Tag : Universe
As I mentioned before, Tony and I took a quick trip to Nashville a few weeks ago to meet up with our dear friends, Melissa and Tom. We met M&T a few years ago when they were working on a documentary about marriage, and they came here to Lincoln to interview us! We immediately hit it off and totally believe the Universe brought us together. Tony and I agree with Melissa and Tom when they say we are like each other’s couple clone. We chose Nashville to meet up as it was a city that none of the four of us had ever visited and a place we all had an interest in checking out. We explored the main strip in the downtown area and lots of little neighborhoods throughout the city. Of course, I packed a number of cameras, looking forward to shooting photographs of a new place. Here are some highlights from our trip that I shot on two of my Polaroid cameras with instant film from the Impossible Project.
First up, the Loveless Cafe and Motel, a Nashville staple serving up some of the most amazing biscuits (plus, I can’t resist a vintage, neon sign)…
A little wheatpaste art in the 12South neighborhood…
The famous letterpress, Hatch Show Print, who have been in business since 1879 making posters and press for country music starts, political campaigns, and more…
The facade of Barista Parlor, one of the coolest and yummiest places to grab coffee (and biscuits and jam tartlets) in East Nashville…
Of course, when in Nashville, wear your boots! Melissa and I showcasing ours…
And last but not least, a lovely portrait of my Tribe sister and kindred spirit, Melissa, on our last morning…
These photos can’t possibly capture the fun the four of us had together, nor all the sights and delectables we enjoyed in NashVegas (I am not making that up!), but I hope it gives you a little glimpse into our escapades down South. Where will M&T2 venture to next? Rumor has it that Paris and London could be on the books!
A few posts ago, I mentioned that I wanted to share with you a great — and difficult — opportunity that presented itself which allowed me to work a bit deeper with my word for the year. As promised, here is that story.
As many of you know, I’ve been working on a 365 project since last April. I’ve been focusing on practicing (my one little word for 2012) my photography by shooting every day, and I’m oh-so-very-close to the finish line of this milestone journey. And while I may not feel totally inspired each and every day, I have been consistently shooting and diligently marking each day with a photograph from one of my Polaroid cameras or my digital SLR. A few Fridays ago, I was running fast and furious — I had my pre-op visit with my surgeon, multiple meetings with students, errands to run, Parker to drop off at the dog-sitter’s house, and packing to do as Tony and I were leaving the next morning to head to Nashville to meet up with some dear friends. At around 8:15pm, as I was sitting at my computer checking-in for our flights, it dawned on me that I hadn’t taken a photo yet that day and that I needed to take care of that. A little while later, Tony got home from a play at the high school where he teaches and I realized I hadn’t eaten dinner yet (hello after 9pm!). So I talked with him, heated up some leftovers, and eventually finished packing. The next morning arrived, we had some coffee while getting our remaining items together, I grabbed some film from out of the refrigerator, and off to Omaha we drove to catch our plane. After making our connection in Chicago and mid-flight to Nashville, a wave of awareness and an immediate sinking feeling washed over me. I DIDN’T SHOOT A PHOTO THE DAY BEFORE.
I felt horrible. Sick to my stomach. Tony was asleep in the seat next to me and I desperately wanted to wake him up so I could tell him that I didn’t take a photo the day before. I realized that was selfish of me and that there was nothing he could do about it, so I let him sleep. But I so wanted to scream as loud as I could that I DIDN’T SHOOT A PHOTO THE DAY BEFORE. I was that upset. I wanted needed to tell somebody. I wanted needed someone to “talk me down off the ledge.” I was beside myself that I had come this far in the project, that I had only 45 days left to cross the finish line, and I had f*cked up. I was so mad at myself. I felt so stupid. HOW COULD I FORGET? It wasn’t even like I felt uninspired or bored. It wasn’t like I just didn’t feel like shooting something. It was simply that I forgot. It was the mere fault of being over-scheduled, over-full, and maxed out for the day, that it slipped my mind in the midst of all the other details. Not shooting a photo was a result of me simply being human.
Now I realize that this is not the catastrophic problem that I was feeling it was. I totally get that the world was going to keep on spinning, and that in the grand scheme of life, this was not that big of a deal. And I know that most people wouldn’t even really care. But I care. This 365 project matters to me, and I felt incredibly angry with myself. I felt such a sense of disappointment. I felt like I blew it.
And then I had to shake it off. I was not going to quit, even though the urge to do so might have been strong given the ways in which I felt I had blown it. I’m betting that this is what happens to many people who don’t complete a 365 project — one day causes a hiccup, a missed photo, and the feelings of f*cking it up makes people throw in the towel. But I chose to accept that this is what happened. I didn’t shoot a photograph on day 320/365. And while that was a total bummer, I had to pick up my camera on day 321/365 and move FORWARD. I had to dust myself off and keep going. I had to put one foot in front of the other, and keep doing the work. The Universe gave me a beautiful, if not painful, opportunity to practice my one little word for the year. And I’m grateful for it.
Over the past two years or so, many people have asked me about the Tribe. They want to know what is the Tribe, who is in it, and most of all, how did the Tribe come to be. The Tribe is my group of soul sisters. They are the core of my creative community. The Tribe are some of my most kindred spirits on this journey of carving out a creative life and focusing on what matters. But it wasn’t an accident or pure happenstance that brought us all together. It took effort and risk and trusting the Universe for me to even dream about putting together this group of inspiring and wholehearted women.
In the spirit of collaboration — and I am all about collaborating and putting our creative efforts together — two of my Tribe sisters, Elizabeth and Emily, and I collectively wrote a piece about the Tribe. We tried to answer those questions of how it came to fruition, what it felt like to be asked to join this group of then-strangers, and what the reverberations have been from taking the leap and going all in. We also wanted to share many of the photographs that we have taken of our time together, celebrating the sisterhood that we have cultivated among ourselves. So 7 of us selected photos from our two retreats and threw them into the collaborative mix. We wanted to share our story to inspire other women to create their own Tribe. We all need connection. We all need to be seen. We all need to find our soul sisters.
I’m thrilled to share with you that our collaborative piece, writing and photographs, are hitting newsstands this week in Mingle magazine. I really hope you check out, especially if you are searching for your kindred spirits. They are out there and you deserve to find them. We all need a Tribe. xoxo
Make a wish…
What do you wish for when you talk to the Universe?
The Universe knows…
Last summer during the Tribe retreat, we spent an afternoon making vision boards. We had tons of magazines, posterboard, and gluesticks at the ready. While we talked about our dreams for the upcoming year, we poured over the magazines, looking for images and words that spoke to us and captured some of what we were visioning for our futures. In addition to the typical glossies that you pick up at the grocery (Oprah, Whole Living, Real Simple), I brought along some of my favorite magazines that are more like journals, catalogs of art and creativity — UPPERCASE, Mingle, and Kinfolk to name a few. As I found images of cameras (even an SX-70!) and hearts and bikes that I wanted to put on my vision board, I knew for certain I wanted to cut out the masthead of UPPERCASE and use it for my vision of the future. I was clear that one of my big goals and dreams for the coming year was to have my photography and writing published in UPPERCASE, a magazine I adore that features amazing work by all types of artists.
Not long after returning home from the coast of Oregon, I began working on a submission to UPPERCASE. Like I tell my students about publishing academic research, the surest way not to get published somewhere is to not submit your work. Thus, I took my own advice, and crafted a story and selected accompanying photos. After working it through many times, writing and re-writing, pouring over photos, I took the plunge and submitted it. And then I waited, asking the Universe to do its thing (please and thank you). I journaled about it and reminded myself to trust the process. I repeated a mantra to myself that I had done my part, did the work, put myself out there, and now I had to believe this creative endeavor would take the course it needed to take.
And then it happened. I heard back from Janine Vangool, the editor of UPPERCASE. She said she liked my photography and my writing, and said she’d keep me in mind as she worked on future issues of the magazine. A month or so later, I heard from Janine again, saying she wanted to use my story and some photographs in an upcoming issue of UPPERCASE. YES! I did my part and the Universe did its thing.
Issue #16 has recently shipped to subscribers and stockists, and it landed in my mailbox just this week. I can’t tell you how ecstatic I was to rip open the plastic covering, and turn to the Table of Contents to see my name listed. I was beyond thrilled to then flip to page 29 and see my words, my photographs, and me (self-portraits, you know!) among the pages of this magazine I so adore. I also love that the photographs included in the piece are a combination of self-portraits and Polaroids shot with Impossible Project film. I feel grateful and so happy to have realized another creative dream.
To help celebrate this milestone and my photography and writing being published in the pages of UPPERCASE, Janine is sponsoring a giveaway of a year subscription to the magazine! How awesome is that?!? For your chance to win the subscription, please leave a comment on this post by Sunday, January 27th at midnight Central time. I’ll select a winner using a random number generator and let you know who won!
As always, thanks for being a part of my creative journey. You cheering me on means more to me than you know. xoxo