texture

Amongst the many qualities that make my hair such an enigma to me, my favorite is the way I can manipulate the texture of it. Every night before bed, I spend time parting it into sections and then twisting it. Sometimes I spray water on it, other times I add jojoba oil to the ends. After it's twisted, I put on a very unsexy hair bonnet (and yes it is a bonnet!) and tuck all the twists under for protection. No matter how thick/big/poofy it has gotten during the day, this gentle routine every night guarantees that in the morning my hair will have the soft texture it has in the photo above when I let the twists down. I never know which way the curls will go or how big they will grow once I step outside. I do know that these beauties greet me every morning and just as the day unfolds with twists and turns and ups and downs, so does my hair. It has taken me quite some time to be comfortable with this unknown. When I was growing up and even into my college years, I longed for straight hair that would be consistent and manageable. Now into my forties, I have come to welcome the unknown and enjoy the anticipation of what it will become. It's a wonderful metaphor for my life really. What will it become? 

Today, can you find a texture that has been a challenge for you that you have come to love? A type of food, an item of clothing, a patch in your front lawn, can you choose a different way to see it and elevate your experience of it? Share with us on instagram at #sselevate or on the OWP.

music

There is something about live music, something about it that simply fills me. And if I am able to capture that feeling with an image, I am over the moon. The lights, the waves of sound, the crowd all joined at the hip... how do you capture such as sensory experience?

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of being awash in stage light with a chorus of voice and horn. At one point towards the end of the set, there was a stage full of women and men. Their dancing bodies stretched from stage end to end. Dancing, smiling, singing with wild abandon.

Seeing such joy, seeing a tribe of men and women experiencing such love, was exactly what I needed to see. This {seeing someone create music love joy} helps me be a better person. I’m not sure how else to explain it. But I come away from each musical experience I have, feeling like this whole human race is stitched together with a thread of melody.

Today, share with us your love of music. Strings, horns, guitars. Dancing and laughter. What does music make you feel? How do you capture music (something you can't see) with the lens of a camera? Share your images in the comments below, add to our OWP flickr pool or Instagram with #sselevate to share the joy.

something red

People often ask me if Elevate the Everyday is about photography and I can only answer this; yes and no. Yes, it's about how to use the creative tool of photography to focus on the little things that matter most but no because even before photography there's the art of observation. And I feel like that kind of observing or perhaps better said, seeing, is even more important than the photography itself. Without the seeing, what could we possibly be shooting?

Dorthea Lange said, The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera. Eureka!

What is it that we do each and every day with our cameras? We see. When we are compelled to hold up our camera to our eye, it's because we have seen something that moved us in such a way that we just had capture it. And when we put our cameras down, we still see. The beauty, the wonder, the awesome, the everyday, elevated.

Over the years I've realized that my photography has heightened my way of seeing. Everything to me is photo worthy now. But, it's been a slow evolution, this honing of my vision. But, the best part is, the more I am open to it, the more I see and the more magic appears. This is exactly what elevating the everyday means; capturing that magic in a photograph. Something tells me, you can relate.

As you are open to all that your everyday life has to offer, watch for the magic. Today's prompt is Something Red. My guess is that it will show up everywhere. Please share what red you find with us here in the comments. Be sure to tag all of your images you share through your social media platforms #sselevate.

And check out our partner in elevating the everyday this month, Paper Coterie. They've got all kinds of magic happening over there, like a giveaway(of a camera-eeep!) and fun, free printables from some of my favorite peopleall month long. YAY!

curves

When I read the prompt for today was curves...I immediately thought of my cup collection.....It's the unique curves of each cup that I love most. This cup..... is my fav of all... the curve of the handle...so completely unique...the curvy body .... just right... really truly, for me it's perfect. 

We are ready to elevate the everyday this month! Show us your curvy images and add them to the One Word Project pool on Flickr. And be sure to tag your images this month with #sselevate.

play

My son's high school marching band hosted a carwash a couple of weekends back.  They started at 9 a.m. and washed car after car until they stopped at 2 o'clock.  It was a typical hot Southern California weekend and once the last car was washed and dried and sent on it's way, buckets were filled with water and it was every man for himself.  My son may have gotten in a good toss of water onto his band teacher but being the prepared teacher that he is, he was laying in wait with a hose.  Be it a child or an adult, who doesn't love to play with buckets of water and hoses on a hot summer day? Truly, one is never too young or too old to play, and that is always a good thing.  

We are ready to elevate the everyday this month! Show us your images of play and add them to the One Word Project pool on Flickr. And be sure to tag your images this month with #sselevate.