my sweet friend lisa asked me to join in on a little blog tour. and seeing as how i pretty much adore her and i pretty much relish a chance to press the pause button and engage in a little reflection, i said yes. if you’d like to see lisa’s responses to these same questions, you can click here. from that post, you’ll be linked to other creatives as well. and to link to even more creative souls, read on to the end of this post.
ah here we go…
1. What am i working on?
know that i mean this most sincerely: i’m working on life. i am trying to be mama, wife, creative (and daughter, sister, friend…), and i am trying to do this with a certain amount of grace. that is my work.
my creative work colors all areas of my life. camera and pen are essential tools for me. photos snapped and lines conjured allow me moments of play in my days, offer me pockets of attention and intention. i collect the daily photos and i gather the daily words in an effort to distill life, in an effort to make some sense of it, in an effort to embrace it wholeheartedly.
my daily work/play has translated into my e-course, 28 moments. and i’m beginning work on a follow-up to that course {coming soon}. this pleases me so much…to be part of this growth and to be sharing it all the while.
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
gosh, this question makes me squirm, as if i’m assuming i’m more than i am. but, if i had to pick something, i think i would say that i’m keen to embrace it all…the good and the bad, the celebrations and the shitstorms . i am interested in beauty, certainly…but i believe that beauty comes in different forms. i try to explore all of it.
3. Why do I write/create what I do?
i write and photograph what i write and photograph because i know no other way. i see life as little bits all strung together…each of us, each of our moments like little bulbs on a string of twinkle lights. everything (everyone) adds up. and so i capture the bits of my life through camera lens and through fingertips and pen. i try to appreciate life’s little bits, try to cultivate comfort in not understanding it all, try to distill what i do understand and what i know to be true. photography and writing are my guides in this journey, they are my meditation.
i love what frederick franck wrote: art is neither a profession nor a hobby. art is a way of being.
yes, that.
4. How does your writing/creating process work?
i take photographs daily and i write daily. as i mentioned above, it’s a form of mediation for me. being a homeschooling mama of two, free time comes in pockets. i snap a photo here and there. i scribble lines now and then more later. i shied away from creative endeavors for years because i thought i didn’t have the time {i wanted those open hours, plural being operative} {okay, i still want the plural}. but i’ve come to embrace the pockets of time i do have, and i try to make use of them….i try to allow the work to flow from there. and that means flowing from wherever i am in a given moment.
and now the blog tour – the stroll, if you will – continues with these three lovely souls. they’ll be sharing their responses to the above questions next week, april 28. i leave you in good hands…
Tisha Pletcher is a dream hunter and curator of the brave stories. You can find her at liferenewing.com.
Cathy Sly is a natural light photographer who uses her camera and words to capture her simple everyday life even when it is all a bit blurry. She is a seeker of light and uncomplicated moments, which often take her breath away and fill her heart with goodness. You can find her blogging here: mycornerthroughmylens.blogspot.com
Jennifer Belthoff is a writer, photographer, and creative dreamer. She opens her heart up to the page and allows the truth of her story to spill out. She knows that a single postcard can ignite connection between strangers and that there is power in writing our stories. Jennifer leads in person and online writing workshops and hosts a quarterly Love Notes Project. These days you will find her training for a marathon, writing a book, and dreaming big. You can find her at jenniferbelthoff.com
and finally
sending a little love your way, m
p.s. registration is currently open for lisa’s beautiful offering The Gift of Practice. click here for more information. she’s seriously lovely.
Michelle GD 
The picture of the toothbrushes is simply amazing…I keep going back to it.
What a beautiful space you have here Michelle, so good to visit!
thank you, claudine…you’ve just made me smile so big!!!!
I sure loved reading about your process since I greatly admire you as a writer and artist and fully enjoyed my 28 days with you. I was asked to write about my process from a fellow blogger and talened artist Shannon who can be found at http://doodlesinvigorate.wordpress.com/. I took her up on her offer too:) I will probably post on Monday. I had you in mind to ask but I see you are a step ahead already!!
thank you, tracie, so.very.much.
i can’t wait to read your post!!!
xo
The pockets and the links of twinkling lights to so many more magical findings too xx love.!
here’s to magical findings…!
xo
Having not visited for a shamefully long time, I see you have made some very lovely adjustments around here! Still clean and white and peaceful, still you though :).
I LOVE what you say about pockets of time. I may like to borrow that as it’s something I think about a lot ~ the gap between the desire and the doing and how to make it easier to close it.
Gosh it’s so peaceful over here I kind of want to lie down and have a nap! And I’m not a napper. :)
the pockets…yes, trying to close the gap between desire and actual doing. the framework of pockets helps me.
and thank you for your kindest of words regarding the space. it means a great deal to me.
xo
it’s so interesting to read all the different responses to those questions and i’m glad I found your blog that way (found you via Attualmente)
i’m enjoying all the various responses as well…so interesting and fun!
and i’m so glad you found your way here…thank you.
oh. you have such a lovely space here. it’s like a deep exhale.
mmmm…the pockets. yes. i think i wouldn’t know myself if i suddenly had the plural….;)
xo
thank you, melanie…that’s such a lovely thing to say, and means a great deal to me.
and thank goodness for the pockets. they’re something…
Lovely everyday moments. I love your way of thinking that everything and everyone is a string of twinkle lights – most magical! Thanks for stopping by, this blog tour was fun :).
thanks, mandy…we’re all part of the magic.
and, yes, the blog tour was fun…so nice to learn about you and your work!
this: “each of us, each of our moments like little bulbs on a string of twinkle lights” (hit me in the heart. yes.) xo
may we all shine…
xo
I have to echo Tisha … in awe and in gratitude! It’s funny … in my mad frenzy to simplify, I end up complicating things and then I come to your space and am reminded of my intention. There is SO MUCH packed into each moment and I feel like you patiently and lovingly gather all those moments up … a powerful lesson for me: To mindfully gather rather than grabbing, grasping and snatching.
And yes, your gift is holding this wide open space for the details of your life and to shine awareness and love equally upon it all. That gesture expands our understanding of beauty. That toothbrush photo says it all! xo
so pleased our paths have crossed, lisa…so much to learn from each other. i will forever think fondly of you and your spinning plates…there is wisdom there.
thank you for the opportunity to play along on this tour, for this chance to reflect and share. you do inspire me.
xo
in awe of you and all that you create. all that you create. xoxo
oh, tisha, thank you…for this, for you, for the beauty you shine into our world {can’t wait for your share next week}. xo
You are lovely.
And genuine.
And graceful, too.
You remind me that pocket creativity is possible. Cheers to that!
Xoxo
J.
so grateful for you, j.
to the pockets…
xo