52 of you (and a giveaway!)

“Women are the primary resource of the planet.
They give birth, we come from them.
They are mothers, they are visionaries, they are the future.
If we can figure out how to make women feel safe and honor women,
it would be parallel or equal to honoring life itself.”
- Eve Ensler

Beginning the self portraiture journey helped us discover the empowerment we find through photography. Now we often find ourselves reaching for a camera as a form of self care. Seeing to be seen. Seeing to reflect the beauty we feel inside.  We are all women, mothers, sisters, daughters, sharing this human experience. We all struggle, grieve, fear, celebrate, love, dream, hope and mourn. We have great joy and also great pain. We embrace all of these pieces of self.

As mothers, women, and artists we are focused on documenting the everyday beauty of our lives, our homes, and our families. As photographers, we are good at seeing the beauty of the world around us. We discovered that women were missing from their family photos. We recognized this need for all women, and NOW YOU Workshops was born. Now is the time to honor ourselves by finding our place in it. What do we want to remember? What is our place in the chaos? What is our place in the joy?

Right now we are very excited about our newest eCourse. 52 of YOU is a year long gathering of creative women. This eCourse was born out of desire, companionship, global community, and shared inspiration. This project is our third in a series of self portraiture classes provided online. By having a year long project to gather around, we can keep the focus on you with a less intense yet day to day journey. Registration is now open!

Today we are happy to announce a giveaway! We are offering one spot in our 52 of YOU eCourse. Please leave a comment here by midnight (PST on 12/17) for your chance to join us all year long.

xo,

Kristin & Meredith

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Don't forget to join our mailing list! 

*****WINNER OF A SPOT IN 52 of YOU : Jeanne! *****

in gratitude

November was a dark month. Here in New England, it feels like the slippery slope leading down down down into the darkness of short days and long nights. November is the hardest for me. Others might argue that February is hardest here in the north country but I would disagree (having only had one under my belt, ahem!) February for us is a busy time filled with birthdays and a visual expression of pulling oneself up into light with each day growing longer by the minute and the ever elusive Springtime always just around the corner. Yes, February is easier for me to swallow with birthday cakes and ice cream.

November was another story.
And thus, a gratitude project was born.
last year it was what carried me through.
It's a great practice in daily mindfulness.

This past month I found myself thankful for:

• reclusive artists and the partnership that flows between.
• radical acts of love
• laughing children, hide and seek, and cornfield picnics.
• photography and the inspiration that comes with the first snow of the season.
• the nights my mom visits me in my dreams, even though it's absolutely heartbreaking.
• this colorful world.
• this messy life and the lessons we learn together.
• sunday drives that lead us to thrifted bliss.
• this art of juggling, crazy as it makes me.
• for technology that allows these conversations that float through this very sky connecting maine to london and canada. thankful for these connections, these women, this laughter.
• strangely, grateful for the broken washing machine... it gave me this day in town with my loves.
• for sunshine and friendship
• this boy who made me a momma.
• this day. this moment. this life.
• the little things like hanging curtains in our new bedroom yurt.
• this epic day of gatherings and blended families, thanksgiving feasts. this is the reminder that our past does not define us, it simply brought us to where we are now... which is as amazing. 
• my love, my partner, and an impromptu date night in portland.
• this day to finish my work week, this laughter to finish the month, and true smiles that come with real life.

So, while I was silent in blogland I was shooting images every day with my iphone because that little device often acts as a lifeline and keeps me present in the moment of everyday photography. Have you done a gratitude project? If so we'd love to see it! Do you prefer your smartphone or your dslr for everyday shooting?

What have you been grateful for? Please leave your words (and images!) in the comments below.

the art of us

 "All communication begins with an intention, and your intention determines the quality of your life."

- Danielle LaPorte

Today, think about social media and your place in it. Think about your own avatars and how (and what) we communicate through these visuals. What if there was a project that was created with the hope and respect rooted deeply at its core? What if the intentions were to connect everyone through the lens of their camera and through the social networking sites that define this time of our lives? 

A new project is about to be born. The Art of Us. This project strives to connect all of us together in a gallery of avatars. It's aesthetics and people and social media and truth. Because this is how we relate to one another. Every day. This is our world in the twenty-first century. This is what our kids witness while growing up. This is how our parents wrestle with new technology. 

This is us. 
This is our culture. 

So, there should be an importance in this, right? We should be more mindful of what we put out there. This is the art of us! We want you to tell your story and share your art through the image you put out to the world, your avatar..  your profile picture! 

Recently, a profile picture exhibition project was brought to my attention. Be Art. A great idea, I thought... afterall, this is our world, this is how we relate, this is how we share bits and pieces of our days, our triumphs, our struggles. Our profile pictures are tiny pieces of art, tiny reflections of self, our voice put out there in square pixel format for all our the world to see. But upon further investigation, to be honest, it wasn't at all what it seemed. Looks can be deceiving! And further conversations were had on the topic. You can find those conversations here.

I know that art is subjective, but it seemed that the implied party scene of avatars shown with their video were supposed to represent this period in history as the "art" of today. And, well, that's not MY voice (nor the voices of my peers.) So we'd like to offer an alternative for everyone out there. This is the tiny seed that was planted and grew into a project about to be born. 

When I realized that I didn't want the Be Art project to represent any tiny bit of who i am as a person who uses social media... it opened a space in my heart for offering an alternative. The alternative is: The Art of Us. You see, there's a reaction that comes from shock value. and then there's a reaction that comes from light and truth. I personally think the world should be focusing on positivity. On how we can lift ourselves up with respect for each other and hold ourselves in the best light possible. 

I teach classes on self portraiture. It's a big part of my existence as a photographer, as an artist, as a mother partner daughter sister. i recently wrote a feature article in DP Magazine on self portraits and was pleased by the like minds that reached out. and in the words of DP Magazine's editor, Wes Pitts, he shared the same perspective. “One of our favorite articles in this issue (DP Magazine Oct 2012) is by Meredith Winn... who offers thoughtful ideas for creating more interesting and authentic self-portraits. Though social networks are gratuitously littered with snapshots of people making silly duck faces, we’re refreshingly reminded that self-portraiture can be a truly personal, elevated art form that’s not contrived out of sheer vanity, but rather emerges from honest experience and introspection.”

So, can we start a new revolution? Who's with us?! Can we create art as a form of activism? I think there's so much power in photography. I feel really strongly about harnessing the power of it and using those super powers for good, not evil. Photography and self portraiture need not be defined. But there is a responsibility that comes with wielding a camera (and pointing it at ourselves) there is the hope for depth, there is always a path for human growth and self-awareness that holds true, even in the face of opposition.

We believe in the power of photography.
We believe that nothing is ordinary
that everything can be seen as art.
We believe in the power of positivity.
We believe that cameras are tools of expression.
We believe we can be the change we want to see in the world.
We believe in beauty
(that an authentic representation of self can empower the masses.)
We believe in respect
(that when we share what is genuine we find others of like minds.)
We believe that your masculinity, your femininity, your weakness, your strength
are all worthy of being documented.
We believe we are all complicated, messy, beautiful human versions of self.
We believe this is the art of us.
We believe this is the art of you, too.

Today, share your thoughts. Do you have a passion about this? Or are you wondering what's the point and how can one person change anything anyway? We'd love to hear from you today.

mother nature

The wind blows the rain sideways against the windows. It sounds like the ocean outside, rain coming in waves. Everything becomes art through the blur of water. We focus on this instead of the fear. He asks a lot of questions about floods, he knows the story of his name: the river that flooded our house not once but twice during my pregnancy. He knows we are often at the mercy of mother nature.

We speak, instead, of the beauty around us. We share stories, we discuss the safety of our home. Instead of dismissing the worry, we speak directly and kindly about truths. During storms, we are humbled by nature. Her strength keeps us bundled up inside.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the outside world disappears. School is cancelled, electricity flickers. Things that truly matter come to the front of our minds. We have each other. We have a roof to keep us dry. We have popcorn by the woodstove. 

We on the East Coast are weathering this storm. We wish you well and carry you in our thoughts. Today, share with us your weather reports and let us know how you're doing out there!

inside outside upside down

How we view the world through our camera lens often helps us shape the world we experience in our day to day life. One of my favorite photographic perspectives is the simple act of reflection and inversion. This post processing "flip" lets my world become the abstract surrealist version of life that I often perceive in my imagination.

The morning I saw this image in the puddle reflection, we were both feeling something in the space between mother and son. It was a hug and a tug of parenthood and childhood. We were bridging a gap and it conjured up memories and old stories long forgotten. I wanted to document the feeling of this morning in a way that didn't show a particular expression, but instead, painted a picture of how I felt from our conversation.

Since I have a camera with me absolutely everywhere I go, my son is used to this fact even in his rebellion of it. I now find myself explaining my process to my son, as he is often the witness to my creative spark (and with reluctance to have his photograph taken these days) I hear myself telling him, "I'm focusing on your shoes, the details of your face with be lost in this puddle reflection." By talking outloud to him about my process it puts him at ease that I won't try to sneak in a picture of him unwillingly. This also gives him the ability to be part of it the process. So, when we view the final image, perhaps he carries that vision with him as he ventures out into his world. And the next time I see him gazing into puddles looking for another dimension, I will smile to myself at the future he might hold in his own imagination.

Do you seek reflections? Abstractions? Do you flip your images to create an optical illusion to wrinkle your brow with a millisecond of confusion? Show us how you play with photography by sharing your images in the comments below.