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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Xmas is coming...

I can't say that I'm a big fan of xmas crowds - the packed malls, the traffic...so I usually don't partake in all the xmas festivities.  But last weekend a friend & I wanted to do a photo excursion, so we ventured out to a popular holiday venue.  A great time was had!  Funny how just that simple act of reframing the day into a "photo walk" made it that much better. Anything for a good shot!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Much to explore!

I've been meaning to get over here for days now...but I can't seem to pull myself away from all the inspiration!  Kim Klassen is opening me up to a whole new world of textures, Vivienne McMaster continues to amaze me with her e-course on selfies, and Tracey Clark's Picture Holidays has just begun.  And I'm supposed to find time for xmas shopping?  Not today.  There is much to be explored.

Monday, November 29, 2010

I want a standing ovation!

Do you ever have those moments in life, when you not only step outside of the box you are in - the one that you put yourself in - but take a GIANT leap?  Does it ever feel like you have no say in the manner?  It's almost as if you were nudged from behind & thrust into the unknown by some force of nature...

Then you breathe.  (inhale, exhale)

And you realize that the air is fresh, clean and energizing out there.  out Here.  Starting this blog is one of these moments.

This has happened to me before.  This exhilerating, yet totally terrifying, feeling I get when I'm doing something that I wouldn't normally do.  I'm thinking of that time in Minneapolis.

I was attending a conference on "Inspiring the youth of today."  The key note speaker talked about reclaiming your voice - of asking for what you want.  He said that if at some point during the conference you decided you just needed a little boost - a little pick-me-up - all you had to do was exclaim at the top of your lungs, "I want a standing ovation!"  Then everyone in that conference was to stop what they were doing, stand up, turn to you, clap, and holler.

It didn't matter if you were walking the halls, in a session, or at lunch.  What a crazy concept.

Being the shy girl that I am, I thought, "Who am I to draw that kind of attention to myself?!  What would that be like?"  Really.

My moment came after the conference had closed.  I was on my way to the Mall of America to taste my first Krispy Kreme donut.  (At the time, we didn't have them in Canada!)  I was sitting in the middle, turny section of a double-length bus, when all of a sudden I was pulled from my seat by some unknown force and I yelled, "I want a standing ovation!!"

The reaction of others isn't the point of my story.  But yes, they applauded and hooped and hollered!  (Although I'm sure there were plenty of random, non-conference goers on that bus that wondered what kind of lunatic I was.)

But my point is this, people.  In that moment, I did something so "out of character" for me that it blew my mind.

I thought to myself: Who are you, Kate?  Who ARE you?

Now, to say that my life changed dramatically after that day would be a lie.  But something changed.  A tiny, little seed of change was planted that day.  And I smiled.

It's scary when we feel like we're being pushed from behind, when we've lost control.  When we're being pulled into another version of reality for ourselves.  But I'm starting to realize that it's ok.  Change is allowed.  Change is good.

So here I am, folks.  I hope you'll join me from time to time on this journey, as I share a little from The Studio and a little bit of me.  And sure, I'll take the standing ovation.