Kat Eye Studio

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New Schedules + Favorites: Covered Parking

Covered Parking
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2009
I only have three more days of “favorite” pictures left on the schedule and then I’ve got to get myself back onto the regular blogging bandwagon. You can probably tell I’ve scheduled these posts on Italy time and then I’m writing them as I can. For some reason, I’m reluctant to change my blog back to Pacific Standard Time. I know, I’ll get over it. It will be too confusing not to change it.
So what will my blogging schedule be? The same as Italy, where I write in the morning? Do I change it up to write at night? Do I write whenever and schedule? How is it all going to work out? To top it all off I’m going part time at work (yay!!) but not immediately, so that means it will be a while before things settle out.
I was chatting with a friend at work today about my work schedule and said, “It’s fun to figure it all out!” I honestly didn’t know where that comment came from. I mean, it doesn’t feel very fun right now. I’m a bit overwhelmed and tired. And then I stopped and realized, my statement was totally true. When I stop focusing on my tired/overwhelm of the moment, I am excited to figure it all out. Even though I don’t have a routine right now (and I looooove routine), I have the possibility of figuring out something new. I have the possibility to combine some of the best parts of my Italy schedule with my Corvallis schedule and see what happens. 
Add ingredients, shake well, taste. Stay tuned to see how it comes out!

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The Power of Persistence

Nothing in this world can take the place of Persistance.
Talent will not; nothing is more commonplace than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistance and Determination alone are omnipotent.
                                                   – Calvin Coolidge

Isn’t that a wonderful messsage? Persistance is the key. You might not be the most talented, a genius, have the “right” education… but none of those things in itself is the key to success. It is true isn’t it? So when we tell ourselves that we don’t have what it takes to reach our dreams, when we compare to others and say “I don’t have the education” or “They are so much more talented,” we need to stop and remember this message:

“Persistance and Determination alone are omnipotent.”

And continue working onward, upward toward our dreams.

P.S. Today is one of those “out of the blue” blog posts, that I find myself drawn to writing instead of what was planned. Maybe I’ll be inspired to write about Oktoberfest tomorrow. 🙂

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‘Tis the Season

Ah, summer. A time of grassy green fields and abundant flowers. A time of heat and humidity; long, lazy days exploring the world. This image is a summer vacation image, from outside of Amsterdam last year. I love the peaceful, country feel of it. Don’t you just want to find a patch of grass under a shady tree near here and enjoy the afternoon? Maybe with a book along, a cool drink and of course, a camera. That is happiness.

Summer is also the time of vacations, and we are going on one yet again. Tonight we leave for a week in Switzerland, so I’ll be disappearing from here for a bit while I go capture new images of new places. I love it! So much creative fuel. I’ve scheduled a couple of posts for next week so check back – or sign up for the site feed if you haven’t already, since that’s the easiest way to get updated when there are new posts.

Until I’m back, happy travels to all!

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Beauty is Everywhere

One amazing lesson from this journey I am on through Europe and life – Beauty is everywhere around us, we only have to see it. We only have to stop and notice. In our hurried, everyday lives do we do that?

I didn’t, until I completely uprooted myself and my family and moved across the ocean temporarily.
I didn’t, until I started carrying a camera everywhere and noticing more about the world around me in a different way.
I didn’t, until I started sharing what I found with others and recognizing the amazing joy that sharing beauty can bring.

All of these things have made me “see” in a different way. Helped me see beauty everywhere, in so many ways.

Is something beautiful if no one notices it? Our American (English?) saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” has been used to mean that beauty is completely personal. But does it also mean that it requires a person, a beholder, to see it and name it beautiful?

If so, we have a big job! We have so many things around us to find beautiful. I encourage you to make something beautiful today, just by seeing it. Notice what is around you. You don’t need the move to the foreign place to change your viewpoint like I did, learn from me.

(Image is a stair railing of a townhouse in Amsterdam.)

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