Shutter Sisters

sharing what matters

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Hey Sisters! Have you heard? What you’re doing matters! Yes, I am talking to YOU.

If you ask me, I’d say we’re riding the wave of pure and positiveaffirmation! It’s awesome. And in the name of self-kindness, I hope you can take today and embrace the wonder that you are. Right here, right now, as you are.

And speaking of kindness, want a way to give a little back to people who need it most right now? It’s easy, just bid on your favorite image from some of our talented community of Shutter Sisters who have work up for auction at the Mom 2.0 Summit Exhibit Auction. The same images that were hung at the FotoFest Gallery in Houston! All proceeds will benefit Haiti relief efforts so you’re not only going to get inspired, you’re going to give something in return. It’s a windfall of kindness!

Today, turn your lens toward positivity, toward kindness, toward the creativity that makes what we do as Shutter Sisters so darn special. Our collective good energy makes a difference. Share what you shoot with us!

what dreams may come

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“Always remember that dreams—your creative visualizations—must come before their physical manifestations.” –Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance

Mighty Girl Maggie Mason has made an art of living what she calls her Mighty Life List. The list began as 100 things before I go kind of list but it has turned into the chance for her to act on those things and actually do them. In other words, Maggie is living her dreams. The whole idea is not only inspiring, it’s mind-blowing.

So (why not?) I’ve been musing on what my own life list would look like if I were to say…write one.

(insert crickets chirping here)

Truth be told, I’m not sure I can come up with a half a dozen things for a list, let alone 100 and I can’t stop wondering if I’ve forgotten how to dream.

Being that this is a rather recent epiphany, I don’t actually have an answer to that question but I can tell you one thing, I’m going to get to the bottom of it. Thank goodness I’ve got Mondo Beyondo on my side and all the images in our One Word Project pool to get my head (and heart) up in the clouds a little more.

How about you? Do you have your own life list, wish list or big dreams? Inspire us!

rich

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Walls, wood, frames, images. Color, patterns, gestures, textures. There’s just something about the way all of these elements compliment each other and help weave together the tapestry of who we are. Of where we stand. Of what we believe. There’s power in all this stuff. History. Resolve. Strength. Womanhood.

Share impossibly rich textures with us today. Something that begs to be noticed by simply being exactly what it’s supposed to be, where it’s supposed to be.

bright shiny things

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Sometimes when we see ourselves in a new light we are surprised by what we see. Sometimes a different lens can highlight a detail or a feature we may have overlooked. We’re often hard on ourselves; much more so than anyone else could ever be and we can fail to see what those around us see. Our strength. Our beauty. Our talent. The list goes on and on. Seeing ourselves with kind and gentle eyes can be the biggest gift we could ever give ourselves. Sometimes it just takes our sisters to help us see it.

Share with us a shiny new you today. Something playful, reflective, pretty, real. Have fun seeing yourself in a whole new light.

Pictured above in my self-portrait with me is Meredith and Maile. Oh how grand it was to finally meet them face to face; lens to lens.

can you picture spring yet?

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Are you as eager for spring as I am? Even beyond the weather, I am excited to announce the BIG thing that’s will be starting on April 1st: Picture Spring! In true Shutter Sisters’ style I will be leading a 30-day photo project to celebrate the season of promise and renewal.

Picture Spring is a daily e-class, hosted over at the ever-fabulous Big Picture Scrapbooking that will awaken your creative spirit and open your heart and mind to all the wonders that the spring has to offer. One picture at a time. 

Pop over to the Picture Spring registration page for more details and sign up if you’d like to join us. Spread the word. Invite friends. Grab a button (see it over there on our sidebar? cute, huh?). Tweet it. Retweet it. Call your sister. The more the merrier! It’s going to be a perfect way to grow and bloom this spring, cameras in hand. I can’t wait!

And just to help get the snow melting (come on spring!) we’re giving away 3 registrations today!

Share your pictures or words that sing of spring today (albeit a little early) and you’ll be entered to win one of the complimentary registrations for the soon-coming Picture Spring.

A Preview of the Mom 2.0 Exhibit

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Last night was the preview party for the Mom 2.0 Exhibit. It was fabulous; seeing dear Houstonian friends(folks from Houston are Houstonians I was told), meeting new ones, and being surrounded by photographs created by the women, the mothers of this community here at Shutter Sisters. It made my momma heart proud and my photographer/artist heart giddy with excitement. I got a chance to get a preview of the preview which was awesome. Of course, I took lots of pictures.

To see images that I have so admired from the web, off my screen and larger than life displayed in the exceptional space of the FotoFest Gallery was amazing. Universal and sacred moments of womanhood, of motherhood celebrated and honored as the art that it is is so incredibly validating and empowering. I know we don’t needanyone to tell us that what we do matters everyday but it sure is nice to hear. And having the first gallery show of Shutter Sisters’ photography wasn’t a simple whisper either. It felt more like a shouting from the mountain tops, See this everyone? This is who we are. This is our life. And it is beautiful and heartbreaking and exuberant and really really important!

The installation of the Mom 2.0 Exhibit will grow and change and become even richer and more textured between now and the next time I get to see it; featuring more than just the images we share online, but also the stories and the words we share everyday. It’s going to be something to experience for sure. And there will be an auction of the work as well with proceeds going to Haiti which is amazing as well (details to come). I do hope you can join us for the Mom 2.0 Summitand the reception on Friday night, Feb. 19. But, even if you can’t, just knowing that the Shutter Sisters spirit stretches above and beyond our computer screens and into the world is something we can all take great pride in. Yay us!

A special thanks and congratulations to all the sisters who have their work displayed in the exhibit: Sarah-Ji, Kate Inglis, Jen Lemen, Stephanie Roberts, Karen Walrond, Maile Wilson, Irene Nam, Meredith Winn, Kristin Zecchinelli, Chris Sneddon, Meg Fahrenbach, Angie Warren, Gabrielle Blair, Laurie Smithwick, Maggie Mason, John Armstrong, Siobahn Connally, Ali Edwards, Aimee Giese, Sheri Reed, Yvonne Marie, Maria Claudia Costa and Xanthe Berkeley. (links to al this awesomeness to follow…I’m still at the airport coming home!)

The exhibit is up now through Feb 20th at FotoFest for the public to enjoy! The FotoFest Gallery is at 1113 Vine Street Ste. 101, Houston, TX 77002. For more info (like a map and hours) visit www.FotoFest.org. And tell them Shutter Sisters sent you.

 

choosing what to focus on

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Lately it seems like all of the various projects I have been working on are all teaching me the same thing. Funny how the Universe can work like that sometimes. I’m finding that the clearer I am, the more clear this truth becomes to me. What I choose to focus on becomes my reality.

I began the year with my trusted companion Simple Abundance, a gratitude journal and a creative journal, all of which I use during my first moments of quiet time after the morning shuffle of breakfast, packing lunches, and carpool. That 20 minutes I spend focusing on creating and maintaining the life that I want has made all the difference. My life just looks better. I know it’s my same old life on many levels but with the right focus on the right thing the entire picture changes.

I suppose it’s a perfect photographer analogy to liken a life’s focus to the sweet spot in an image.

When these dangling water drops caught the light, all I could see was beauty. Each time I walked past these new tomato plants on my kitchen counter, the water glistened; winking at me. I couldn’t ignore them any longer. With my trusty macro lens and my heart and aperture wide open I focused on what I wanted to see; the light, the clarity, the camaraderie, the determination, the beauty. I chose not to focus on the dirty dishes, the remnants on the cutting board or the water spotted window. Those things are all there if you carefully decipher the blurred background. But, they are not what I wanted to focus on and sure enough, you barely see them.

Amazing how that works.

Do share what you are choosing to focus on lately? Give us your picture.

warming up

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From what I can tell, it’s been one chilly winter. Of course being in So Cal, I wouldn’t know but I don’t like to rub it in.

When you’re in no mood to battle the elements, and you need to seek shelter from the storm, how do you keep yourself warm and cozy?

Got Milk?

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Life is a journey, as they say and we all know by now, it is not about the destination. Most of us believe it, but even still we often get ideas in our head that when we reach a certain status, or accomplish a goal of some kind, we’ll feel as if we’ve finally arrived. We all have a little of that in us, even if we know that there really is no true end to our dreams and ambitions (thankfully).

Of course, we might ‘make it’ to certain milestones, or gain the recognition we have sought after but is there really ever a time we totally surrender, slam on the breaks, stop and say to ourselves I have arrived ? Even if only for a little while?

The other evening my family and I attended an intimate media event for the Great Gallon GiveMilk Campaign. As we approached the lovely grounds of the W in Los Angeles where the event was held, I saw my sister and my nephew as they were getting their milk mustaches in place for a Got Milk Studio portrait. An official Milk Mustache Portrait? Gasp! I had no idea how much I really coveted those ads until that moment. I felt as giddy as a school girl! I realized that in fact, this was a dream coming true. For the rest of the evening, I felt like I had arrived!

Maybe it was just the feeling a part of such a clever, photo centric and visually stunning campaign even though the only place you’ll see this photo is right here on this post (or on my mantle). Or maybe it’s because it’s I have a honest to goodness love-affair with milk (no, I’m not kidding). Whatever the reason, there was something wonderful about it. It was an unexpected highlight for me and for just a few hours I was able to hold onto that feeling. It was like a little bit of magic.

Is there anything in your life that could present itself to make you feel like you have arrived? Or maybe there is there an image you’ve captured that makes you gasp with giddiness, “I did that and it is marvelous”.  Share your school-girl excitement with us today!

To answer the question Why Milk? and see the totally adorable new addition(s) to the Milk Mustache celebrity list visit the why Milk? website. Image above courtesy of photographer Mark Davis.

cool, refreshing clarity

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Last year around this time I was fortunate enough to attend Karen Maezen Miller’s Mother’s Plunge. The day was full of all those fundamentally important elements that stood as symbols for how I want to live my life; reminders to breathe, trusted friends, beautiful surroundings, meandering down paths and around gardens, wise words, my camera, yoga, good food, gentle guidance, discoveries, epiphanies, new friends and more reminders to breathe. It was one of those kinds of days that I won’t soon forget. Memories I carry in my back pocket and pull out when I need them most.

One of the many beauties of having a friend like Karen is that no matter the subject, no matter the means of communication between us, she always manages to slip in exactly what I need to hear. Through a simple comment on my Facebook page or blog, a phone call or an email, she’s armed with that knowing and offers it lovingly and generously.

The other day a simple line in her email awakened me; …that’s what wisdom is: clarity.

A simple statement. A reminder. A nudge. A splash of refreshing truth. My One Little Word this year is ‘deliberate’. So, I ask, did I think I could be deliberate without clarity? I think I’ve inadvertently tried to avoid it. But, now I have it in writing and thanks to one Zen Momma, I’ve heard the message, loud and clear.

Any wake up calls for you lately? Have you been sent a message to heed? A mission to accomplish? A lake to plunge into? Do tell.

+++++++

I encourage you to experience the Mother’s Plunge for yourself if your whereabouts allow (no, you really don’t have to be a mother to attend, I promise). Check out the soon-coming dates of the Plunge that might just be in your neck of the woods. A day with Karen is a perfect way to spend a day, let me tell you.

And for more insights and wisdom, Karen’s latest book Hand Wash Cold is available for pre-order! Just listen to this excerpt for a little splash.