The Artist's Way - Week 2

September 23, 2018

Week one seemed to go easier than I expected it to, and I really hope that the next weeks get a little harder to complete. Having heard of some experiences from other people working the program I know that it will become tougher. A week from today (when this post will actually go live) I will be on my way to Germany for work. I’m very curious to see how much I can get accomplished while being in a new place and while being focused on working.

Week 2 Goals:

1) Morning Pages x7
2) Artist’s Date x1
3) Complete as many of the additional exercises as possible.

Day 7:
Met with Nikki for our first check in. I think we are both on the right track for making things happen. I got a chance to prep my notebook for the week to come, and it certainly feels like this week has a lot more exercises than last week did. So many so that I didn’t want to freehand out all the pages so I can have more room for Morning Pages. Next time I go through this I really will be printing out the PDF pages I think.

I noticed that last week I actually have written more than I have in a good while. Including the two blog posts that came out. Hopefully I can keep that trend going as I have been stuck on a couple of long form posts recently.

Exercise - Life Pie:

“Draw a circle. Divide it into six pieces of pie. Label one piece Spirituality, another Excercise, another Play and so on with Work, Friends, and Romance/Adventure. Place a dot in each slice at the degree to which you are fulfilled in that area. (outer rim indicates great; inner circle, not so great). Connect the dots. This will show were you are lopsided.”

— Julia Cameron "The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity"

My life pie. High in friendship, medium in work and play, but pretty low in everything else (Spirituality, Exercise, and almost 0 Romance/Adventure.

Day 9:

Ten Small Changes:

“List ten changes you’d like to make for yourself […] Do it this way:
I would like to ____________
I would like to ____________
As the morning pages nudge us increasingly into the present, where we pay attention to our current lives, a small shift […] can yield a luxuriously large sense of self care”

— Julia Cameron - "The Artist's Way"

I would like to Lose 20 lbs
I would like to Quit smoking for good.
I would like to Clean and Re-arrange my bedroom.
I would like to Deep clean my living areas.
I would like to Get rid of excess junk
I would like to Live a more minimalist life
I would like to get a new set of bed linens
I would like to Shoot with new people
I would like to Travel more
I would like to Spend more time with my friends.

“Select one small item and make it a goal for this week. Now do that item”

— Julia Cameron - "The Artist's Way"

I’m traveling all next week, and have a weekly meeting with a friend to go over our progress. Can that count?

Day 10:
I bought tickets to a super fancy museum exhibit for a (now) sold out show. The tickets aren’t good until February which will be well past this 12 week project. But I’m going to go anyway and try to enjoy it.

Day 12:
I’m not feeling very optimistic over the last few days. Still cranking through with the exercises. I forgot to read my basic principals today. Not sure how badly that “hurt” me this week.

I’ve got the creative urge to shoot something, and I have a bad case of G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome - or the feeling that buying X piece of equipment is what will take me to the next level).

“List 20 things you enjoy doing [...]. When was the last time you let yourself do these things? Next to each entry place a date. Don’t be surprised if it’s been years for some of your favorites.”

— Julia Cameron - "The Artist's Way"

I’m not going to share my entire list of 20, but I’ll share a few.

Visit and enjoy a Natural Hot Spring - 2010
Go Camping - 2006 (?)
Play Laser Tag - 2017
Plan and Execute a photo shoot - August
Cook for Friends - 2014
Visit a Cat Cafe - 2017
Go on a Romantic Date - 2013 (?)

“[...] From the list above write down two favorite things that you’ve avoided that could be this week’s goals. [...] Remember we are trying to win you some autonomy with your time. Look for windows of time just for you, and use them in small creative acts.”

— Julia Cameron - "The Artist's Way"

Touché Julia…touché.

Day 13:
I. Paid. To. Pet. Cats. :3

This cat’s name was Einstein and he was so fluffy and soft.

Week 2 Check In:

How many days this week did you do your Morning Pages? How was the experience for you? Did they work for you? Describe them […] Remember if you are writing the morning pages they are working for you.
7. I completed all 7 days. I’m not sure if I’m doing things the correct way, and I’m not sure they are helping all that much. But I’m still going to keep going and see what I can learn about myself.
Did you do your Artist Date this week? What did you do? How did it feel?
Yes - I decided to take myself to the cat cafe. I met a fluffy and soft little dude and spent the better part of an hour bothering him. I miss cats, I miss having one around to play with and spend time with. But due to my current living situation it’s not exactly possible. One day soon I hope to be in a position where I can have another furry friend to hang out with, but until then I have to just cat vicariously through friends.
Were there any other issues this week that you consider significant for your recovery? Describe them.
I think getting over (at least temporarily) GAS and not spending any money on new equipment I really don’t need was a significant victory. Not sure for how long it will be, because I really want some new lighting equipment. Only time will tell.

Jessica and Thomas - 2018

September 19, 2018

You may remember last year when I shot some very interesting engagement photos for a very special couple.

I met Jessica and Thomas back in 2015 at DragonCon when they came and spent some time in the room I was sharing with a few other people. Little did I know that they would come to me many years later and ask for me to not only shoot their very unique and special Mortal Kombat themed engagement photos, but also their wedding as well.

At the time of our meeting they had been together for 8 years (if my math is correct) and at the time of their wedding that was bumped to an unusually high 11 years! If anything their finally tying the knot was a long time coming and a lot of work in the making.

These photos are a few weeks late as they were married the weekend before DragonCon this year. I gave them the proofs while we shared a room a few weeks ago, but then with Con and all of my recent Artist’s Way work I’ve been a little late sharing them with all of you.

Below are a few of my favorites from spending their very special day with them:

Jessica and Thomas, I wish you the best and many more happy years together. Thank you for letting me be a huge part of your wedding day. I hope these photos last you both a lifetime and more.

The Artist's Way - Introduction and Week 1 Update

September 16, 2018

This is going to be a long one with a lot of text and no new content from me. I’ll get back to getting some pretty pictures up and running soon. Just bear with me for a little bit since this takes some time to set up.

Introduction:

So here we are. I never thought for a minute I’d be in any position to be talking about self-help anything. Much less buckling down and following any sort of program or path. After hearing it come up on several Podcasts I listen to regularly (Shout out to Kyle from This is Rad and Anna from 12 Questions)

http://www.thisisradpodcast.com/uncategorized/self-help/

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/12-questions/id1050716646?mt=2

I decided to finally break down and give it a shot.

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron is a self help book (in case that wasn’t 100% obvious) which can best be easily described by the below Wikipedia entry:

“The book was written to help people with artistic creative recovery, which teaches techniques and exercises to assist people in gaining self-confidence in harnessing their creative talents and skills. Correlation and emphasis is used by the author to show a connection between artistic creativity and a spiritual connection with God.

The ideas in creative personal development outlined in the book, which were felt to be new at the time of the publication, are said to have become a phenomenon and spawned into many meet-ups and support groups throughout the world. The group meetings are based on a 12-week creativity course designed for people to work through and gain artistic inspiration, as outlined in the book. The program is focused on supporting relationships in removing artistic blocks and fostering confidence ”

— Wikipedia

The book provides a list of 10 Principals, 12 weeks of exercises, and on top of all two main excercises:

First, Write three freeform-longhand pages first thing upon waking up. This is used as a form of meditation and is meant to help get the creative gears turning by getting out ideas that are stuck inside. These Morning Pages are not to be shared with anyone but the person creating them during the course of the 12 weeks.

Second, Take yourself on one “artist date” per week to help “put gas in the tank”.

So if you know me at all you will likely have noticed a few glaring issues that need to be adjusted. I am in no way, shape, or form a “Godly” man, and really have no intentions to be. This direct verbiage and reference to God was something that really held me back from going through and working the steps presented.

After some googling I found a blogger named Tae Phoenix who some years ago broke down and re-wrote the 10 Principals to better focus inward instead of on the God aspect. That blog post can be found here:

https://taephoenix.com/2012/12/27/a-skeptics-guide-to-the-artists-way-core-principles/

If you are looking to try this for yourself along with me I probably also would recommend a free PDF that was created by Lianne Williams

https://liannewilliams.com/blog/my-free-the-artists-way-worksheets

I wish I had found these before spending a few hours longhand transferring Week 1’s Activities into my notebook. And who knows, I may end up printing off a copy anyway and using it anyway.

So with my notebook, and text in hand there was only one other thing that I needed. A partner.

Back when I first started talking about taking on this project, I brought it up to blog favorite Nikki Nuke’m at her Husband’s birthday party earlier this year.

Side note, aren’t they both just adorable

Being an artist (and going through some things) herself, I felt she would be a great “Battle Buddy” for me. We both decided to start the journey as soon as DragonCon was over. Which leads us pretty much up to the present. Nikki and I will be meeting together each Sunday for a check in, and in-between my plan is to share my thoughts in a roughly coherent fashion here as they come through.

I don’t plan to play-by-play each and every thought I have during this process, but hope to hit some highlights that maybe will help work through some insights on your end. It should become pretty clear as things go along. So without further ado:

Week 1 Tasks:

Complete Morning Pages (x7)
Complete Artist’s Date (x1)
Affirmations and Blurts Worksheet (read the book)
Complete at least 1 other exercise from week 1 readings

Day 0:

I spent the better part of an hour free-handing the updated Principals and Week 1’s Homework into my notebook. I already wish I had bought a bigger notebook. I have a feeling if I tried to complete every assignment that I’ll quickly run out of pages. I got a good start through on a couple of extra exercises. Looks like I’ll be completing at least 2 this week. In the future I probably shoot for 100% completion, but of course…notebook.

I took myself on my first “Artist Date”. As suggested I went over to the dollar store. Spent a few bucks on stickers, thank you cards, and a bath bomb. YOLO?

Day 1:

(I started tweeting my thoughts before I decided to actually make this a running blog post)

*“I can already tell that waking up early is going to be an issue. I was 12 minutes late getting out of the house today. In Atlanta traffic those 12 minutes put me almost 30 minutes late to work.”*

“Of course, I find a crazy-cool PDF of TAW assignments after I spend yesterday free-handing a bunch of stuff. Since I've already been spoiled that the entire process is to keep working the steps...maybe I'll use it for next time.”

I wonder how Nikki is doing. I sure hope these next 12 weeks aren’t a waste of time for either of us.

Day 2:

Man…the last few minutes of today are dragging along. OH! I have some exercises I can knock out.

Day 3:

Just found myself thinking on the drive home from work:

I’m a little ashamed that “I’ll go to the museum” came before “I’ll go to the Cat Cafe” as an artist date idea.

Day 6:

I went on a bonus artist date today, mostly because with business travel next week I don’t know how much time I’m going to have. But in doing so I found both a small art gallery just a few miles from my house AND came across the most on brand art exhibit I think I have ever been to

Ended up going to see the new Predator movie with a friend. And it likely may just be a placebo effect, but I really liked it. Unlike most movies that I go to where I pick them apart super harshly, this one actually made me laugh and I walked away feeling good about it.

UNEXPhotography - The First 10 Years

September 11, 2018

This blog post is directly inspired by Renee Robyn. Go check out her work, and prepare to be amazed. I first heard about Renee on The Angry Millennial Podcast (RIP) a few years ago. Immediately I fell in love with her free flowing use of the word “Fuck” and her honesty.

We may have only met once for an awkward high five at Photo Plus Expo a few years ago, but I still like to see the latest work that she produces and keep in touch.

http://www.reneerobynphotography.com/the-first-10-years/

So now is where things are going to get a little embarrassing. I’m about to dig into the archive and pull some of my photos from the beginning.

I already can feel the pit of my stomach getting deeper and deeper, even though I know that learning is a part of the process. Dunning Kruger is one hell of a drug.

Basically in short this chart can be applied to anything. It states that your level of confidence in how good you are at something Peaks at both when you have zero skills, and then again when you really are an expert, but dips lower when you are ave… — Basically in short this chart can be applied to anything. It states that your level of confidence in how good you are at something Peaks at both when you have zero skills, and then again when you really are an expert, but dips lower when you are average.

2007 - This was was taken on one of my first rolls of film for an Intro to Photography class. I'll admit that even still I have another shot from this series in my portfolio. But looking back at this one all I can see is busy background, uncomfortable model, stupid hat (that was mine), and the undeniable fact that I really needed to be MUCH closer to the model.

2015 - Much better. Still a little far away from the subject, but in this case it works. The background is much more solid, and the model is much more comfortable. A little photoshop work to remove distractions and this turned into a much better shot.

2008 - Yes. Before you ask. I actually delivered this photo to the clients. And Yes, I got paid for this. I don’t remember how much, but that doesn’t really matter. I just hope it wasn’t anything too outrageous. “Why yes, I’ve never shot a wedding before, so let me go into it with a 50mm lens and zero concept of how to freeze motion”. I’m sorry Chris and Kay…I’m so sorry.

2018 - From just a few weeks ago (from a wedding that I haven’t even posted any images from yet…so, SURPRISE). I have so much respect for wedding photographers, even though this photo is LEAPS AND BOUNDS better than the last one, it still just doesn’t feel right to me. But in the end the couple is happy, and thats what matters to me the most.

2009 - This isn’t a BAD photo per se, but it’s just not an interesting one. I definitely could do something better with the white balance to remove the red stage lights, and probably would end up cropping more to make the singer the focus of the image.

2018 - But in comparison to the last one this image is just much more visually interesting, better colored (even though its black and white), and has a definite focus.

2009 - This really is the beginning of where my style is starting come through. Admittedly I really don’t have any idea how lighting works outside of “Throw up some lights and let’s see what happens”. The focus is in the wrong place, and the lighting is far from even or all that flattering.

2018 - This is much better, I actually understand what lighting does and why it does what it does. It’s still mostly back-lit, but I understand how to sculpt the wrap around light to evenly cover the whole subject.

It’s really hard to look back over the last 10 years and see some of these attempts at what my style has become. Back then I was just a college student who applied for his first business license and really only picked up a camera to find something to do in his spare time. I don’t know if I ever thought that I would get to where I am at. But I could see what I wanted my images to be.

I talk about “The Gap” from Ira Glass a lot. In fact, every time it comes up I end up re-posting it in some way (Which I will be doing with this as well). Even though I cringe looking back at the old photos, and probably could have picked some MUCH worse examples of bad images, I’m ending up a lot more comfortable with myself because I can see that I am making progress.

Here is to the last 10 years, and to many more to come. What are some photos that you look back at with fear? How has your work progressed today? Hell, even broader, what changes have you made in your life personally that make you a better person today? Leave some comments below and let me know.

Sunday O'Dare - 2018.

August 08, 2018

I was introduced to Sunday by another friend of mine, the wonderful performer and all around boss guy, Don Rap,when they both attended an impromptu brunch meeting for my birthday earlier this year.

I was struck by Sunday's very classic look and her vintage style.

A few months later when I was casting for the Sci-Fi show I remembered her, and reached out to see if she wanted to be a part of the project. Even though I eventually chose to go in another direction, we still kept each other in mind.

When I put out that I had some openings for TFP work, she reached out to me and after some begging of Don to use his sun-room, it was off to the races.

Screen Shot 2018-08-07 at 9.11.16 PM.png

We shot two different looks, but due to the changing lighting from the setting sun, we ended up capturing three different feeling sets of images.