WINTER WAR

  

FALL: where you can eat sweet stuff for dinner

 

Hello Sunday. I needed your rest today. That is why I slept as long as I needed and made a huge meal full of comfort food. You see the great thing about fall, they let you put marshmallows in your sweet potatoes. It’s like eating pie for dinner. Some smart genius thought of that. 

Then I made turnip greens. I don’t know if they are traditional fall favorites but  I love their peppery taste when they are cooked lightly. I sauté mine with a bit of butter, chopped walnuts and some crispy bacon (I’m going for full on healthy, can’t you tell). If you add a little water and apple cider vinegar, they lift the bitter flavor out a bit.

And because I’m weird, I like to cook a few sweet potato scraps without sugar and put a little bacon crumble in there for Juneau to eat after I’m done cooking. Because I’m one of THOSE people. Juneau might not have the palate to enjoy these treats however, because as you can see from the picture she also likes to eat chair legs. 

SARAH’S BRIDAL’s (and a small RANT)

Sarah is a friend who got married a wee while ago and we traipsed down to the river’s edge after her wedding for her  bridals. We did this after the wedding which I think is the perfect solution to really getting to take your time and not stress about the dress. Sarah was awesome, this rant is not about her, it’s about photography.

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Enter rant

Funny enough, my website is down (not that I think anyone noticed).and I’m not sure if I should renew the domain. I never got a notification about this, so they shut it down and now they want to charge me 100 bucks vs. 15. It’s making me question why I have a webpage since I don’t update it with new work and I’m not trying to advertise wedding work. Let’s face it, I’m CHEAP and why pay the money and continue? I’ve been trying to change photography directions for so long or maybe even stop photos all together.

For some reason I couldn’t quit cold turkey, but it’s been more and more confirmed that I should steer clear of that arena.

You see, the camera and I have a weird love hate relationship. I hate that I'm not growing or shooting so often and learning and moving forward. I think weddings burnt me out…burnt me out good. It’s annoying to me that I feel this way and yet still can be so passionate about it. I thought it was about finding my nitch…but as it turns out with art and photography, no ones really just going to pay you money to do whatever you want. ( For example the worlds really not going to pay me money to sit around at home and drink coffee and take pictures of my dog).

People are more than willing to shell out money for a cookie cutter idea of what they want…which you can’t really ever nail perfectly. (AKA every bride wants to look as amazing and beautiful and in love as the last one…but that’s really going to come down to the genuineness of the bride. Even the most skilled photographer has certain elements they cannot control)

I’m not saying this to complain, it’s just that I realized that it’s just part of the struggle of ART

that very battle:  between making things and getting paid

or between inspiration and writers block

or between freedom and lack of freedom

or between discipline and habit versus emotional sporadic production

those struggles, at war with one another, equally can quell us towards making stuff. And when you continue to make stuff, and see things, and push forward in spite of the intimidating yang-yangs….

THEN when you’re embracing those dual natures, you hit why we even attempt art to begin with. For surely I have come to realize that while it might be a chase for personal aesthetic, it’s also a chase to try to find ourselves. And there’s certainly no foolproof way to do that.

And that’s why the balance between between making things for free and getting paid big bucks is a warfront.

Why inspiration and writers block are a teetering see-saw.

Why our circumstances created different starting points in which we are either totally free to create or restricted by guidelines (or point of view, or circumstances, or personalities or financial limitations).

and why each artist find his or herself at odds with the way in which they produce, be it through the hard work discipline and habit or the daring highs and lows of emotional sporadic production.

and lastly why many artists will falter between being burned out but rebirth again to burning with passion.

Alas world, the creative process is schizophrenic!

but because of it, we have such a wide array of beauty found in all sorts of places

telling us stories

sharing dreams

creating the ability to relate to one another

and that, my friends, is art.

( and yes I plan I renewing the website even if it means redirection, but ain’t no way on this green planet I’m paying again for what I already bought….I’m still cheap).

BACK TO THE RUGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAM:

 

Fun fact: last time you saw Sarah on the blog,she was dressed as an equally adorable beanie baby!

Sea Wolf Mutiny (and Crystal Fighters)

 

Nothing better than watching friends play beautiful music in (insanely dark)  New Brooklyn Tavern. These guys have mad skills. Could I describe music, I’d try…but you should just catch their next show. Maybe I’m biased but I’m pretty certain they are the best in Columbia.

 

UNEARTH

 

Last sunday was the UNEARTH festival at Saluda Shoals Park: a nature inspired celebration of art. Basically there were 40 something odd artists set up at tables along the trails. They demonstrated their art by painting, drawing, spinning, welding, glazing, sewing, singing and carving. There were several hands on things to do like make clay leaves or felt bookmarks. The kids made a stamping craft and there were two stages for music to be played at as well as musicians along the trail. If you’re sorry you missed it, don’t worry…they do it every year!