365-grateful

Photos by Hailey Bartholomew from her 365: grateful project

Have you ever discovered work from another photographer that touched your heart, in terms of what and how they shoot?, that you almost felt like you would be friends, if it wasn’t for the fact they lived on opposite sides of the world.

I felt exactly this way when I discovered Hailey Bartholomew last year, her work is so full of dreamy colours, glorious sunshine and true happiness, whether photographing or filming her family or clients... there was an immediate connection for me. I had just finished my 365:to be thankful everyday project, so when I delved deeper into her blog and saw her collection of photos and films from her 365:grateful project, I was totally smitten with her. This simple idea of photographing and recognising something to be thankful for each day, has changed Hailey’s and my life forever. Hailey says “Just having the camera physically with me every day caused a shift in the way I was thinking. Previously I was concentrating on the negative, but doing this made me consciously look for the positive. That process literally changed the way my brain was working, shifting it from always focusing on the bad to the good.” I totally agree!

Now Hailey, with the help of other family members, is taking the 365:grateful idea on to greater and bigger things. She is embarking on making a documentary about the extraordinary power of gratitude, she will be traveling to the US and hopefully the UK (fingers crossed, I’m so looking forward to meeting you), interviewing world leaders, authors, artists, scientists, spiritual teachers and musicians discussing topics such as health, happiness, relationships, marriage, mental health and the environment, the film will explore the effect that gratitude has on all facets of life. I’m so excited for her, I just know it will be filled with good vibes and messages, along with the beautiful colourful imagery you find in all her work.

Please take a look at their funding site and learn how you can get involved, you can watch a video of Hailey speaking about this project and how to help this film financially, I know every little amount of money counts, so if a 365:grateful project has touched your life, perhaps you can help & make a difference.

I’d love to hear if you’re on a similar 365 journey, or contemplating starting one, or how about taking a moment today to search out and reflect on something you are grateful for. I know it would thrill Hailey to see all that we are grateful for today.


for the love of film

January of course brought the New Year and for me, the end of my 365 project. The empty space that surrounded me was welcome. You see, what my mind has been craving is peace, stillness, and a sense of s.l.o.w.i.n.g down.

Digital photography often gives me space, but in comparison, film is a slow stroll in the park. I've not dabbled in film for many many years, yet something about this new {again} inspiration seemed just right for me. And so in January, I stepped into those waters again after so much time away. I got my hands on a nifty toy camera. The Blackbird, Fly. It's a sweet little twin lens reflex {toy!} camera {this means plastic lens} that happily takes 35mm film. I was beyond giddy to get my hands on it to explore and play.

Do you remember the first time you got behind the steering wheel? My mom took me to the big church parking lot on the corner in our neighborhood.  The keys jingled, the clutch brake and accelerator got jumbled under my teenage feet, the road was too vast, the windshield too constricting ... not to mention all the gears and knobs and spedometer! I crept along hurkey jurkey nauseating my mother and myself across the empty parking lot as I figured out how to control the machine I was driving.

Patience, grasshopper.
Getting back to film was kinda like that for me. 

It's exactly the slowing down that I need. It's quite the opposite of the gluttonous-continuous-shutter-release of my 4-frames-per-second-nikon-dslr that comes fully equipped with instant-gratification-kapow! And so ... it's exactly the learning curve I am desiring. To feel that newness again, that quiet unfamiliar sense of not.knowing.anything but going for it anyway simply for the pleasure of it, the intrigue, the curiosity, the love.

I dropped off three rolls of film at my local print shop. 

I really had no idea what to expect. I had never before in my life shot with a toy camera. And certainly not a dizzying twin lens reflex camera. {It makes me laugh outloud, to be so dizzy. It makes me feel like a kid again. And I take that as a very good sign.}

What I got with a hand full of contact sheets was a face full of smiles.
And a new {again} obsession.
Tell me, when was the last time you dabbled in film?
Share with me your favorite film camera, toy or otherwise.
And leave some photo love in the comments!

a day in the life of 365

January is a time of reflection, yes. In the days leading up to the New Year, as I wrapped up my 365 project, I heard the sounds of creativity bubbling from those around me as they dipped their toes (maybe for the first time, or maybe again after time away)  into the deep waters of a year long project.

A year long project! eek!

Don't let that freak you out. There is power in this! Strength in beginning something. Trust in going forward into something slightly unknown. Will I finish? Will it fade? Will I find daily inspiration? Will I like what I see? These are all big thoughts that swirl as you click 1/365.

Last year I had all those same thoughts. So I asked myself why I was doing a 365 project. I had never succeeded at such a big project before, in fact, I had fallen off the wagon of a simple 30 days project a year earlier. I thought long and hard about my intentions. What was different? What did I want to see of my life through this project and my lens? What I came up with only made sense to me: if I were able to pick up the phone and call my mother each day to share one thing that happened that day I would. But I can't. So, I did my 365 to celebrate the memory. I know now that this intention is what carried me through.

There is something important and beautiful to remember and be grateful for every. single. day.  
Needless to say, this quickly became my project :: life.

My project kept me grounded on bad days and gave me wings on good days. This was all about moment, right? Staying in the moment has a way of dissipating negativities even though we catch them in freeze frame with our cameras. When you sit with sadness or anger you are in control of ushering it out. When you sit with joy and love you are empowered and radiate it back to others. Photography has this magic to it as well. No one else has your eyes. No one sees the world exactly as you do. That is a beautiful thing!

Now, today, I can think back over my 365 project and find moments where I felt truly alive. And I can use that as my guide for the new adventures I'll begin in 2011. I can look back and also find moments of overwhelm, where I pushed through it anyway. And I will carry that perseverance with me always.

So, good luck and bon voyage to those of you who begin this adventure! Let's all be human today, shall we? Share in the comments your wishes or hopes or fears. Share with us your thoughts from day 1, your insight from past projects, and any words of wisdom you discovered along the way. If you are embarking on a 365 project, please remember that through this journey, you can lean on the sisterhood for support!

If you'd like to get a glimpse into my 365 project, you can view a slideshow of my favorite days here.

.....

There was a moment in the middle of Penn Station; after airports and planes, taxis and luggage, subways and trains... when the cluster overwhelmed me. There were too many directions. All of them unknown yet vaguely familiar. I spun for a minute balancing my tears on the edge of a subway platform. I don't want to forget that. That sheer second right before I found strength, walked directly into the center of the overwhelm and came out the other side.

The only way around it
is through it.

whimsy

whim·sy  {hwim-zee}
n. a light or fanciful humour; something quaint or unusual.

Lately I've been approaching photography in a way that feels anything but carefree. I'm realizing part of this is due to my 365 project. You see, I began that project with the intent of documenting how 2010 felt in daily increments. So I came to think of each photo as "What do I want to remember from today? What was beautiful/real/truthful/honest from today that makes it different from yesterday and tomorrow?" 

Real, truthful, and honest sometimes ends up heavy like a sack full of rocks...
and here I am trying to cross a stream.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love my 365 project. It's kept me afloat this year, making me accountable for showing up and doing something creative each and every day. I see it as a beautiful way to find gratitude in our daily lives. And yes, gratitude for what is real. There is importance in seeing what we do with each day we're given, even if it feels mundane. Through this project I've found that sometimes the most ordinary things can be beautiful, like the simple act of driving home with the radio on.

But today? Let's get lighthearted. Capture something just for the sheer amusement of it. Like pink flamingos on a turquoise car. Today, share with me your whimsy.

365 moments

When I started a photo a day project last July, I thought I would only manage a month’s worth of photos, so I set myself that goal. By the end of the month, I enjoyed recalling the memories and moments so much, I decided to carry on.

Taking it a month at a time, excited by the prospect of month of gratitude, the year long project really took hold and was the tonic I needed. Finding these blessings, things to be grateful for, everyday memories and the beauty in the ordinary. This project was opening my eyes, helping me when there were difficult times in my real life and teaching me to embrace how lucky I was, to be a partner, mother, sister, friend and photographer.

Many of you reading this may be on your own 365 journey, or may have well surpassed it, or fallen off the wagon even. Yes, there are days when it's hard to find the inspiration or motivation, but believe me when you look back at your year of captured images, the body of work that has challenged you and brought you joy, it will be worth it…

You are creating your treasure, a moment that challenged you, a poignant, significant moment or a moment that makes the whole 365 project mean something to you.

What things are challenging you right now? Please share the ups and/or downs with us

And never fear, we will be announcing our brand new word for the One Word Project for July so pop back over tomorrow and be challenged (in the best way)!