a breather. . .

Man oh man I feel like I have been non stop for the past 3 months, which is great and exhausting. I'm excited about the shoots I have lined up as they are my style and themed which will be fun and different than anything I've done. Don't get me wrong I love my photography but sometimes (most times) I don't get to add my true flare to it as most parents go for the basic outfits with the standard shots, which are great but I want to spruce up my portfolio a little so luckily I have some great volunteers lined up!

This month will be a nice break to hopefully get everything in order for when I head back to CO. I really am going to try and push my photography which is something I've never really done, clients have always done it for me! Moving to a new state will force me to put myself out there, which will be good.

I got the painting job which is exciting. They posted the January calendar and I have two fun paintings on it! (http://www.studiovino.biz/studio-vino-events-calendar.html?view=month&year=2011&month=13) My Peacock and Four Seasons paintings made it! :) I'm brainstorming for the paintings I'll submit for the February calendar, which will be fun.

Took this shot the other day while out and about with my lil sis and her best friend. These are her friends feet but I thought it was so fun!

“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.”

Changes

I've been a little preoccupied lately trying to get everything in order with my photography. . . I launched a new website, check it out. www.KatherineJosephPhotography.com as well as a photography blog www.KatherineJosephPhotography.com/blog!

I've also been house hunting (with no success) as well as job hunting which I will find out on Tuesday if it is a success or not! I'm so very happy about this potential job. It's at one of those paint and sip wine classes. It's completely contract work so my pay will depend on the popularity of my paintings, which hopefully is a good thing.

I've rediscovered my love for painting these past two weeks. Friends have always told me they love my work but lately I haven't been feeling too inspired. I'm not saying I need people to tell me they love my paintings either because my art is for me really, self expression. For my interview I had to bring in samples of my work to show and meet the studio owner and what not. When I arrived she told me she had already looked at my work in loved it but wanted me to show my portfolio to her assistant. I put a slideshow of my work on my laptop and I've never felt better about my work than I did sitting there listening to the two of them oh and ah over my paintings. It was a fabulous feeling. So, I've started painting again. For me. And I absolutely love this piece I created called "Fancy Free".

I'll be hitting the road sooner than planned headed back to SC because if I do get the job it won't start until January and I have some photo sessions planned. I look forward to seeing all of my favorite people in the great state of South Carolina...

Stubborn

stub·born

   [stuhb-ern]

adjective

1.

unreasonably obstinate; obstinately unmoving: a stubborn child.

2.

fixed or set in purpose or opinion; resolute: a stubborn opponent of foreign aid.

3.

obstinately maintained, as a course of action: a stubborn resistance.

4.

difficult to manage or suppress: a stubborn horse; a stubborn pain.

5.

hard, tough, or stiff, as stone or wood; difficult to shape or work.

This week has been interesting to say the least. Well, more of last week. I bought a plane ticket home not knowing one account would be charged 3 times = $900 and another was declined due to the fact that my account was put at risk by a third party contributor (meaning a new card was mailed to my SC address). So I spent my week with $12 and needless to say I didn't like it. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I knew I had money that I just couldn't get to or frustrated that I'm so stubborn to turn down help from anyone (even though I know I could pay people back).

I want to say thanks to all of you that have pushed passed my stubbornness and offered me help throughout my life. I know it wasn't easy! So, goal work on not being as stubborn because let's face it... I don't think I can get rid it of all together (for those of you that know me, I'm sure you'd agree).

Road Block

So most of you that know me know that I paint. It seems lately that I haven't wanted to paint because I haven't liked any of my creations recently. I've painted over about 20 canvases lately. Which I would never have even thought of doing 2 years ago. So, I've been brainstorming for new ideas that involve paint...

I may have found a solution involving wood, paint, nails and thread... Random but I'm super excited to see what I create which makes my heart smile. I've been longing to create something and this may solve that problem.

:)

Lovely Fall

I love everything about Fall. From the changing of leaves to the hint of a breeze... From the smell and taste of hot chocolate to late night talks on back porches.

This thing called life

Life is a funny thing. I'm not sure how it does it but life still catches me off guard at the oddest moments. I would have liked to think that with 24 years under my belt I could at least see it coming but I've come to the realization that even if I had 124 years under my belt I would still be surprised every once in awhile. Such is the beauty of life.

On a side note. The highlight of my week was a few days ago in Denver. I was getting out of my car on Sante Fe (also known for being the Art District) and this woman looked at me and said "Oh, what gallery will your work be hanging in?". You see the backseat of my car is filled with canvases that I've been working on recently, no pictures have been posted but it makes me extremely happy that she felt my work was gallery worthy!

On another note. I'm off to find food. I think my new love is Vietnamese.

New Loves

Alabama- back roads and accents

Mississippi- back road churches

Louisiana- jazz musicians

Texas- night sky

New Mexico- shooting stars

Arizona- sunsets

California- mountains and ocean in one

Nevada- all the lights in Vegas

Utah- wide open deserts

Colorado- the beginning of fall and when the sun sets and slowly sinks behind the mountains

Those “little” comments

Ms. {V} is a cute little lady that more times than not I see sleeping at the BOL building. She came up to me today while I was outside with the canveses to ask if I was one of the artists who was covering paintings a few days ago. I responded with yes ma’am. She went on to ask how we did the paintings. I told her about throwing paint with the forks and paint brushes to which she enthusiastically responded with, well I could be an artist then! I quickly responded you are an artist! She then continued on to say “I remember my first painting. I was in kindergarten and had painted a beautiful field with some beautiful flowers, I thought. I took it up to my teacher to show her and she responded with “hmmm” and turned her head. That was the end of my art career.”

It’s sad how impacted we all are as human beings by the statements that we hear so early on in life. Even the littlest comments wreck our brains later and are eventually turned in to more negative thoughts than the original comment was intended to be. Please think twice when making these “little” comments.

Houston

I want to start this post off saying thank you to my dad and stepmom. Thank you for working so hard and teaching me to have an amazing work ethic. I’m beyond thankful for this lesson. This is the first time since I turned 15 that I haven’t had a job and it’s completely by choice, I’m truly blessed to be able to travel the US and not stress over finances because I learned early how to save. This week here in Houston has been amazing. I’ve been blessed meeting some unique and truly wonderful individuals.

I was hit hard last night as we were painting outside the Bread of Life building. We had canvases laid out and were inviting the homeless to come participate in some “action painting”, imitating Jackson Pollock’s style of painting using forks and paint brushes. Some individuals just stopped in to throw a little paint on the community painting and others worked on their own pieces. I was sitting beside a young girl who asked for purple paint and as I was mixing the paint I was curious as to how old she was, I looked toward {L} and asked who then in turned asked {V} her age. When she responded with 22 my heart sank. I sat there thinking about where I was at the age of 22. I was in Nashville, taking a break from school, working for Pray With Africa. Earlier that night {L} was working on a painting to my right talking with a clean cut looking young man. Come to find out he was as well 22 and would be spending his second night at the Bread of Life.

Tuesday morning I attended the art class that takes place at the church. There was a group of about 12 people that participated this particular morning. As the class went on I was drawn to this young guy that sat at the opposite end of the room. {D} is 20 years old and an amazing cartoonist. At 20 I was deciding to take a break from school and wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do or be for that matter.

Wednesday night {D} shared with the group that his 14 year old little sister had run away from home. I cried Wednesday night thinking about this. Molly is 14 and I don’t know what I would do if she were to run away. The streets aren’t meant for anyone and for certain not a 14 year old girl. Pain was written on his face and my heart ached for him having a little sister whom I love dearly I can’t say I know how he feels but I can say that I feel deeply for him and his little sister.

I was blessed with talking to {D} more last night. He came to me asking if I went to school to learn art and what not. As I responded with no, I noticed a change in his tone and he seemed more interested in hearing my story. His facial expression showed surprise to find out that I actually hadn’t graduated at all and wasn’t in school at the moment. He wants a degree in film and animation and aspires to create cartoons that will appear on tv, I believe in him. He is taking an animation class at the moment.

In all the cities I’ve traveled and of all the homeless individuals I’ve been drawn to talk to and share life with I can say with confidence none were younger than 40. My heart is heavy after seeing so many young ones on the streets here in Houston. I hurt for them and for the situations they are in that have put them where they are today. I felt I needed to share about my encounters this week as I was unaware of the rising rate of teens living on the streets.

Tiptoe

Walking is a wonderful thing… Especially on the tips of your toes.

"The idealist walks on tiptoe, the materialist on his heels."

Memory

the sound of memory rings loud and clear.

if you listen on you might hear,

the story of my life played for you.

softly humming on silver strings

abundantly…

the dark and the light spilling forth

for never one is the same

i hope some of these parts never fade

like sunshine on the heart

of my chipped soul.

beautiful and sad the smile I hide,

the history of life

the pure cannot see or understand

but my hope and love shine ahead.

through my lens and down my pen

to the roots of a tree,

they will grow.

The Beginning of a Beautiful Journey

Walk With Me

I’ve been running for the past four years of my life. I’ve lived in 3 different states, 6 different cities and 20 different houses/apartments. The only thing that has seemed to stay steady is 1 out of the 15 jobs I’ve held. I’m tired of running. I know I’m missing so much out of life. My life seems to be a blur. You know those photographs that most people toss out because you can only make out 1/8 if that of the photo due to quick movements? That’s my life.

I run in every aspect of my life. My jobs are constantly changing because I get bored or need to be doing something different. I can’t seem to finish any of my photography projects that I’ve been starting lately because I get caught up in moving on to the next thing that comes to mind. I run in my relationships. I dive in head first and come out stumbling. My thoughts are overwhelming because I can’t focus on one thing at a time. For any of you that know me, you can attest to that. I hate sitting still because I’m antsy all the time to be doing something, anything… but being still…

So my goal… Not to be still but to learn to walk. One day I may be able to be still but for now I’m shooting for walking. So walk with me on this journey as I try to discover my soul and learn who I am without running.