Art

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Photography: #100DayProject Second Update

It’s Day 45 of the #100DayProject and I’m still going strong. Since we are almost at the halfway point, it felt like a good time to reflect on what I’ve learned so far.

  • Storage: I ran out of space on my hard drive. It was inevitable, but I finally had to do something about it. I now have an external hard drive, and I’ve moved several years’ worth of photos onto it, organized into folders by date and subject.
  • Editing: Once I tackled spacing issues, I had to face my inconsistent workflow. I was using multiple programs to edit and save photos with no long-term planning. It’s embarrassing, but I would edit them on my desktop, put them on the blog, and then get rid of the edited versions. Argh. Now, I’m close to having a good working system, which keeps edited photos and the RAW versions.
  • Skills: I’ve taken four classes so far—posing, exposure triangle, light, and senior photography as a business. I’m starting an editing class next week. It’s a lot to learn, and having to take and edit photos daily, along with everything else in my life, is proving to be exhausting.
  • Time: I’m behind on editing. Having to take a week to move things over to the new hard drive and organize all my photos has put me behind. I’m still going to share some of my bigger shoots with you, but some will just be practice.
  • Camera: I’m discovering the limits of having a camera with a Micro Four Thirds (MFT) sensor. Also, learning a lot about how prime lenses work and dreaming now of all the beautiful gear I can someday afford.
  • Career goals: My timeline of taking a year to really figure out if I can do this for a business is proving wise. I’ve had a few freak-out moments, some big missteps, and I’m learning the well of knowledge is pretty deep. 

As I haven’t had time to edit or share any photos for over a week, I thought it would be nice to share some of these with you. My nephew and goddaughter are my models a lot, but you’ll also see my daughter’s friend Layla in here, critters from my yard, items from the Antique Trove, animals at the Sacramento Zoo, and my friend’s fairy backyard.

While I’m falling even more in love with photography, the editing and tech side of photography has me kind of overwhelmed. And I miss writing. I’ve not had time to do any at all, and I’m feeling weird about that.

It’s hard to believe my book is almost a year old. I need to promote it more, maybe throw a party for the anniversary, but then again, I feel like the book did its job. You know? I’m proud of the work I did, but I think when I have more books to market, it will find a greater audience.

All this to say, sorry I’ve been away, and here are some pictures for you to look at. Let me know if you have a favorite and if you see improvement. It’s hard for me to tell if I’m just spinning my wheels or if they are indeed getting better.

Thank you!

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Bonus photo taken of me by my daughter’s friend Layla:

  • If you’re unfamiliar with the #100DayChallenge, it’s simple. You choose any creative project you like and do it every day for 100 days, sharing your process on social media using the hashtag #The100DayProject. This year the dates are Feb. 22-June 2.
  • These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using various lenses and edited with Lightroom Classic.
  • To follow Anna’s progress in the 100 Days. visit Little Bits of Thread
  • See what my friend Angelica’s doing for her 100 Days, visit Journal of a Wayward Writer
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Photography: For You


The news right now is horrific. I watched the video of the second person killed by ICE agents, gunned down on a street in broad daylight, and my heart broke into a million tiny pieces. Again. A powerful sense of mourning for America has overcome me, more than I ever thought possible. I’m terribly sad and angry.

It’s hard to create right now, it’s hard to do anything right now, but something tells me you might need these photos as much as I do. These little tiny pieces of art I crafted for you when I should have been sleeping. Thorns. Flowers. Weeds. Fruit.

These are for you, for me, for all of us.

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  • Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D1 and edited with Lightroom Classic
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Photography: Chalk It Up

Over Labor Day weekend, I attended the 35th annual Chalk It Up event, a free open-art festival for families. My daughter had the privilege of opening the show with her G.I.R.L.S. Rock Sacramento band, Wisteria. It was a lovely, albeit hot, morning filled with art and music.

Let me know if you have a favorite shot and have a fantastic day!

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Photography: Troll Hunting

Part of our summer trip included searching for Thomas Dambo’s giant wooden trolls. Let me tell you, these incredible sculptures do not disappoint. Not only are they breathtakingly beautiful, but they are enormous!

Thomas Dambo has crafted over 170 creations all over the world. If your curious if one is near you, here’s a wonderful Trollmap. We only visited two trolls this trip, but we will try again soon.

Now, come with me into the forest to meet Bruun Idun and Pia the Peacekeeper.

From Thomas Dambo:

“In the night, there was a storm, there at the beach where she was born
And Idun felt a feeling wrong, and so she walked there in the dawn
And in a flute, the magic horn, a tune so passionate and strong
She played for them an orca song to ask them where they all had gone“

Brunn Idun stands on the shoreline playing her flute to the Orca’s to ask them why they have all left the Pugeut Sound. Her flute was made by artist, John Halliday Aka Coyote from the Muckleshoot Tribe. On August 25th, the Mayor of Seattle, Bruce A. Harrel, declared it “Brunn Idun Day”. This special recognition celebrates Bruun Idun’s and the Trolls’ contributions to our collective stewardship environmental management, water protection, repairing habitat restoration, preservation and conservation. Every August 25th is Bruun Idun Day.

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From Thomas Dambo:

“Pretty pretty please, let’s keep the peace beneath the trees
Hold you in my hand I will remind you with a squeeze
Quiet little people cause your criers make me tired
Pia likes to play with people, people they keep quiet“

Pia likes to play with the people beneath the trees, and she likes it when it’s not too noisy.

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  • These photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
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Photography: Chalk It Up

Labor Day weekend I visited our local Chalk It Up event, a free open-art festival for families. My daughter had the privilege of opening the show with her G.I.R.L.S. Rock Sacramento band. One of her friends was a featured alumni artist and created the first image below. This event has become a family tradition and this year felt even more special with lots of our friends and family attending. Life has been busy, but it’s never too late to share.

Let me know if you have a favorite image and have a fantastic day!

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  • The last photo is of my gorgeous daughter. I’m so proud of her. Keep playing!
  • Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.

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Photography: Petaluma

“I spry my closed vision
over the streets of this city and the shadows lurching within it.”
—Suman Pokhrel

I’ve spent the week in various places in downtown Sacramento and it reminded me how much I miss traveling. I used to visit new cities, exploring on my own, letting my curiosity guide me. I’d strike up conversations with strangers, share a bit of their worldview for a moment, and I always left feeling renewed. While I’ve not done much of it lately, there are moments that feed that creative energy. Little artist dates, as Julie Cameron calls them.

One such date was a quick stop in Petaluma on the way back from our Dillion Beach trip. The teens went one way and I went the other. Although it was quick, there was plenty for me to feast my eyes upon. Here are a few of my favorite shots. Let me know if you have a favorite and let’s travel together soon.

  • Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
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Poetry: Heavy and light

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My body feels heavy
Carrying ancient ancestral groves
Balanced upon my crown
Rooted within acrid soil.

My body feels heavy
Thickly bound bloody strings
Tautly held wounded anger
Attached within my chest.

My body wants light
Clear-cut forests laid bare
Tiny seedlings taking hold
Reaching out both directions.

My body wants light
Sharp scissors slice free
Snapping bright red strands
Allowing one liberated breath.

This ekphrastic poem was inspired by the sculpture above titled “Ancestor 1” by Aisha Harrison. It’s currently on display at the Crocker Art Museum.

More short poems:
1/30: not my cat
2/30: comfort
3/30: ache
4/30: remember
5/30: graduation
6/30: big love

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#100DayProject: Watercolors-Week 3

“All you really need to do is accept this moment fully. You are then at ease in the here and now and at ease with yourself.”-Eckhart Tolle

Welcome to the third week of my #100DayProject. While I started watercolor painting as a way to combat my perfectionism, it has become an important part of my morning ritual. I use the early morning hours to process my emotions and combat my anxiety. Watercolors have blended into my routine so easily that it feels as if I’ve been doing it far longer than 21 days.

Things I discovered this week:

  • Start every painting with a wash of light color
  • Taping the paper to the board is highly satisfying
  • Pulling off the tape is equally satisfying
  • I work best when I have a source image
  • I need to accept my limitations

Although I’m still enjoying the painting process, my skill level is limiting my creativity. My challenge going forward will be to see what happens after I accept this uncomfortable feeling. Thanks for following me on another adventure and being so supportive. Let me know if you have a favorite painting or haiku. I love hearing from you.

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fuzzy purple dears
hazy purple cloudy years
don’t forget to breathe

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snowy wonderland
pine-scented fantasy world
come get lost with me

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fall with me, Alice
down another rabbit hole
where purple skies sing

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something calls to me
in the ancient borogoves
do you hear it too?


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#100DayProject: Watercolors-Week 1

“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you insane your whole life.” -Anne Lamott

If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you may remember I started my photography journey this time last year by participating in the #100DayProject. It was a wonderful experience of growth and I appreciated how much feedback and advice I received throughout the process. I discovered photography was more than a passing hobby, it was something I love and will continue to do for the rest of my life.

When I saw it was time again for the #100DayProject, I did a lot of journaling about what I might do this year to grow as a creative. The idea of perfectionism kept coming up and my desire to think more out of the box. I’ve been exploring this idea of abstraction in my poetry, but I want to push myself further. As both my children did a lot of watercolor painting in their Waldorf education, and I’ve always admired how the colors blend across the paper, I decided to focus the next 100 days on exploring watercolors.

I’ve always been very critical of my lack of artistic skills. Embarrassed would probably be a more accurate word. Art, to my untrained eye, always appears to contain a fair amount of magic and natural ability I don’t possess. So, it was very important before starting this project to create some guidelines to work within. I’m not trying to learn skills or techniques, but rather to allow for exploration, stress relief, and self-expression. I’ve given myself a few guidelines:

  • be messy and imprecise
  • have fun with the process
  • don’t overthink
  • don’t plan
  • don’t judge the finished painting
  • be brave

This first week was challenging. I looked up images in books and online and when I tried to duplicate them found myself getting into the mindset of failure and comparison. It was only when I started painting my feelings and allowing myself to be silly, it started to feel more enjoyable. Each week I’ll share 3-4 paintings without commentary (other than perhaps this format of including a haiku). I hope you’ll enjoy watching me experiment with letting go.

Here are my offerings for Week 1:

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wiggly bright full moon
shining in a pale green sky
you grow lovely plants

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colors dance freely
across the watery page
revealing flowers

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hidden dark red sky
delicate flower bouquets
spring is almost here

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wavy broken lines
colorful light bright puzzle
what things do you see?

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#100DayProject: Photography-Week Eight

The old grey donkey, Eeyore stood by himself in a thistly corner of the Forest, his front feet well apart, his head on one side, and thought about things. Sometimes he thought sadly to himself, “Why?” and sometimes he thought, “Wherefore?” and sometimes he thought, “Inasmuch as which?” and sometimes he didn’t quite know what he was thinking about. -A. A. Milne

I’ve been feeling like Eeyore this week—lost in contemplation and not quite sure what any of it means. The further I dive into my creative endeavors, the clearer it becomes I have no idea what I’m doing. I need to learn so much. In the meantime, my kids, my house, and my yard need my attention. I feel rebellious, antsy, and unfocused.

Part of this uneasiness might be my 45th birthday approaching. I wish I’d kept writing when I had children or started photography years ago. The horrible sense I’m running out of time has been hanging onto me this week and it made writing my short story and editing my photos this week far more challenging. My confidence feels fractured, but not fully broken. The only thing to do is keep moving forward.

One word and one image at a time.

Thank you for following my journey and rooting me on. I appreciate it so much.

If you’re unfamiliar with the 100 Day Project, the concept is simple. You choose any creative project you like and do it every day for 100 days, sharing your process on social media using the hashtag #The100DayProject. This year the dates are Feb. 13-May 24.

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I’m far more productive away from home. I can’t run into the kitchen for another snack when I feel a lull in inspiration or start doing something like laundry or dishes. I love the coffee shop I’ve been writing at, but it’s near my daughter’s school about a half-hour from home. Next year, she won’t be there anymore and I’ve been seeking someplace close to home.

After a few misses, I’ve found it at The Fig Tree. If I close my eyes tight and imagine the perfect place to create, this place would come close. Artwork on the walls, beautiful bricks, comfy spots to sit, bookshelves, and a drink called Persphone. I’m here right now and I feel at home and inspired. Here’s my view, taken with my iPhone 13 a few minutes ago.