Kat Eye Studio

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Arrived! + Favorites: Island of Stone

Island of Stone
Civita di Bagnoregno, Italy, 2010

We’ve made it! Whew. It was quite the sprint there at the end to get ourselves, luggage and cat here. I was getting quite nervous at the airport before we left when the airline check-in agent had to consult her “official rule book” to see if she could accept our cat’s health certificate from the vet in Italian instead of English. Luckily, the rules were only explicit about certificates for dogs being in English and so our cat was approved to fly with us. What a relief. 
We had a short connection in Amsterdam and our flight was late out of Italy, but we made that too. The only thing that didn’t make it on the plane with us was one suitcase and my husband’s bicycle, which came on a later flight and were delivered to the hotel later. One more thing down. 
We got into our house Friday to see the state of things. After being rented for two years, you wonder about how it will look. The house looks great overall and the new floors we had installed look nice. We picked the flooring on the internet, so we wondered about how that would turn out too!

Not only that, it was fun to see the piles of mail for the Liberate Your Art postcard swap – yay! There are already a lot of envelopes and more to come. Some of the envelopes are beautifully decorated, which is awesome! I didn’t expect that but it is a lovely touch. I will take some pictures to share with you in a future blog post.

A few other random notes in my head this morning (way too early, for the time zone I’m in, by the way):
  • Superhero Summer Camp is open! You can see all of the details and sign up here.
  • Exploring with a Camera: Thresholds is still going on, if you want to join in.
  • I’m going to be giving away a couple of Find Your Eye registrations, but you have to be a newsletter subscriber to be eligible! Sign up for the newsletter if you haven’t already.
  • Thanks so much for all of your votes on my portfolio in the  One Life 2011 photography contest! It’s fun to see the numbers go up. I really appreciate your support. I think you can continue voting once per day through July 29, if you are so inclined. (I can barely remember to go vote for myself, so I certainly don’t expect you to go vote for me that often.)
  • I have another Letter to Kat to post tomorrow. Are you enjoying these? I am so appreciative of the advice that has been shared by these wonderful women. If you have advice for me on repatriating after living abroad, I welcome it! You can email me personally with your note or to provide a blog post for the series.
  • There is a new site that just launched, Seek Your Course, that is there to help connect the creative community with classes available online and at retreats. I’m so excited about this site because it’s a great idea to connect people who love to take these amazing creative courses with people who love to teach them. In fact, I like it so much you’ll see me there as a sponsor on the sidebar! 
I just wanted to stop in and say hi and that we are here! This will be another crazy week for us as we get moved into our house and start restocking and unpacking, so I’ll pop in here and write when I can. 
Happy 4th of July tomorrow to all of my American friends!

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Letter from Gina

Why Can’t You Go Home Again?

“You can’t go back home to your family, back home to your childhood … back home to a young man’s dreams of glory and of fame … back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time — back home to the escapes of Time and Memory.” Thomas Wolfe

Living in an unfamiliar place with different smells, tastes, and rhythms can be a jarring experience. Dislocated is a good term for what I was experiencing in my new environment –except I was in my hometown, feeling like a stranger. My family had just returned from a nine month stay in Barcelona, Spain, where our daughters attended public school and my husband did a research project at the University. We fell in love with Barcelona with all its beauty, culture, and bakeries.

I was unprepared for the reverse culture shock that I felt when we returned to our home in Sacramento. This was more than a post-travel funk. Things back at home were both bigger and smaller, brighter and duller. It was a little like being Alice in Wonderland, never knowing what to expect. I was missing the siestas and leisurely lunches with the whole family. Now our family life became more fragmented and hectic, as we moved back into our jobs and schools.

Friends welcomed us back, of course, but only a few seemed interested in hearing many details of our adventures in Spain. Just as we had changed and grown in our time away, our friends had too. We had to find new common ground. Some friendships withered away, others grew stronger. After a few stressful months, I gradually found my new groove – and a new me that included Barcelona as one of my homes.

Kat, I wish you an easy transition back to the U.S – your self awareness and maturity should make for a smooth re-entry!

[Today’s letter is from Gina, author of the blog Here and Now. She now lives in Sacramento, California. You can see all “Letters to Kat” posts here.]

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Announcing Superhero Summer Camp… and it’s FREE!

I’m so excited to announce something new today! I’m one of the “camp counselors” for Superhero Summer Camp, a 6 week summer camp program that’s all about YOU. Every day for six weeks, you’ll get an email from one of the great camp counselors on different topics. I’m so excited about this opportunity to work with these great women. Believe me, this will be really, really good. It’s about the whole you. The best part? It’s FREE! The announcement and sign up is below. I hope you’ll consider coming to summer camp with us!

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Now it’s your turn for fun… and it’s FREE!

Kids go to camp for the summer. They laugh, play, and learn. It’s time for you to have fun, too!

Don’t you deserve some play time?

You spend all year taking care of other people. Now it’s time to take care of you! Superhero Summer Camp is your opportunity to laugh, play, and enjoy life.

Are you ready to grow, learn, and have fun doing it?

Your sanity, your health, your heart and soul, your creativity, your life, and your precious time are calling to you. This is the time to make a shift, a leap, or a change and have fun doing it. No more waiting. The time is now.

Don’t let another summer slip away!

You deserve to be energized, not depleted. You’ve earned some fun after all your hard work. It’s time to fill your tank and reboot your mojo. So do something fun for yourself this summer!

How it works

Our 6 Superhero Summer Camp Counselors will share their ideas and expertise with you. Find your sanity. Get healthy. Find yourself. Get creative. Savor your life. Reclaim your time. You deserve it.

Daily, for 6 weeks, you’ll receive an email with an exercise, a idea, something new to try, a thought-provoking question, or some other surprise. Some emails include a link to a special video to watch or an audio mp3 to listen to. Each play assignment will take anywhere from 3 to 30 minutes. You can’t not make the time for this.

6 Weeks Just for You

Week 1 – Get Grounded

Do you feel like everything else is in the center of your life except you?

Jess Ryan will share…

  • Simple techniques for getting grounding and standing in the center of your life
  • Easy practices for coming back to your center when chaos is ensuing
  • Nature’s secrets for living in the moment

Week 2 – Make Health Happen

You know fruits, veggies, and moving your body are good for you, but are you confused by how to make it happen for yourself?

Jen Trinque will give you…

  • Easy, family-friendly ways to get more produce into your diet (including the green stuff!)
  • Popular dishes, made healthier and stuffed with veggies (Mexican anyone?)
  • Motivational tools to get your butt off the couch and into a pair of workout pants

Week 3 – Find Yourself

Who are you, anyway?

Bev Barnes will help you to remember who you were when you were 11 – when you knew that you were unique, special and different from everyone else on the planet! You will…

  • connect to your inner voice
  • identify your gifts and talents
  • remember how it feels to play

Week 4 – Fuel Your Creativity

Are you creative? You may not think so, but you are. Sometimes you just need a little fuel to get you going.

Kat Sloma will help you discover…

  • An awareness of the rich world around you as a source of raw material
  • An understanding of how you can tap into your creative energy
  • How these two things, raw material and energy, can work together to fuel your creativity in your personal pursuits  

Week 5 – Savor Your Life

Does life ever feel blah? Dull? Flat? Like a grind?

Anna Kunnecke will help you…

  • Wake up to the beauty that is already around you
  • Turn your to-do list into a tasty treat
  • Remember how to taste your life like a fine wine

Week 6 – Reclaim Your Time

Do you feel like there’s too much to do and not enough time to do it?

Jenny Shih will give you some top secret superhero tricks so you can…

  • Combat overwhelm and regain your clarity
  • Feel like you have it together, eve on days where you’re not sure that’s possible
  • Focus on what’s most important and make forward progress on your goals

Summer Camp Graduation Gifts – BONUS GALORE!

Along with the full 6 week program, you’ll receive exclusive access to 6 incredible bonus offers. Each camp counselor has something wonderful to share with you and they’re pulling out all the stops and giving you an incredible deal!

Bonus #1 – Free Yoga, Meditation, Breathing, or Healing Session from Jess Ryan
Get one FREE Skype session for yoga, meditation, breathing, or distance energy healing when you purchase two sessions (3 for the price of 2!) or $15 off a single session with Jess.

Bonus #2 – Discounted Coaching Package with Jen Trinque
Get 20% off a coaching package with Jen! Overcome emotional eating, learn about and apply intuitive eating to your life, add in more veggies, or learn some great meal planning tips for you and your whole family.

Bonus #3 – Discounted Coaching Group with Bev Barnes
Get Bev’s class Find Your Calling No Matter What for FREE, and get 20% off on any of my coaching groups if you sign up before December 31, 2011!

Bonus #4 – A Great Discount for Find Your Eye Photography Class with Kat Sloma
30% off of Kat’s next creative photography course series, Find Your Eye, beginning in September 2011 and January 2012.

Bonus #5 – Love Letters from Your Life at a Lovely Price from Anna Kunnecke
Get Love Letters from Your Life for only $33. (Normally priced at $75!) Your life is whispering to you…can you hear it? Life can be a grand love affair, full of tang and sweetness. Let yourself be wooed awake. The way back to yourself can be so very gentle.

Bonus #6 – Make Your Ideas Actually Happen with Jenny Shih
Get a the Get Real: Make Your Ideas Actually Happen program at a 33% discount. You can do it. Your ideas can change the world. I believe in you. This program will help you get there.

Your Camp Counselors

Jess Ryan

Jess Ryan, MS, E-RYT is a yoga teacher, nature guide, and intuitive energy worker who focuses on connecting people to the sacred spaces within. “I love mountains, the feel of dirt and grass on the soles of my feet, sunshine on my face. I love the earth and our connection to these wonders that take our breath away; that we can’t always explain but can sense. I believe yoga and the natural world are inextricably linked; our connection to self, our connection to something greater. Using these simple tools, we access the present moment connecting to grace and the Source within.” jessryanyoga.com

Jen Trinque

Jen Trinque is a life coach, writer and blogger who specializes in making healthy goals attainable. She was trained by Martha Beck and also is also a certified intuitive eating counselor. For fun she hikes, tries new things in the kitchen, reads, makes art, travels, and hangs out with her family (which includes two cats and one spousal equivalent.) jentrinque.com

Bev Barnes

Bev Barnes works with women who know they have a calling in life, but don’t know how to figure out what it is. “I believe that we all have gifts and talents and our real job in life is to claim them and use them to make a difference.” Bev helps her clients to find and follow their passions and overcome their resistance to showing up authentically in the world. Learn more about Bev at bevbarnes.com

Kat Sloma

Kat Sloma is an artist, a photographer, with a passionate belief that everyone can benefit from practicing creativity in their lives. She has spent the last two years living in Italy and traveling around Europe with an eye to finding the beauty of the everyday, while also working in the corporate world. She teaches online creative photography classes, inspiring others to find their unique vision of the world. You can see more of her photographs, learn about her classes and read about her creative journey on her blog, The Kat Eye View of the World.

Anna Kunnecke

Anna Kunnecke helps women declare dominion over their lives. We clear out clutter in The Queen Sweep. We Sit At My Table daily. We tell our deepest stories at The Birth Story Project. We marinate in the Rich Juicy Starry Beauty of our lives. She’s a heathen mystic, and if you work with her you will encounter profanity but also magic. declaredominion.com

Jenny Shih

Jenny Shih works with “big idea” people. Her clients are right-brained, solo entrepreneurs who have world-changing ideas that they need to get out into the world. They come to her spinning, stagnant, or confused about their business. There’s lots going on in their head but not much is actually happening. They’re looking to get moving on their ideas and make things happen in their business. Together, Jenny and her clients plan, scheme, and make stuff happen. Then, the magic starts to happen… Nothing should stop you if you want to change the world. jennyshih.com

Enroll NOW. It’s FREE!

Your summer camp experience begins the moment you enroll.
Enrollment is open through August 31, 2011.

To enroll, enter your name and email address below. It’s that easy!
You will NOT be added to any of our mailing lists nor will you receive anything that’s not directly related to Summer Camp. ‘Cause that’s how we roll…

Once you click the Submit button, please check your email!
You will receive an email confirmation from summercamp [at] jennyshih [dot] com.
You must open that email and click the confirmation link so that the daily emails can make their way to your Inbox.

If you change your mind, you can un-enroll automatically at any time.

Have more questions? Ask me anything: kat [at] kateyestudio [dot] com.

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Share Your View: Thresholds (2nd Edition)

Leaving the gazebo
Leaving the Gazebo by Dizzy Dress
Have you been enjoying Exploring with a Camera: Thresholds this week? Have you seen any threshold images? I loved this image from the Exploring with a Camera Flickr pool. Doesn’t it just look like a magical window into a beautiful spring day? It could be any season, but cross through this threshold and it’s spring. I love the feeling here and in the image below too. You can link your images (new or archive) on the exploration topic of Thresholds in below and put them in the Flickr pool, if you would like the opportunity to be featured on the blog next week.

portal
Portal by Marty’s Fiber Musings
Tomorrow is the big day! I cross my own “threshold,” as we fly from Italy and start our new adventure back in Oregon. I expected to feel more sad and bittersweet at this moment, but to be honest, what I feel is relief. All of the planning and packing and getting ready is finally at an end. Our container is already on its way to Oregon, we just have to get ourselves plus eight suitcases, three backpacks, a cat and a bike box home at this point. Actually, I’m more worried about getting it all from the rental car parking to the check in desk, but we’ll manage. At 4am. Ouch.

One other thing I wanted to let you know about before heading off… I’m giving away two spaces in my upcoming Find Your Eye: Starting the Journey class through Ashley Sisk’s Rambling and Musings this week! If you are interested in getting in on that action visit her blog here to see how you can win one of these spaces. A big huge thank you goes to Ashley and all of her Scavenger Hunters for particpating in Exploring with a Camera on a regular basis. I’m so happy to have you all here!

Be sure to check back tomorrow too, when I have a great announcement of something really cool for you to do this summer. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you got a hint of it last weekend. Tomorrow is the big reveal!

FYI – Links will be moderated. Please use a permalink, ensure that your linked image is on topic, and include a link back to this site in your post through the Exploring with a Camera button (available here) or a text link. Thanks!

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Letter from Marji

Photo by Rain City Girl

On Repatriating

I remember how I felt when I settled into my seat on the non-stop from Vancouver, BC to Beijing – utterly exhausted but at the same time totally exhilarated. My husband and I toasted each other with a glass of complimentary champagne – we were on to a new chapter. We were headed for our third overseas assignment, back to Asia for the second time. Our two dogs were safe in their crates in the cargo section of the plane and we were headed for a new adventure. We landed on my 40th birthday.

Living in Beijing was a remarkable experience. We were there during the SARS epidemic and the ramp up to the upcoming Olympics. The people, the lifestyle, the cultural differences and the language were my teachers for the two+ years we were there. We settled in, made friends, travelled and became comfortable… then opportunity rang. A call came to return home. It was time to return, to repatriate back to sleepy Spokane, WA.

I was sad. I didn’t want to leave. Life was fun, exciting and interesting. We had met wonderful friends from all over the world. It was sad to repatriate again. Leaving a life where every day was an adventure and returning to a sleepy town just didn’t seem appealing. I loved living the life where I felt special and each day held some new exciting experience for me. Travel to exotic places was at our fingertips, fabulous shopping at our doorstep and incredible foods on our table. What were we returning to? Back to what? Back to the same old place – the place we thought we were leaving forever.

When I was away, I had forgotten the great comfort of returning home. It was like slipping on that old pair of worn in shoes – the comfortable ones from the back of the closet – the pair I had not worn for a while. I knew my way around. I could understand the conversations around me. I could read the newspaper. I could be understood. There was so much that I took for granted. After returning from living overseas, once again, I gained a new appreciation for these simple things that make home comfortable. It’s easy to overlook these daily pleasures. Maybe life wasn’t as exciting and the smells, foods, people and culture were the same as they had been for my lifetime – but our old friends were closer, our families and things were familiar. Enjoy the familiar – its nice.

There are some lesser things to repatriating, too. It’s not easy for everyone. The shock of returning home doesn’t seem to hit until after the boxes are unpacked. A few months down the road you realize that life isn’t quite as exciting and special as it seemed when living the expat life. New friends don’t come as easily as they do in the expat circle. No one really cares or wants to hear about the adventures you had. They don’t really want to see photos nor hear your stories. It’s not that they don’t care about you – but they really can’t relate to your experiences. Your perspective is worldlier and you long for World news. You’ve been to places and experienced things that most people never have the opportunity to do in a lifetime. It’s hard to grasp that seeing the world and actually living in a different country really changes you – immensely and forever.

My advice – enjoy where you are now in life. Live in the moment and bloom where you are planted. Find the excitement and joy of what we take for granted each day. You will hold the memories of a special time in your life and carry them in your heart forever. The beautiful photographs and treasures you came home with will be the reminders of that enchanting chapter in your life.

I wish I had sage wisdom and a step by step guide to repatriation. For you, Kat, it will be easier because you are stepping back into your work. For your husband and your son, it may be different. For me, I loved China so much that I started an import business in order to keep my ties to a place I loved. I kept up my language classes so I would not forget what I had learned. To this day, I continue to keep in touch with my China friends. I have found ways to keep a tie to a place that I love for as long as I need. You will find that over time you will move forward and settle in comfortably, no matter where you are in the world. Where you have been will always hold a special place in your heart.

I always look at my life in terms of chapters in a book. Each one unfolds itself as I move through my life’s journey. For me, the end of one chapter and the start of another are exciting and joyful. They build upon each other and the story gets richer and deeper. I am always anxious to read on and find out what’s next. I hope you and your family feel this way too.

I wish you the best with settling in to your newest and most exciting chapter yet.

[Today’s letter is from Marji, aka Rain City Girl on Flickr and the author of the blog Sun Breaks in the Forecast. She now lives in Seattle, WA. You can see all “Letters to Kat” posts here.]

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Letter from Jamie

Rio de Janeiro

Watching Kat as she’s been packing up and moving home, has brought back a slew of memories for me.  When Kat asked if I would share a bit of my experience as an expat and then returning home, it was the perfect excuse to organize some of the thoughts buzzing around in my head.  

A little background: I spent 2 years living and working in Rio de Janeiro, followed by 2 years in New Delhi. I was then able to eased my way home with a 10 month stop in Kentucky before making it all the way home to Salt Lake City late last year – but my stop at home is temporary.  I know I’m headed abroad again – I just don’t know when or where yet.  It’s a very good thing I actually enjoy a bit of ambiguity in my life! 

My move home brought a wide range of emotions:  joy at being closer to my family and loved ones, a sense of relief that I didn’t have to worry about language or cultural differences, melancholy at leaving behind new friends, and sadness at missing out on the daily adventures of life abroad.  But more than anything my move home taught me just how much living abroad had changed me.

Some are little changes.  When I read the news instead of looking at US news first, I now look at global news.  Before I left I was living in Seattle where I tended to dress in dark monotone colors, after my time in Brazil and especially India I find myself gravitating to brightly colored clothing and I haven’t bought anything made of fleece in years.   My views on immigration have softened, having been the person who went into another country to take a job and who struggled (and failed) to learn a new language; I’m much more sympathetic to what immigrants go through.  I also now have a network of friends around the world – which means the odds of finding a couch to sleep on when I travel is much greater.

Some changes are bigger and truly life changing.  I’ve always been fiercely independent and hated asking for help.  I quickly learned that I needed help to survive in these countries, and I learned to ask for and receive help graciously. The biggest change is my self confidence.  If I can move to a foreign country, where I don’t speak the language, in a new job for a new company on my own, with two weeks’ notice and not only survive, but thrive, I know I can do anything.  The power of that life lesson will never leave me.

Taj Mahal Framed 3
My time back at home has also taught me a few things.  Life didn’t stop for my friends and family while I was gone – they’ve grown and changed too – which means I’ve had to reset a few expectations.   The level of customer service in the US really can’t be touched.  But most importantly, I’ve learned that my expanded capacity for daily challenges and growth opportunities must be fed.  I find that if I don’t deliberately set goals to keep me moving forward I struggle emotionally.  

After time abroad, you adapt to living a life full of small daily challenges: picking something to eat off a menu you can’t read, figuring out how to get hooked up to the internet, finding someone to cut your hair who speaks your language.  To suddenly have a life without those challenges left me feeling a bit lost.  The best solution I’ve found is to keep striving to learn new things and to find adventures that challenge me at home.

I’m sure Kat will love being home again, and she’ll find many new adventures as she adapts back into life in Portland.  For those of you dreaming of life abroad – I say go for it.  Nothing in my life has been as challenging or rewarding as experiencing life in another culture.

[Today’s letter is from Jamie, author of the blog Lyrical Journey. She now lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. You can see all “Letters to Kat” posts here.]