Apples.

I like apples…I’m calling this post apples.  This is a thought post.  I’m thinking about things and writing them down.  Because it is my blog.  Because I can do what I want. Because there is a lot to be said about having freedoms to think for yourself and speak your mind.  Because I like to ruin grammatical rules!

Today I spent some time reading Water for Elephants. I’m excited.  It fits in well with my interests and current inspiration track: CIRCUSES and CARNIVALS and SIDESHOWS and things like that.  I’m enjoying the break from life by getting lost and totally immersed in the action and characters.

Today I decided that I would not sign an internet petition to promote the approval of 2 vaccines that “prevents” pneumonia and diarrhea in children, specifically to benefit those in 3rd world or fairly poverty-stricken countries.  Instead I’d rather sign a petition against GMO foods, privatization of utilities such as water and heat, or something promoting public healthcare or insurance for the masses.  Seems better to me to work on not adding more toxins to the human body and our environment than another drug to prevent something we’re causing by neglecting our duties to help one another.

Today I discovered mashing goat cheese, maple syrup, and sweet potatoes was a good idea.

Today I worked on some more shop stock for my future 2nd etsy shop (really, my 3rd if you’re counting the one I never use really anymore)

This week I favourited some potential Etsy suppliers and messaged one about custom orders.

Progress is good.  Relaxing is good.  Life is very good.

In other news, this lady is neat.  The interview is awesome and her artwork is even awesome-er.

FACTS I’d like to tell myself when I was younger:

• you don’t need a college degree to succeed in life, you just need massive amounts of sticktoitiveness
• school loans do not mean free money…you have to pay it back, with extras.
• vegetables DO taste good
• doing that senior year of HS research paper won’t kill you, but your parents just might if you get that damn D-
• nature is the best medicine
• you have to do what you know makes you happy, not what someone else tells you will make you happy
• skinned knees aren’t the end of the world
• there is always something new and exciting around the corner, even more exciting than the very thing you are most passionate about
• date the 14 year old freshman who is madly in love with you your sophomore year, it’ll save you both a lot of grief in the long run, and you’ll be wildly in love with him right back for the rest of ever (you’re welcome, sunshine!)
• don’t leave those beautiful, hand drawn-on, bff-signed, dirty, stinky converse sneakers in the house when you leave and mom is still home, she’s going to throw them away and you’ll never find another pair as comfortable as those EVER EVER EVER
• don’t be afraid to quit your job and find another one, the money is never worth it
• it doesn’t matter how many times you try to sneak “puppy” or “kitty” or “pony” on your xmas list to santa, mom will still find a way to tell him she disapproves.  Santa is just good like that.
• banana yellow crayons don’t actually taste like bananas
• you will not hit the old lady walking on her lawn, on top of the hill, on the opposite side of the road on your first day of driving with your permit with dad. trust me. she’s on the other side of the road, on top of a hill, walking on her lawn…NOT AT ALL NEAR YOU, HONEST. It’s an illusion. relax.
• don’t be so hasty to get to the future, there’s plenty of time for that…that’s why it’s called the FUTURE it’s kind of infinite and all that
• needing to wear matching socks is a bunch of malarky, mismatches go with EVERY outfit and EVERY occasion

Gleeful

A few weeks back I had a particularly rotten Friday:  I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and the day was damned from the start.  You know how it is, right?  Working for someone else can sometimes seem like a chore on even the best of days (although truly I am just happy to even have a job “in this crummy economy” or whatever cliche thing is said nowadays to make you feel good about having a job you don’t really enjoy doing all that much, ha!)  No jibes or jokes from friends were helping.  No amount of coffee would wake me up.  No candy was sugary enough.  Add some grumpy, selfish customers to the mix, the fact we worked through lunch break (again,) an almost-overdue student loan payment and multiply all that by the $1100 bill my mechanic gave me, etc etc etc and you have an obvious equation for misery.  I wanted to just throw in the towel.  I took that home with me.

I was in a funk the whole rest of the weekend: crying , complaining, stomping around, you name it.  I wasted Saturday pining over bills, my messy desk, unfinished projects, and the rainy weather.  I didn’t cook breakfast, or lunch, or dinner.  I watched a movie Sunday and felt a bit better, but then I lazed about in pajamas wasting the time away…

Then Sunshine stepped in, with his loving but firm words: “Here, have a hug.  Do you feel better? Good. Now…get the hell out of the house already, will ya?!!!”
I looked at the clock and realised I had about 8 hours left to my weekend and decided I was going to DO SOMETHING with it!

It’s amazing what words can do. The good ones and in some unfortunate circumstances the bad. Simple words. Ones of encouragement, inspiration and motivation. As you reflect on today, think, have you paid it forward? The kind word or words that is? Sometimes that will be exactly what a person needs to hear to persevere, to fight on, to succeed. I’m learning this exact lesson now & being taught something new every day. – Noelle Root (Tinky Winks Photography)

I grabbed a half-filled sketchbook, sat down, doodled some design ideas, and drove myself to the store to get some materials to make a “prototype.”  It’s days like that when failures seemingly overtake successes that you need to just go take a nap and reboot.  Take a second to just recharge, reflect on the lessons you learned, and start on over.

Those JERKS.

Sometimes those jerks Murky and Lurky just steal all my star sprinkles and cover the world in grey, brown, and bleecccchhhh, but it doesn’t have to stay that way forever!  When things get overwhelming, I’m going to take the time now to take a second to breathe, close my eyes, and I will open them again with a fresh outlook.

I bring my inspiration-design sketchbook and ideas-notebook with me everywhere now.  No more complaining that I can’t remember a great idea I had because grumpy customers filled my day with irritating phone calls.  If I have an idea while I am at work, I whip out my notebook whenever possible.  If I can’t do that, I just grab a post-it and jot down a note or a quick sketch.  Later on, I staple that in my notebook.  I know it also helps that I decided to recycle a half-filled inspiration book from a previous project.  I can flip through the pages and see where I began the previously completed project, and how even those little mistakes or scribble-outs culminated into a successful final whole.   When I feel grumpy, defeated, or overwhelmed I sit down and leaf through my book to see what I have accomplished. When I hit a blank page, I immediately start scribbling down any and all ideas I have.  And I’ve been feeling so much better!  Rather than overwhelming myself with what I’ve still left to do, I smile at all I have already done and it doesn’t seem that bad anymore.

Bettering yourself as a person, in all aspects, can be a full time job in itself. Is it difficult to relearn, reprogram and reanalyze your lifestyle as a whole? Yes. But is it impossible for one to reverse certain aliments simply by reverting back to the basics of life? No. I will not say that it is not a constant question in my mind as to why we are making such drastic changes, for it is. Yet if I was to merely focus on the current outcome that making such simple adjustments has had, it would become easier for me to see the positive impact in that they have already made in my life.”
- Noelle Root (Tinky Winks Photography)

I took a sick-day from work today:  rather than sulk and feel miserable for myself with this rotten bout of allergies, I decided to at leasttake this as a day to do accomplish some old goals and set some new ones.  I grabbed a giant mug of tea, a great big box of tissues, and my laptop.  Thanks to a motivating Facebook note from Noelle, and an informative DIY seminar from Tara Gentile of Scoutie Girl I filled almost 4 pages of my spiral notebook!  Today is a good day.

Thank you to my job of the last 6 years for sticking with me, showing your trust, and promoting me to assistant management.  Thank you to my customers who have left me glowing feedback, given me repeat business, and shared my sites and work with others.

Thank you to all my friends and family who have encouraged me to keep going when I just felt like throwing in the towel.

Thank you to the world for being such an awe-inspiring place sometimes.

HELP KEEP THE SITES RUNNING!

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Step Into the Light

I was thinking the past few days about light.  Any photographer will tell you how important light is.  The word photography itself is translated from Greek, meaning “light writing.”  Photography is about seizing the light and creating a beautiful picture with it.  You’re harnessing all those little bouncy, pouncy, flouncy, trouncy photons and concentrating them to a space to capture a special person or a captivating moment forever and ever.  It’s just a click of a shutter and you’ve harnessed the power of light

Ask any photographer about “that golden hour.”  That particular quality of light can make a good photograph into a great one very easily.  Talk to anyone who shoots seriously, whether it’s digital or film, and you’ll get a earful about the most beautiful time of day where the big beautiful sun bathes everything in warm, golden rays.  You’ll understand just how important a mere one or two hours of a day can be to someone.  It’s a wonderful feeling of fulfillment to capture that perfect image with that sparkle from the sunlight reflecting in someone’s eyes, peeking through the trees, or illuminating that one perfect flower in a field.  It’s that golden hour light that got me thinking….

There is nothing travels faster than light.  There is nothing stronger than light. There are no colours brighter than the pure white of light.  Everything on this planet holds a relationship of life to light.  Each entity on this plant is sustained through the energy and elements that light provides.  Light flows through and around us in literal and metaphorical terms.  All things in this universe are intertwined and interdependent.

It got me thinking…if light enables the physical sense of seeing, what could it do on a spiritual, emotional, mental level?  Instead of seeing everything as something separate, instead of pushing others aside in an attempt to better ourselves, instead of all of these things what if we see the world as an explosion of light.  What if we realise it isn’t you or me or us against the world, but all of us together on the same journey to enlightenment, peace and unity.  Take those “coupla turns of the clock” each day and turn them into something eternally precious.  All things and creatures great and small deserve a chance to be happy, successful, and live a vibrant, full life.  Why live in a world where we complain about how it’s dark for so long? Why waste time when we can enjoy all the beauty of that “golden hour” and make that happiness a memory to last a lifetime.

As Sunshine would tell me, all of this talk is great, inspiring, and admirable, but you need to have a little less PLANNING and a little more DOING.  Even my cup of tea had something to tell me…the little tag on the end of the string gently reminded me:  ”Be so happy that when others look at you they become happy, too.”

When I wake up in the morning tomorrow I am going to revel in that sunlight falling on my pillow.  I am going to let that light warm me, energise me, and I’m going to remember it all day long.  I’m going to start my day bright and positive.  I’m going to spread that vibrance and happiness to each person I encounter.  I’m going to think happy, encouraging thoughts about every person in my life.  I’m going to spread that contagious feeling of excitement and exuberance.

I’m going to value the light in the day, the light in a smile, the light in living things all around as much as I value that light in each photo I take.  I’ll make that “golden hour” last all day!

Things I Have Discovered

Sometimes I really need a good kick in the pants to get me motivated.  Thankfully Sunshine knows just when to boot my patoot and get me in gear.  I’m a person who likes to spend time planning and thinking.  I want to make sure that I do everything efficiently and correctly.  I want to make sure that I am prepared in case for all emergencies.  I want to plan ahead so I am not caught with a surprise bump in the road and nothing to get me over it.  Sometimes I get so caught up in the planning that I never get past that stage to move on to the doing.  I can sometimes find every excuse in the book to keep me from getting to my goals.

“WANTING THE FUTURE IS ONE THING. BEING THE FUTURE IS ANOTHER”

There is no possible way to be 100% prepared or every single thing life might throw at us.  There is no way to predict the future or change the past. However, you can definitely halt your future and remain stuck in the present.  You can get yourself in that rut, stew in the mud puddle, and whine about how you didn’t see it coming.  If you had only had the foresight to know it was in front of you…

Doing things on your own with no real experience or knowledge can be scary.

Or, as I have been reminded, it can be a great learning experience and opportunity.  There is a lot of work to be done to get to the end result, but I am diligent and determined now.  I am not going to get stuck in ruts and stew in mud puddles.  If I fall I will sit on the ground and giggle, splash in the puddle, and run on to the next challenge.  It can be exciting, enlightening, invigorating.  It can be anything I want it to be…I just have to do it! Every day now I wake up and realise that I am one step closer to my ultimate dream of quitting my “day job” and becoming a fulltime photographer.

This weekend was a whirlwind of opportunity, learning, and gifts.  I spent a heapload of time working on my Wix portfolio (that is almost ready for launch!!) and over at TwinklePhoto.  I set up new galleries for clients, a personal projects section, and in the near future I will launch my prints-to-purchase gallery!   I had a beautiful walk through Tourne Park in Denville on Saturday afternoon with Sunshine, and a fantastic photoshoot with Jesh and Hillary at the Newfoundland Train Station on Sunday.  Both days gave me renewed drive and inspiration to continue on this new positive path.

Time and life are ever-changing, ever-flowing.  I discovered a lot about where I fit and my place in the universe.

POINTLESS UPDATE TIME.

I’m leaving the original “30 days of meme” challenge and now making it the “15 days of meme” challenge.  I’m just not sure I can write on some of those following topics anymore.  I can’t say I didn’t try though!  In fact, I got further than I do with most memes!  So I’m pretty proud of myself for that.

I have to spend more time working on a meme that will further my artistic skills.  I will be posting lots more to the 100 themes challenge page of my blog.  So stay tuned on that for more updates

In other news, THIS IS HILARIOUS.

30 Days of Meme Challenge – Day 15 – Your childhood

Day 15 – Your childhood

Bike rides and scooter races, skip-it, hula hoop, jumprope, street hockey.

Skinned knees and dirty feets.

Chalk drawings, tree forts, “cops & robbers.”

Slumber parties and movie fests, gigglefits and pillow forts.

Barbie Dolls and Rainbow Brite, Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters, and RV Cars.

Pizza parties, mac&cheese, chicken nuggets, chocolate chip cookies.

Weekends at Nana and Pop-Pop’s, ice cream with Grandpa Joe.

vacations, museums, the randolph beach, barbecues, and science camp.

snow forts and sledding, ice luge in the backyard.

broken ankle, broken arm, sprains, soccer games and basketball.

ice cream cones and bubble gum, discovery zone, sports&games.

school assemblies, chorus concerts, teen arts night.

Family, friends, teachers, and mentors shaping a young mind to become someone great.

The bright shining stars of my childhood memories.

30 days of Meme Challenge – Days 12, 13, and 14

I started off well on this meme challenge business, but fell behind with the business of the “holiday” weekend and all that.  Sorry, folks!

Day 12 – What’s in your bag:

1. 1  yellow Bic hi-liter
2. a hello kitty wallet
3. a small stack of twinklesandglitter business cards
4. one “bullet” from a nerf shooter gun
5. a beautiful hippie art folder filled with resumes
6. my portfolio on cd
7. a nickel!
8. an approval paper for my specialty vet-only credit card
9. these Bicycle brand playing cards
10. a Sephora brand “Colorful 9″ eyeshadow compact

Day 13 – Your mode of transportation

a 2000 mercury sable sedan, black. black leather interior (NOT MY CHOICE!! poor cows :C) and bumperstickered to obilivion.
Observe:

Guadalupe in her early days...when you can still see bumper.

Day 14 – Where you live

I mostly live on the internet, but my physical hometown is Rockaway, NJ. I reside in a bright blue house with pastel yellow shutters.  I live by this pretty little lake…nice to sit by but wouldn’t want to swim in it.  My region is considered to be Northern New Jersey.  I have easy access to a lot of major highways. Um…really there’s nothing exciting for this post in the meme. What a stupid, boring topic!

IMPORTANT NEWS

There is a TIE Fighter  shaped scratch on my arm.  

DO YOU SEE IT?

 

That is all…

30 Days of Meme Challenge- Day 11 – Your sibling (no -s, I just have one!)

My brother is this dinosaur: 

No, really. My brother is the guy in the dinosaur costume. 

Which is good because he’s been practicing for that role since like, idk…childhood? 

Proof is in the pudding.

 

My brother is an English Major. 

He writes this blog. 

This is my brother as a midget: 

he doesn't really look like this anymore?

 

(No, Karyn.) He has unfortunately not figured out *pawhands*  Blue’s Clues *pawhands* 

He went to France for 3 weeks and didn't buy this Nutella.

 

He has a girlfriend named Dreena (hi dreena!) She’s supercool and musically gifted and also, artsy!!!!! 

He used to make forever-long movies about a character called Pancake Boy. 

He also used to write “comics” about a road-kill cat called XCAT under the guise of a company called “FRED COMICS.” Fred was also a comic character with a rather large head. 

He is a good sport for putting up with things like: 

THIS.