Kat Eye Studio

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The Art of Doing Nothing

I find it easy to be busy. There is nothing like a cram-packed schedule to clarify priorities and how to use my time. I am invincible. I am in control and get an amazing amount accomplished.


But I can only go for so long in that mode of operation. I get tired and cranky after a while. I’m productive, but I’m not the nicest to the people around me. I’m not at my best, or my happiest.

At some point, the pressure eases up and then I have different choices for my time. Do I continue to push forward on projects or do I take a break? What does “taking a break” even look like? 

Right now it looks like a puzzle. A good old jigsaw puzzle. And podcasts, lots of great podcasts. It’s easy to listen while puzzling. And maybe some Pokemon. 

It may sound crazy, but that’s my version of doing nothing. It’s something, sure, but none of it is accomplishing anything real. It’s taking my brain to another space for a little while, giving me a break from the “to do” list. Letting me recharge.

And it feels wonderful. Decadent and maybe just a bit rebellious. Exactly how doing nothing should feel. Like I am getting away with something.

What is your version of doing nothing? 

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The Good and the Bad

There is good and bad in coming home from a great vacation. 

The good: Sleeping in my own bed, snuggling with my cats, eating my normal food, getting back into a routine.

The bad: I can’t create art or play Pokemon Go whenever I want.

I had a great time last week visiting family and friends in Colorado. We are a road-tripping family, so the drive there and back provided ample time for me to create some new art on my iPad Pro. And I had access to new things to photograph and some people who were willing to experiment with me. 

Add that all together, toss with the techniques I’ve been playing with from Bob Weil’s online class, and voila! You have a new direction in my art. I call this one: She Opens Her Own Doors.


There will definitely be more in this series. You can visit me on Instagram or my newsletter to see these unfold. And if you would like to learn how to create this type of layered collage art, the special offer on iPhoneography with Bob Weil is still available until July 17. Visit here to learn more.

And yes, I am playing Pokemon Go! My son and I used to collect and play with Pokemon cards when he was little, so this is another fun way to connect with him at fifteen. With a teenager, you just can’t miss these opportunities. Yesterday I made it to Level 9 and joined a gym in the area I like to hike. 

This is one more fun thing to do with the iPhone. If you haven’t played yet, consider giving it a try. It gets you out walking around, and while you play you are getting exercise and can take photographs to use in your art. See you on the streets!

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You’ve written a book. Now what??

When you write a book, it feels like you liberate all you know. You distill it down to the essential topics. You think hard about how to present the concepts. You spend hours pulling together the right words, finding the best images, creating the right screen shots. You edit and correct, correct and edit.

And then it goes off into the world. And you think… Now what? My big challenge of learning, teaching, consolidating, writing about my iPhone art process is done. What comes next?

For me, that means it’s time to learn something new. It’s time to read all of those iPhone photography books I avoided, so they wouldn’t influence me too much. It’s time to take a course or two.

And so I came across the iPhoneography with Bob Weil online course. I was attracted to his art and thought, Hey, that collage stuff looks interesting! I’m going to try that.

Here’s one of my first successful collages I created using the techniques Bob teaches, from photographs I’ve taken in various places over the last couple of years:

We the People

We the People

It’s not my normal way of creating, which typically requires a single, carefully composed photograph, in combination with backgrounds or textures. This technique requires multiple source images that you can combine together into a single piece. It’s more conceptual. It’s been a challenging and interesting change of pace to create this way but I find I like the feeling of being a beginner again. It’s fun to be learning something new.

I normally don’t do a lot of promotion, but I have enjoyed the material and find it very complementary to my Art with an iPhone book and process, so I want to recommend it to you.

Bob has generously offered a great discount to my followers on his course, over 40% off of the regular price. The online course contains over 40 videos as well as some great extras like textures. (You can never have enough textures!) Plus, Bob has thrown in two short courses by Nicki Fitz-Gerald and Susan Tuttle, normally an extra charge, as a bonus for you. Very nice of him!

You can learn more about the course and register here. Let me know what you think!

Note: This special offer is only available through July 17.

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The Latest Review

“This books passes muster as a great instructional tool for the novice mobile artist – A Classic”, Joanne Carter, 2016

Pretty darn cool quote, huh?

My book, Art with an iPhone: A Photographer’s Guide to Altered Realities, was very nicely reviewed on The App Whisperer this week. The App Whisperer is the “world’s most popular mobile photography and art website” so this is a big deal! So exciting.

Pop on over and read it when you get a chance.

Time Line (#30edits Abstract 7/30)

Time Line (#30edits Abstract 7/30)

And enter the contest for a book, of course!

What, you already have a book? Enter the contest anyway! If you win, you can give the new book away. Spread more of the iPhone Art love!

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How well do you know yourself?

Last week, my husband asked me: “Are you still doing that abstract project?”

Me: “Yes, I am.”


Him: “I haven’t seen anything lately. Isn’t it supposed to be every day for thirty days?”

Me: “No. It’s whenever I get to it.”

If you’ve been following me in this project, you’ll know I’m on a bit of a hiatus. With back-to-back fairs and a looming vacation there has been so little time for creation.

That’s why I don’t set time limits on these #30edits projects. I know myself. I know I’m not an everyday-come-what-may kind of creator. I know that having a deadline on creating art will make it stressful for me, not fun. I would kill myself to achieve and then resent it.

That’s not a good formula for making art.

That doesn’t mean that challenge and struggle and pushing through boundaries aren’t all part of the creative process. They absolutely are.

But the challenge does not have to be in every dimension, so I take it out of the dimension of time. That works for me.

You will definitely see more #30edits abstracts soon, and I’ve been experimenting with some collage art as well. Lots of creative material to work with.

Perfect timing too… I just got an iPad Pro and Pencil! After three different people, whose iPhone art I like and respect, told me it would rock my world, I decided it was time. I’m looking forward to creating art on the big screen. 

When I have time, of course.

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You just never know…

…what is going to happen at an art fair.

Will there be sun, rain, wind? Will the people show up, and will they like my stuff? Will I meet someone interesting?

Actually, for that last one, I think the answer is always “yes.” I always meet interesting people. 

And now I’ve met someone famous too! 


My travel hero, Rick Steves, stopped by my booth at the Edmonds Arts Festival this weekend. We traveled all over Europe with his books when we lived in Italy, so it was great to meet him in person and to say thank you. I was an embarrassingly gushing fangirl, but I had to ask for a picture. My husband and son were jealous! 

This was a fair of a lot of firsts, and not just meeting a celebrity. It was my first time out of state, to Washington, and the farthest I’ve gone for a fair. It was the first time I’ve driven my husband’s truck, since my Jetta Sportwagon was totaled in January. First time collecting tax (Oregon has no sales tax). First time using AirBnB. 

And you know what? For all the firsts, it all went great. It was wonderful to get back out there and share my art with a new group of people. I met some really wonderful people, some who’ve participated in the Liberate Your Art swap or have met online before, some who were ready to learn iPhone photography, some who just wanted my art on their wall. 

Here’s my booth this year:


The banner and books on display are new, otherwise pretty much the same display as last year. What you can’t see is a new inventory control system I figured out this winter, complete with bar codes for easy check out, all run with my iPhone. It saved me soooo much time figuring out what sold and what I need to replace before my next show! Very happy with it.

Next art fair is this weekend: Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts!

Will I see you there?