Kat Eye Studio

Archives for September 2012

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A Message

We must walk into the arena, whatever it may be – a new relationship, an important meeting, our creative process, or a difficult family conversation – with courage and the willingness to engage. Rather than sitting on the sidelines and hurling judgment and advice, we must dare to show up and let ourselves be seen. This is vulnerability. This is daring greatly.
— Brené Brown in Daring Greatly

I have a message today. A message from the universe. It’s not for you, it’s for me, but I’m sharing it with you too.

This morning I sat down and started reading Brené Brown’s new book, Daring Greatly. I’ve mentioned before, I have read and like her previous books, so I wanted to read this one right away. As I read the first couple of chapters, I found myself thinking, I really should watch that TED talk she mentions. I’ve heard about it but never seen it.

A little while later I stopped my morning reading and got on the computer to check my email. I open an email newsletter from a friend, and in it she is sharing Brené Brown’s TED talk. Whoa.

OK, universe. Message received. I stopped what I was doing and watched the talk, and I’m sharing it with you here today so you can watch it if you haven’t before. Or rewatch it if you have.

Her message is so important. It reminds us that to have connection and love, we have to believe we are worthy of connection and love. To truly connect or create, we have to make ourselves vulnerable. We have to put ourselves out there. We have to be willing to be ourselves and to live true to our hearts. We have to ignore the critics. We have to avoid being the critic, providing commentary from the sidelines.

I’m thinking on these messages today, since they were sent to me in such an obvious way. Do they connect with you too?

PS – I mentioned previously that Brené is doing a read along of her new book on her blog started next week. You can find out more here.

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Wedding, Accomplished

What makes a successful wedding? I’ve always thought, if the bride and groom are married at the end of the day, then it was successful. And so, my brother’s wedding in Colorado was wildly successful. Not only were they married at the end of the day, but it was done beautifully, organized by my wonderful sister and held at her house. This was not a kick-back-and-relax kind of wedding weekend. We were the worker bees too. It was a whirlwind 3 or 4 days of setting up, decorating, cooking, partying, taking down and traveling.

But wow, do I love my family and what we do for each other. And I’m so happy for my brother Ryan and his new wife Darcy.

Wedding, accomplished.

I wasn’t the wedding photographer (thank goodness) but here are a few of my favorite shots from the day. One advantage of being the sister of the groom was that I could pick my seats for the ceremony. Yay! After the ceremony, I put my camera away and just enjoyed the party.

Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Kurtz

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Liberate Your Art 2012 Blog Hop

It started with a simple idea: Host a swap to encourage people to create, share and connect through their art. This second year, the Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap just kept getting better and better. The addition of the Facebook Group added a fun, virtual element that went beyond the simple enjoyment of getting real-life mail. I loved seeing the excitement as the postcards were mailed and received. So much art liberated, so many connections made. I have to say, this year’s swap not only met my goal, but exceeded my original vision and delightfully surprised me!

So here are the stats of the 2012 swap:


1152 individual pieces of art liberated
193 artists participating
11 countries represented

From the USA, postcards came from 36 states and territories. Beyond the USA, we had artists from United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Norway, New Zealand, Germany, Slovenia, The Philippines, Portugal and The Netherlands. Pretty cool, huh?

As I laid out the art for the swap, I was incredibly inspired by all of your creativity. I was amazed at the individuality of the art. No two were alike. It made me stop and think about how there are more ways to express our creativity than it is possible to imagine. When we try to define what art is, we limit the possibilities.

I was inspired at the last moment to create something special to celebrate. Before I swapped the postcards, I went around and took a photo of one of each participants cards and created this video. Forgive me if the colors are off or if your art is oriented the wrong way, I didn’t have the time on swap day for perfection. There are 193 pieces of art shared in the video, and I think you will be as inspired as I was, seeing all of this art in one place.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for an amazing swap this year. Now, let’s finish it off with a bang. It’s time to hop!



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Looking Ahead

I’ve been looking ahead to this month for a long time. Looking ahead with some excitement, and some trepidation. Excitement because all of the activities on my plate are good things… my brother’s wedding, Fall Festival, heading to England. But trepidation too because they are all bunched up at once with almost no break in between. Of course, that motivated me to get myself together in advance and get ready for all of this, but it meant I didn’t have space to enjoy the excitement of any one thing.

Today the looking ahead stops, and the experiencing begins. Today I need to allow myself the space to just be in the moment. Tonight we head up the airport, flying out early in the morning for my brother’s wedding in Colorado. The wait is over.

I think perhaps my topic of Allowing Space in this month’s Exploring with a Camera is a little reminder from my subconscious to slow down and breathe. Allow space in my photography and extend that to my life. Yes, it’s a bit of a crazy time. But I can make it crazier by dwelling on it and always looking ahead to the next thing rather than experiencing what is in front of me right now.

That changes today. I’m looking at the here and now instead of looking ahead.

A few reminders, since I’ll be away from the blog for a few days…

  • The Exploring with a Camera: Allowing Space link up is open and ready for you to participate. It remains open through 21 September. This is a very calming exploration, I do hope you will join us.

  • The Liberate Your Art blog hop begins tomorrow! The hop will be open from 13 to 16 September. This will be a fun way to meet more participants in the swap and see more of the liberated art. I’ve been so excited to hear about the different connections that have been made through the swap, it will be wonderful to hear more. I have something extra-special to share with you in tomorrow’s blog post too, so be sure to come by and visit during the hop.

  • Registration is open for the October-November Find Your Eye eCourse series. We have a very nice class forming up! You can find all of the registration details here.

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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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