waiting

out of my reflections came inspiration.

i just wasn't "feeling" the photo project i proposed for the first half of the semester. therefore it was not being worked on, and i felt like a failure. enter bad week. i can now clearly see that my "rut" was partially put in place so that i could gain new inspiration for my work. not my first choice for motivation, but cause for deeper meaning and more personal artwork. clever.

i'm changing my photo proposal from the norm of my domestic objects to a series on waiting. fitting, really. (REALLY)

i wasn't sure why i was taking these images last semester, but i now realize they were a prelude to this particular project...and my life. i'm still working out some of the ideas i have and the specific photos i want to create. lots of sketching and brainstorming to be documented.

above are a few of the digital negatives of images i took last semester for a process called gum bichromate, which will be the same process in which i will develop my new series. glad to have some sort of direction. now it's time to get serious.

waiting (with some inspiration),
michelle

my mantra

lately i've been in a rut. i'm not quite sure what to do to get out of this rut. maybe i'm feeling this way because my room still is not done and is only partially organized. maybe it is because i can't seem to just blow off my academic classes and only be a creative genius 24/7. maybe it's because i'm turning 20-old (that's code for 25...sorry to those of who who have surpassed me in this area) and i'm still living in my parent's house with no hope of moving out anytime soon. and maybe it's a culmination of all of these things and maybe some others. i don't know. i just wish i weren't over here, in this rut.


so what am i going to do to combat this problem i seem to be having? i'm certainly not going to give up. i can't. i have way too much to do for that. i can't blame this on anyone...and wouldn't want to anyway.

i'm just going to be happy. i'm not a "debbie downer" by nature. i'm cheerful michelle (i can't seem to think of a good alliteration for my name except for maybe "merry" and i'm not quite fond of that). i'm going to live joyously and be thankful for my days. a few months ago i wrote a "mantra" of sorts for myself. kate at work and i both did one to try and live purposefully. here's what i came up with:



michelle's mantra

i will use my fun-loving, eco-conscious and domestic ways
along with my creativity
through loving others (with a Christ-like, genuine love),
through reducing, reusing and recycling,
through making baked goodies for those i love
and through my photography and other creative art-forms
to create a world (community) that is organically tasteful, eco-friendly, ever-loving and aware of the beauty which surrounds us.

i've recently pulled this out again to help with my rut. it's good to re-assess and re-group once and a while. in fact, i think it's necessary. maybe this is the reason for the rut...to look at my life and make sure i'm living how i should be.

thanks for reading.
i think i'm going to clear my bookshelf and "craft station" so that i can get a move on my room this weekend.

with love,
michelle

happy

valentine's day. no, i'm not overly gushy when it comes to this particular holiday, but i love to love and therefore am extending some of it to you :) feel special.

speaking of love, i absolutely love robert indiana's love. Have seen one of his paintings in Indy and studied him in my contemporary art class. love!


he's also captured my favorite number: 5

so here's to robert indiana, the number five and love!

goodlove for now, i heart you.
michelle

happy monday

to you all. you viewing this blog is evidence that i survived last week. amazing. i was able to get all of my reading done for class, assignments for senior project turned in, programs for joel and amanda's wedding re-programed, printed, punched and ribbon-ed, somehow got through karen's memorial service, and was able to enjoy a beautiful wedding weekend with a few of my favorite people.


today's tasks will be (in order of priority) COFFEE, an online assignment, LUNCH, reading of art history articles (on the baroque master painter caravaggio), reading of environmental history, tweaking of my CV (artist's resume), and writing my photography proposal. lots o' work to do. here's to a great day!

cheers!
michelle