dreams into goals. But for today, allow the dream and see the beauty of possibility.

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For the Love of It

It is easy to always be looking to the future. Wanting, wishing, working toward a goal. To have plans and to be moving toward them. But once in a while, it’s good to look around you and notice where you are. To appreciate where life is and not were it will be… could be… should be… somewhere down the road.

I’m having one of those moments today. Looking around me and saying, “Hey, I’m in a pretty good place!” This feeling was brought on by a conversation I had Friday morning with a fellow engineer/artist friend, who is now retired from the corporate world and pursuing her art full time. As we both shared what we’ve been up to, she commented, “You can tell, you love what you do.”

Everything welled up inside of me. I do. I love what I do. It was a moment of conscious recognition. A moment of acknowledgement, of how lucky I am to do what I love.

I love photography. My passion for this art form has increased as I continue on my journey. Somewhere in the back of my head, I was worried that my love of photography would diminish after I moved home from Italy. That worry was so invalid! I love exploring the world around me, no matter where I am. I love finding scenes like this one, that connect with me and tell stories all their own through my camera lens.

I love writing. I love expressing an idea through words, communicating and connecting with others in this world. I love writing about my journey and the connections to my heart and soul inspired by the images I create. I love taking ideas from other places, thinking about them, exploring them and then transforming them into something new.

I love teaching. For me, teaching is the ultimate way to learn. I love to discover new things, experience new challenges, and gain new skills. I have to organize my thoughts. Transform my experiences into something useful to others. I learn by the process of helping others learn something new and from seeing the varied experiences that are born of that.

And I love so many other aspects of my life. I enjoy my corporate job as an engineering program manager. I get to work with teams of fabulous people and lead projects that matter to the company. I love being with my husband and son. We have fun exploring together and making a life together. I love seeing my son transform as he grows and faces new life experiences, like starting middle school this week.

She was right. I love what I do. All of the different pieces of it. They all fit together into a very full and very fulfilled life. It’s nice to pause and acknowledge that for a moment today.

Where are you? Do you love where you are, and what you do?

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Photo-Heart Connection Tomorrow!

The August Photo-Heart Connection opens tomorrow. Have you set aside some time to review the photographs you captured and worked with in August? Do you know which ones speak to your heart? I’ll find mine tomorrow morning. I am always surprised when I go to find my Photo-Heart Connection. It’s fresh and new each time. I’ve learned through the last eight months of this practice that I can’t plan messages from the heart, I have to sit quietly and listen.

So, will it be landscape from Glacier National Park? Or balloons drifting through the sky? Maybe some potted plants, sharing beauty on the doorstep for all who pass by.

I never know. I hope you will join me and the other participants in the Photo-Heart Connection this month. The link up will be open August 1 through 7. If you are new to the Photo-Heart connection, start here to learn how I find mine and then adapt the process for yourself. I can guarantee you will discover something new about yourself.

See you tomorrow!

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Today, in Color (+ a Giveaway!)

After sharing the dramatic black and white landscapes from Avalanche Lake yesterday, I thought I would share what the lake looked like in color. Aren’t those shades of green just amazing? I loved the subtle complementary color contrast of the greenery with the reddish lake bottom, visible through that amazingly clear water. The reflections are nice too!

With all of the postcards flying around the world for the Liberate Your Art postcard swap right now, I’ve been inspired to liberate some of my own art! I’m giving away a set of “Classic Italian Transportation” postcards to TWO lucky winners.

You can enter up to five times! You are eligible for one entry for each of the following:
1. Just because! Everyone can enter at least once.
2. You are a Kat Eye News subscriber
3. You follow me on Facebook
4. You follow me on twitter
5. You follow me on Google+
Please leave a separate comment on this post for each entry by the end of the day Monday, 27 August. Drawing will be done randomly from all comments on Tuesday morning, 28 August.

Yay! I can’t wait to give these babies away! Liberating art always feels good.

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