Kat Eye Studio

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Photo-Heart Connection: November

There is a sense of Emerging.

Moving from one place to another.

Emerging

Coming from a place of certainty. Knowledge. Moving toward something new.

And at the point of Emerging, there is clarity. I see the detail of the moment. I see behind me, my journey to this point.

I cannot see the future, still. It is murky. But it doesn’t matter.

What matters is here. Now. This clarity, at the moment of Emerging.

This image wraps up my month. It has been an month of intense self-reflection. Of looking back to see where I am now. You may not believe it, but almost a year and half after moving back from Italy, I finally feel here. I am in this moment, in this place, settled. Emerging from my past into the new. This has been coming out in my home, in my art, and in my plans for the next year. My craziness in September and October was like holding my breath and powering through. November was a release of long held breath. Breathing deeply, sitting quietly and finding clarity. Emerging seems to be the perfect word.

What did November bring for you? What came out in your Photo-Heart Connection this month? I look forward to reading your experience this month. The linky is open through December 7.

And don’t forget about my invitation to write a guest post on your experience with the Photo-Heart Connection! If you want to participate, they are due December 15. I haven’t received any yet, so you have an excellent chance of being chosen. 🙂 You can find all of the details in last month’s post here.



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Photo-Heart Connection: October

Who am I?

I don’t recognize my reflection here. That’s me, but not the me I know.

There is something different. Different in the silhouette, different in the frame. I love it. I fear it.

Gah. Change. Why is it so fun and exciting, yet so hard at the same time?

I love this new direction in my photography. I love the painterly mood and emotion that I am evoking in my images. Within myself. It’s not about perfect focus or the place I am right now, but the feeling. The impressions of light and shadow and color and how they convey a sentiment beyond what is physically there.

Yet I am scared, too.

Scared because I thought I had myself all figured out as an artist and this is so radically different. I don’t know where this will lead. I’m not sure how it all fits together within my self. Within my heart and soul.

Exciting. Scary. The raw material for a period of growth. I don’t know who I am at the moment, but I’m moving ahead anyway. I will continue to reflect, and figure out how the pieces fit as I go along. Learn to recognize myself again.

This month I’ve been exploring some new directions with my photography, and it turns out the top images for my Photo-Heart Connection were all painterly in feel. Whether from my mobile camera or from my dSLR camera, these were the ones that called to my soul. I’ve always thought my painting and my photography would come together someday. I just never thought it would be like it’s happening right now. I’m reveling in the excitement but also stunned at the fear that it’s evoking in me. The questions. The rules and the “shoulds” it’s revealing, about my art and who I am as an artist.

I didn’t want to do the Photo-Heart Connection this month. I was really resistant. I think, deep down inside, I didn’t want to face my fears. But that’s what the Photo-Heart Connection does. It cracks you open and lays you out for the messages your heart has for you. It’s a powerful thing.

For that reason, I’d like to do a series of guest posts at the end of the year. I want to hear how the Photo-Heart Connection has impacted you this year. How did you approach this monthly practice? How has it fed your personal growth? Has it changed your photography? I would like to know, and I think others would too. We learn from each other, in this community of kindred spirits. Here are the submission guidelines:

  • To be eligible, you must have participated in the Photo-Heart Connection at least 3 times throughout the year.
  • Write an original (unpublished) piece about how the Photo-Heart Connection has impacted you this year. Length is up to you. Use as short or as long as you need to communicate your experience.
  • Send it to me by December 15 at kat [at] kateyestudio [dot] com.
  • Include a few of the images you selected from your Photo-Heart Connection practice this year, and a 2-3 line bio with links to your blog/site/social media.

I plan to select 5 to 6 posts from the submissions and will let you know by 20 December if you are selected. I hope you will consider participating. I’ve found the Photo-Heart Connection practice to be powerful and I know, from reading your posts each month, that many of you do too.

So what’s your Photo-Heart Connection for October? It’s time to share with us here. Link up remains open through November 7.


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Photo-Heart Connection: September

No Parking.

Such a definite statement. No ifs, ands or buts. Just “No Parking.”

Do you notice how nicely it is said though? A painted sign against the stone. The beautiful flowers along the wall. It seems to be saying, “No Parking. But really, why would you want to park here anyway, blocking this beautiful scene? Enjoy the flowers.”

I like this straightforward, yet pleasant message. No apologies, no beating around the bush. How often do we want to say “No” to something, yet we feel awkward saying the words or obligated to answer with something else. We feel as if we must explain.

But really… would a simple, pleasant, confident “No” work? I’m thinking maybe it would. We should not feel uncomfortable using it more often. With a smile and with an attitude of respect for the person we are answering. Like this “No Parking” sign, maybe we can make our answer of “no” something beautiful rather than something we would hide in a dark alley.

“No Parking.” I am happy to oblige. How about you?

This image is from the town of Haworth and it jumped out at me when I was going through my photos the other day. The message was just so clear. So this month I didn’t end up going through all of my September photos for the Photo-Heart Connection. I have them with me on the trip and planned to, but I didn’t need to. This message came to me beautifully gift wrapped with pots and flowers and a birdhouse. A “no” never looked so good. It reminded me that we can make an answer someone might not want to hear in a strong, confident and respectful way. And when we do, it changes everything.

What is your Photo-Heart Connection this month? I would love to hear. Bring on those strong, confident messages!



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Photo-Heart Connection: August

Behind the scenes he worked. Starting hours before the performance, the guitar tech began getting ready. The performers were nowhere to be seen, but he was there. Gently unpacking and prepping the guitars, his hands steady and sure.

The sun went down and the lights came on. The performers took the stage. Throughout the performance he stood at the ready. Knowing what song came next, what each guitarist needed. Everything flowed. He knows his job and does it well. You can tell, because no one noticed him there on the side of the stage.

There are so many roles like this in our world. So many people behind the scenes, making things work smoothly. They are skilled. They love what they do. They make a difference to those around them.

So today I’m thinking about how we often notice only the headline act. We see the artists on stage, in the spotlight. But they wouldn’t be there, successfully doing what they do, without the backstage artists that make everything work. I’m thinking about the people in my life who are backstage artists for me in different ways. I owe them my notice and my thanks.

My Photo-Heart Connection this month is from da Vinci Days, an annual festival of art, science and technology here in Corvallis. I had the good fortune to be the Main Stage photographer for the headline night of the festival, where I got the backstage view and prime locations to photograph the performance. I am honestly surprised at picking this one as my Photo-Heart Connection. It was a tough month to choose. I had a lot of photos; many with a strong heart connection. At one point, as I was narrowing the field down, I had to stop and go do something else to clear my thoughts and emotions.

In the end, it was the hands that drew me in. As I looked at the guitar tech’s hands, I remembered how this guy did his job, quietly and confidently. He didn’t really talk to anyone that I saw. He was just always there, doing what needed to be done for his band. Such a simple photo of hands, teaching me a bigger lesson. Reminding me to watch for those backstage artists in my life and thank them.

What did you discover in the Photo-Heart Connection this month?


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Photo-Heart Connection: July

Well, hello there little plant. Look at you, outgrowing your pot and reaching for the sky. Growing upward without regard to your limitations.

I caught a glimpse of blue and orange, down a path behind a school. It called to me, so I wandered back to see what was there. A bench in beautifully textured blue sat in the green summer grass. A tiny orange pot, with it’s awkward plant, contrasted against a white wall.

As I look on this plant, I see a forgotten school project that someone forgot to take home at the end of the year. But the plant doesn’t know. It keeps growing.

I see a plant that’s getting too big for it’s little orange pot. But the plant doesn’t know. It keeps growing.

I see a plant that’s lonely, sitting there by itself in the back of the school. But the plant doesn’t know. It keeps growing.

Maybe, come fall, this plant will bear some fruit despite the odds stacked against it. We know the odds of survival, the plant doesn’t. The plant does what it is meant to do: Grow. Take the light and the rain and the soil and grow.

There is a lesson for me here, in this little lonely plant at the back of a school. I need to continue to do what I’m meant to do. Ignore perceived limitations. Ignore perceived odds.

Just grow.

My Photo-Heart Connection speaks to all of us this month, I think. We need to stop limiting ourselves. It’s easy to place boundaries around what we say we can and can’t do. Often those boundaries are completely in our head. If we ignore them, what can we achieve? Like this little plant, we may grow and change in ways that don’t seem possible for the container we were planted in or the care we received. Our spirits our stronger than we think.

I was caught by the glimpse of orange and blue. I was captivated by the textures and the color contrasts, that’s why I carefully framed this image. But it’s the message from the little plant that speaks to my heart today. That’s the power of the Photo-Heart Connection. There are messages that our heart has for us. Our photos can share them with us if we pause and listen.

What is your heart message this month? You can link in here August 1 through 7. Spend some time visiting the participants too. You can learn from their Photo-Heart Connections as well.


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Photo-Heart Connection: June

The spare chair.

It beckons.

It doesn’t look comfortable, nor especially pretty. But for some reason, it invites me to come and sit down for a while. It begs for a friend to sit across from me. Sipping a cup of tea, and watching the world go by on the sidewalk beyond.

I can feel myself on this chair. Sitting forward on the edge. My feet on the lower rail, wrapping ankles around the leg. My elbows on the table, my hands around my cup. Looking intently at my companion, as she talks.

I can feel myself shifting the chair, the sound of metal scraping on concrete, to turn the chair out from the table. Leaning against the hard back, legs crossed, as I quietly watch the busy street. Cars going by, pedestrians moving in and out of shops. Snippets of conversation and laughter float by.

The world moving around me as I sit. And watch. And listen. And observe.

The spare chair beckons. I think I’ll sit for a while.

My Photo-Heart Connection seems to be about rest this month. It’s about pausing for a moment to just watch the world around me. Instead of charging ahead, moving forward, always being the one with a plan. But maybe not cushy rest… the spare chair invites me to active rest. Observation as part of the environment. It is fitting, as I head away on vacation for a week, to be reminded of what I need to do. Watch. Observe. Listen. I am so anxious to get to a new place with my camera, to explore again. This has been a month full of creativity with my painting and my printing but not in the way of quiet observation that so calls to me in photography. The spare chair reminds me of what I need to do this week.

I’ll be away from the computer much of the week, but I will be coming by when I can to visit all of your Photo-Heart Connections. Don’t be surprised if I’m late this month. I hope that those of you participating will pick up my slack and visit each other. As powerful as seeking your own Photo-Heart Connection is, there is power in witnessing the heart connections of others. We learn to see deeper, to see differently, from each other. We may find our kindred spirits on this journey through life. I’ll see you back here on the blog in a week or so.


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