Kat Eye Studio

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Winter in Spring

It’s become normal, each day, for me to pick a photo to post based on a random impulse. Call it my intuition. Then I just write what comes to me based on looking at that photo. While there is sometimes a plan or a “theme” week (like when I show a specific place we visited, or show several pictures with similarities), they are usually just selected based on what calls to me that day. It has worked very well, and I’m often surprised by what comes out.

It’s not intuition that makes me choose today’s photo, it’s my body. I have an icky cold, it feels like winter to me. So I’m going to drink my tea, finish this post and then crawl back into bed. Because my body is telling me to. I guess sometimes you have to listen to your body too.

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The Stories Pictures Tell

Usually I don’t have my camera on me when I walk Brandon to school. This day, because I was going to go take pictures of the park in the snow after I dropped him off, I did. I love this picture of Brandon, because of the story it tells. The story of a boy, 8 years old, walking to school. The story of our morning walks on this road to school with no sidewalk, small Italian cars zooming by and other kids on their way to school. The story of where we live right now, with the bell tower in the distance and Italian cross-walk sign. The story of this morning, where it snowed in March and I decided to enjoy it creatively instead of being annoyed by it. All of those stories in one photograph. Amazing.

I have been thinking of the stories of my photos because I’ve found this fun website, Creative Every Day, which has a year long challenge. The theme for March is stories. I’m finding it interesting to participate and think about my art and creativity in light of this month’s theme, and to see what others are doing. If you are similarly interested, check it out!

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Portals to Another World

Strange to go from such vibrant color recently to black and white, but this is where I go today. I like the idea of portals to another place. Doors and gates that are a threshold to something different. I often think about this view as I walk over to Parco di Monza and see this gate and the view through it. A portal to a place of peace and nature amidst the busy, crowded surroundings of Italian city life. Everything just feels different on the other side. Keep your eye out for these portals, you encounter them here or there, and they are special places.

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Perspective is Everything


Last night it started snowing every so slowly, and this morning we woke up to this small amount of snow on the ground. It was still snowing, but it was just barely sticking and the roads were all just wet. No issues with commuting and a very beautiful view, so why was I still annoyed by it? Two months ago I was reveling in any snow. What happened?

I realized that I’ve been wishing for spring – for warmth and flowers – ever since we had that nice warm, spring visit to Corvallis. And I also realized that the difference in my view of what the morning brought was all internal. So I went for a walk, with my camera, and shifted my perspective. Intentionally. What was cold and wet and glum first thing this morning became beautiful again. It was all in my mind.

It made me think, how often is it our own perspective causing the problems we face? If we take a moment to intentionally shift our perspective, we might be happier. We might find more beauty. We might enjoy the moment more. Try it today, let me know how it goes.

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Into the Distance

I love this image from Alpe di Siusi for the light, the shape and the hint of where it was taken in the distance. I have another version with much more in focus, but it doesn’t have the “feel” that this one does. I thought about why not, and I think it’s because this image isn’t as obvious. It’s not saying “See, look at me, I’m in the Alps!” Instead it says, “Hey look at me, I’m this fence in the snow. Look the snow is deep and it’s a beautiful sunny day. Oh, and by the way, follow this fence out into the distance, there’s a hint of something there, maybe some snow covered mountains. Don’t you wonder where I am?” The secrets aren’t all revealed at once, they invite the viewer in to share and speculate.

As I write this I am reminded of a great blog post by Jenny on RisingSunCoaching.com that I read this week. Our life journeys don’t have everything laid out for us all the time. It’s like this photograph, you have to discover things one piece (or “crumb” as she puts it) at a time.

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