(taken with my iphone and the Hipstamatic app)

Go ahead, spice up your day a little with this assignment. Grab a self portrait on the go (with your phone if that works better) and upload it to my Monday Lesson Flickr Pool. If you are not a Flickr user, please leave links to your blogs or images in the comments section below the post. Where are you today? Don't be shy, perfection isn't what we're looking for. We just want you to show up and have fun. I can't wait to see it.

As always, your images, links and comments make me super happy. I hope you'll join in. Happy Monday!

Into the great wide open...

Do you have a favorite shot this Friday? Please submit them to our Favorite Shot Friday Flickr pool. It makes me super happy when you do!

confused, too much to consider all at once.

precarious.

climbing.

seeking same, looking for my friends.

peeking out.

checking out the fringes and the edges.

defensive, sensitive, worried.

hanging on, not comfortable with letting go and changing.

unveiling, slowly.

reaching out.

in between now and what's next.

making room for new and delicate things.

and, finally, blooming (I hope).

Thanks for looking and reading! Thank you for your comments too. I love every single one of them.

I am offering a limited edition series (10 total) of this collage. It's 15"x15" and available in my Etsy shop. I also figured out how to create a discount code so, enjoy 15% off by using the code, BRAVE, when you check out.

And this new image has also been added to the shop as well!

Over the past few weeks, I have been toying with photographing my artwork. I know it seems like it shouldn't be so hard given that I am a photographer but it actually is! After two separate photo sessions with my artworks, I gave up and sent it all to a professional art scanner. In the meantime, while I wait for my pro photos/scans to be done, I thought I would share one of my favorite pieces with you. It is definitely my favorite shot this week!

Here are a few detail shots too.

Happy weekend everyone! I hope you will submit your favorite shot (or shots) from the week to my Favorite Shot Friday Flickr pool!

This self reflection, put myself out there, show my art, change my life project is getting difficult. I'm stuck weighing out some really tough decisions about the direction I am taking. The easy part of my resolution is over. I took my art work to get photographed and I found out the submission deadline for a gallery I'd like to see my work in. I adjusted my schedule and I signed up for a workshop with a fellow artist. I started the process and checked off the fairly easy stuff but now the process is getting scary and difficult. I'm left with the much bigger decisions.

I spent the last week at a photography convention in San Antonio. I mentioned my resolution to a few other photographers and almost all of them agreed that their business had taken over their life and they were having a hard time balancing it all. I know I'm not alone in this fight. Part of me thinks it would just be so much easier to stay right where I am and do exactly what I'm doing and just try and do it better. That is a known quantity you see. The other part tells me to shake it up, fearlessly.

Right now I am working through a tough decision having to do with my current studio space that may entail a move in a few months. I cannot tell you how badly I do NOT want to move. Moves are distracting, expensive and difficult. This potential move may open some new doors though and help make some of my other projects move forward in new ways. The part of me that wants to just bury my head in the status quo and not change anything is worried about how my clients might perceive another move. Will they like a new space as much as my current one? The adventurous side of me sees the possibilities. The business side of me sees how it would make fiscal sense. The doubtful side of me is feeling, well, doubtful and distrusting.

(If you love this new image, entitled Dormant, it is available in my Etsy shop)

I'm trying to let all this sink in and not rush to decide anything but that's just uncomfortable. I want it to be decided and, preferably, by someone else who is never wrong. Anyone, anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

My Dad used to always tell me to go with my gut. It'll never steer me wrong. My gut feelings just aren't speaking very loud and clear at the moment.

On wednesday, I took my group of Hope Stone photo students to Hermann Park to shoot. All the while my thoughts were about all of this and it's amazing to me how much I see that in these images.

I'm going to try and adopt Kelly Rae's mantra of "brave in sadness, brave in love" and perhaps alter it to be something like, "brave in uncertainty, brave in hope".