oh, katherine.

art therapy

2010-09-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

I need some of it pretty badly. Probably going to update photogrpahy until I can focus on gathering all of these thoughts.

This was from a shoot back in may, with the beautiful Nicole Martins. I will post some more in a bit.

2009-10-15T22:21:00.000-07:00

This is me these days. I look at this and I get the feeling that I'm carrying secrets around, which is interesting because that's the opposite. I've been doing my best to express myself openly and honestly through not only my spoken words but through my music and art as well. There's not as much of me hidden in the shadows as this picture seems to portray. At least not these days.

Today was beyond wonderful. I took a walk to the market, which is up and down a few hills, about a 45 minute walk (30 minutes if I skip). Apparently the sight of me makes people scream, though. I was heading to the horse trail (all the while wary of road apples) and a boy in a lifted truck (of course) leaned out his window and hollered, "MYEAAAUUUUURGHHHAH!" I was so happy that he was able to communicate effectively.

After my time at the market, I met with MacKenzie and Trevor, two of my favorite people in the universe. I entertained them with my story of how I ended up in the rubber room (oh how they laughed) and the subsequent events that led me back to Orange County. One day I will write it all down, as it's quite a hoot (in my opinion, the madness wasn't so hilarious to some others) but for now the oral history will have to do.

After that I got some painting done, went to the park with my little Heidi monster, ate some homemade chicken noodle soup, and then went of to a little churchy type meeting. I met a sweet girl with whom I think I'll be great friends, and this all made me very happy.

Tonight will end with cake and a cigarette. I love my little life right now.

new songs, ahoy!

2009-10-11T19:42:00.001-07:00

There are two, "She & Him" and "I Know You". As a preface, these new songs are by no means complete instrumentally. I just wanted them to venture out into the grand land of internets for a test run. Just an FYI, you can definitely hear me pause and turn the page of my songbook. Why can you hear it? Because I am retarded and forgot to cut that part out before rendering it. Why didn't I fix it? Well...I am lazy. And the song's coming down anyway when I re-record it and add THE VIOLIN!!!!!!

"I Know You" is just as raw but without any weird page-turns. However that will soon have a harmonica bit and a piano part as well.

I don't know why I'm cranking out the tunes...I've written four complete songs in the past month and about ten poems. I guess I've had a lot in my head that needed dumping out.

Anyways, the best is yet to come. My favorite new song I refuse to post until it is perfect perfect. I think you will enjoy it...it's a duet about a day that was trying for both parties involved. A song about differing perspectives of the same, beautiful world.

Tomorrow I'll post the finished tablemarkers and a pretty picture of some birds that I drew today. Speaking of birds, I hope my friend Dustin Burd is okay. He is living in a tent in Yosemite and he climbs rocks all day. Hence why he is my hero, but I do miss him so. I hear he is coming into town, maybe in time for my birthday!

Oh, and any of my generous friends living overseas, let's arrange some sort of Djarum trade. I'll knit you a boat for a carton of Kretek cigarettes. Anyone interested in letting me in on some black market Blacks, please email me soon.

oh fall

2009-10-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

mmmm I love the air, the breeze, the trees, and all of the BUTTERFLIES WHICH DON'T EVEN BELONG HERE RIGHT NOW. I'm serious, I know butterflies aren't supposed to be flitting around this time of year but they are. They fly all around my head. And they are beautiful.

SOoooo I don't have any photography to share today. I finished Noelle's table markers for her wedding, but I didn't feel like taking any shots in my poorly lit garage. garbage light, I say. It took me a lot longer to finish the project because of follies of my own. I should have used my brain a bit more than I chose to, and it cost me, both in time and in monies. And then little hearts kept running away and hiding, so I had to make more, only to find the ones that ran away right after making more. Rather frustrating, but oh well. Oh well. I'm high from paint fumes. My head hurts and so does my back from hunching over and painting, but blah blah complaining does nothing. Yoga, however, will fix it alllll up.

More fun from godPod today. A few songs I liked were:

Futures - Zero 7

The London Boys - David Bowie

Teenager - Camera Obscura

More of interest tomorrow, maybe. Who can say?

oh oh oh ALSO!! I wrote a new song! And it's a duet, as is another I wrote a few weeks ago during my stay in the rubber room. I suppose I imagine conversations in my head and then they become songs. My brain is a weird playground.

painting on pot

2009-10-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

Today was full of painting, plums, painting, cigarettes, painting, turkish soup, and oh yeah, painting. Did I mention pai- yeah, I think I did. Although I am sure that you are just itching to know about all of those plums, cigarettes, and, most interesting of all, the turkish soup, I regret

to inform you that I will probably only discuss the painting.

I've been working on a piece for the entryway of our office, which consists of pot. Our office has some great, earthy pots. They aren't stinky or hairy, but they are very pretty. Here are some of the vessels:

The lighting doesn't do them justice as that shot is lit with a fluorescent bulb from my bed lamp, but you get the picture. I'll post a shot of the office itself at some point to help you understand.

The piece is going to be a background of abstract ethereal swirls (as they have and always will be one of my favorite elements) with a realistic still life of pots in the foreground. I'm done with the background and am working on the pots right now. Here's a shot of the painting's progress in my makeshift studio set up in the garage:

Here's some pot:

I also had some fun shooting portions of my palettes. I usually paint on cigar boxes, as they make pretty containers for my various art supplies when I have completely covered the top with paint. Here's a finished one that currently houses a portion of my colored pencils:

However, with this snazzy new french easel thingy came another palette. I think I'll be saving that one for oil painting, whenever I can afford such a hobby/whenever the oil gods rain down upon me (hopefully not literally but I'll take what I can get at this point), but I have used it during my acrylic adventures. There are some pretty interesting incidental designs on it:

I like to look at that one as a joyful, disembodied elephant head with a happy nosebleed, flying away from the earth and on its way to a new and more exciting life elsewhere.

I see a lot of bugs and bats in this one. On the left, there's a ladybug being hugged (or eaten, probably eaten but I'm feeling rather positive today, so let's go with a hug) and then on the right there's a laughing bat wearing an antennae hat. There's more but I'll let you find it. Tell me your interpretations! I'd love to see what you see.

Oh, and you probably know this, obviously, but I believe that if you are a visitor, you can make a comment anyway and just be anonymous. You don't need a google ID in order to comment. Or you could go ahead and join the google family (we are usually pretty friendly and we don't bicker too much), make a silly user name, and then you can be headeatinggreenmonster23, or something just as rad. Even though that's the raddest thing I could think of at this moment. So please! Tell me what you see!

Pardon that aside.

The other painting was a bit more official, so to speak. My friend Noelle is betrothed and she needed pretty table numbers for her wedding reception. She commissioned me to make them, hence why my fingers are covered in black spraypaint.

She bought plain wooden frames with heart-shaped cutouts, pink paper, paintbrushes, and then handed all of the above to me along with a check and a plea. Her wedding colors are black and fuchsia (yeah, I love this girl) and so I needed to paint the frames black and then paint the table numbers with black and silver. I spray painted the wooden frames with flat black enamel, as well as the cardboard backings. This project is also unfinished, but I did all of the hard stuff today. Tomorrow I shall paint the numbers, first with pearlescent silver and then on top of that in black with a finer brush.

I just thought that this looked pretty cool, what with the contrast and the different materials:

I have shots of the fully painted frames but they aren't nearly as interesting as I feel the process shots look. When I've completed the project, you'll definitely see them.

While doing all of this, I listened to some rad music, as is my wont. Sometimes I'll put the pod on shuffle, which is then no longer referred to as an iPod but a godPod, since I allow the Lawd of Music (I think His name might be Lennon? Or Bach? Abba? the name changes with every song) guide my listening experience. A lot of the songs stuck out, and they'll probably end up on some dorky mix I'll put together and most likely give to someone someday (with a lame, hand-drawn cover to boot...I doubt these people ever listen to the crap I give them.)

Here's are some songs that I jotted down...they fit my mood, I suppose:

Barfight Revolution, Power Violence - Margot & The Nuclear So And So's (I imagine some people probably feel this way when I talk)

I Wanna be Loved - Elvis Costello (well don't we all?)

The Scientist - Johnette Napolitano (a beautiful cover, I almost didn't like it)

Small- Portishead (mmmm such truths in her eerie harmonies)

I love You- Esser (oh you men, you know how)

In the City - Now, Now Every Children (we all long for that city...or as Izzard says "the citeearrh")

Black Fur - Fredrik (perfect song for a brisk walk)

The Way We Are - Fleming & John (may we never forget..it's like the cardigans at times and then BAM HERE'S MY VOICE...I also love that it's a husband and wife duo)

Enough out of me. Don't forget to look for silly designs in the paint! And if you haven't yet, go check out my new song, "Crazy" and tell me what you think in this post.

I love you all, I really do.

2009-10-06T12:44:00.000-07:00

The scarf is completed! Earlier this year, enchildaplate and I made a little trade. She provided me with yarn of her choosing and some yarn of my choosing and in turn, I knit her a scarf! The yarn is from KnitPicks.com, Crème Brulée in 100% cotton(!!!),

and this thing is softer than your baby, I promise you.

Here are a few more pictures so you can see the scarf in its glory.

New Song!

2009-10-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

I wrote this one after taking a walk yesterday afternoon. You can listen and download it from my myspace music page. Here are the lyrics:

"crazy"

by katherine gehl donovan

people say I'm crazy

reaching for everything

maybe they're just lazy

embracing nothing

who knows?

maybe I'm just lazy

maybe I'm just crazy

sometimes when you reach for everything

you're met with nothing

maybe I'm crazy

how can you expect anything

when you are embracing nothing

maybe they're just lazy

who knows

maybe I'm just crazy

who knows anything

people say I'm crazy

reaching for everything

maybe they're just lazy

embracing nothing

who knows?

can you tell me something?

how can you expect anything

when you are embracing nothing

maybe they're just lazy

maybe I'm just crazy

who knows?

who knows anything?

maybe I am crazy

yet I will embrace everything

even if I get nothing

doo bee doo bee do.

2009-09-08T05:12:00.000-07:00

the joy found in music is something that we all know and feel. it's a calling of sorts, an echo of what we are. once one understands the simplicity of music and vibrations, one can explore the harmonious world before them.
we all make music.
what kind of music will you make?

quickie.

2009-07-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

yeah. I've been preoccupied and this kind of doesn't matter so it was easy to ignore. but I've had some serious epiphanies in these past few months, and now I know that I'm going to be just fine.

2009-04-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

I have cabin fever.

Here's a photo from a shoot I had on Sunday with Katie Johnson.

That's about all that I have to say.

we now have a green screen and lighting kit.

2009-04-10T13:17:00.001-07:00

My Dad and his predicaments.

the finished shark bag for Lauren.

2009-04-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

Related: SHARK WEEK

so here we are

2009-04-07T22:44:00.000-07:00

We're going on three weeks now. Three weeks of zero motivation, very little energy, and what feels like an incapability to feel anything joyous, let alone positive.

This isn't me, at least I know that much. But the separation from the feeling doesn't loosen its grip on my state of mind.

I don't have any photographs to share, or bags to show off. No new projects. I look around my room and I have just about every tool one could imagine in order to make something pretty. I have a whole cabinet full of yarn with every size needle in double pointed, straight, and circular, I have multiple sets of prismacolor pencils, charcoal, graphite pencils, paint and paint brushes, drawing pads, sketchbooks, moleskines, colored paper...I have two guitars, an organ, a recording studio set, a film camera, my digital camera, a full lighting kit with backdrops in the garage...

I'm surrounded by tools for self expression and creation but all I want to do is throw the blankets over my head and be a hermit in my fleece hermit cave.

away, away, away

2009-03-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

Today was a much better day.
I wrote a song, which helped my mood. I will record it probably tomorrow morning, if I can finish it in time before my mom comes home and we have to go to the market.

A line:

"I try to blow my troubles away, away, away
as my good friend said
But my troubles are in my head
And I am just left with shortness of breath"

My grandfather once asked me, "Do you ever write songs about rainbows and butterflies, you know, happy shit like that?"

the bags under your eyes- they don't lie.

2009-03-23T23:18:00.000-07:00

I hate depression.
I don't know too many people who enjoy it, so at least I'm not alone in this.
But depression is horrible, Especially when you can't control what thoughts pop into your head.
And the distorted thinking doesn't help.

The brain I'm trying to use to cope with all of this is the very brain that's causing so much trouble.

2009-03-22T00:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some more shots from the Cowan Heights funtime with Maile.

© Copyright 2009 Katherine Gehl Donovan Photography

2009-03-22T00:45:00.000-07:00

I love the cigar shop. Jeremy was blowing nice big donuts and Luke beat Amar in 5/6 chess games, and the sixth was a stalemate.

© Copyright 2009 Katherine Gehl Donovan Photography

such great cowan heights

2009-03-20T23:49:00.000-07:00

Today was great. Maile and I went to the cowan heights area and hoofed it up the path right past skyline. We both had our cameras and got some good shots of each other. Maile is a lovely model and I like that we are both ready and willing to get our hands dirty. She has the Canon Rebel XT and I have the XTi, so we're both pretty familiar with each other's cameras.

Maile is a true friend. I am so thankful that she is in my life and I would feed her pumpkin custard and list all of the things that I love about her any day.

Model: Maile Roseland
© Copyright 2009 Katherine Gehl Donovan Photography

Another Tote.

2009-03-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

So once upon a time (last week) I made a tote bag prettier with felt, a hot glue gun, and wooden little pretties. There's a sun, too, in the top right corner, with rays that are hard to see in the picture. I love the blue birds and the heart at the base of the tree trunk.

your love will be safe with me

2009-03-20T02:33:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Bon Iver's line in "re: Stacks".

My feelings

2009-03-18T23:40:00.000-07:00

I feel really uncomfortable. I feel overwhelmed by projects that are in various stages of incompletion. I feel restless, and antsy, but I feel like I'd fall asleep the minute my head falls onto my pillow.

I feel like I'm not getting anything done, yet I have accomplished a lot today. I feel depressed. My psychiatrist changed my medications, so I'm probably going to feel weird until they get into my system. That's probably the reason for me feeling so down. I hope that tomorrow will be a better day.

I made this for the market today:

Suddenly, Everything Has Changed

2009-03-17T23:13:00.000-07:00

KNOW THYSELF.

2009-03-17T21:55:00.001-07:00

RING RING!
K: Hello!
L: Hi!
K: Can I call you back in like a minute?
L: Sure! Are you knitting?
K: ........................Yes.

I <3 SHARK WEEK.

2009-03-17T21:49:00.000-07:00

I finally finished something I've been trying my best to make for a month! I won't show you the finished product until Lauren gets it, as I don't want to spoil the surprise and I also want pictures of her modeling it. I'll tell you a bit about it, though...

My close friend Lauren LOVES Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. (Her favorite shark is the Megalodon.) She also is a woman with a need for a bag that can house all of her pretty things. Originally, I wanted to make a laptop case, but frustration and lack of patience on my part painfully and slowly killed that dream, so I customized a tote bag instead.

It looks wonderful and I am really excited to show you the finished product, but I don't want her checking my blog and accidentally ruining the magic....

2009-03-12T00:04:00.000-07:00

I AM GOING TO STEAL THIS $899 PUPPY IF I AM NOT RESTRAINED.

INRI

2009-03-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

I went on a walk with my camera through the grounds of St. Joseph's Hospital. These were my favorite shots from the Spiritual Development Center, where nuns can be spotted if you close your eyes, tap your heels, and wish with all of your might.

2009-03-10T23:43:00.000-07:00

by the way...

2009-03-04T21:52:00.001-08:00

I am at peace.
I talk to God every day, all of the time.
I do not doubt His unfailing love and grace.
That's all.

Imprint in the Grass

2009-03-02T19:28:00.000-08:00

New song! It's called "Imprint in the Grass" and you can download it here.

A sampler:
"Don't leave!" He cries
You cry, "Don't leave me!"
He cries, He cries.

My impression in the soil
is all that is left of me, until I return

The longer I wait, the more weeds accumulate
weeds that you will help me prune

© Copyright 2009 Katherine Gehl Donovan

bird impasse

2009-03-01T23:58:00.000-08:00

Model: Dustin Burd
© Copyright 2009 Katherine Gehl Donovan

I love the 50mm lens. It is so wonderful.
We had quite the fun romping around Cowan Heights...I think that Maile and I might go there as soon as more flowers start to bloom! She loves spring and so do I, so there will be plenty of shots between the two of us of flowers, dew, birds, and, of course, ladies in dresses.

More edits to come!!!

my mood:if my mood could be a face

2009-03-01T18:30:00.000-08:00

YES!
Today was marvelous, despite the rough 4:00am start. Dustin Burd went with me to Cowan Heights, where we just parked at a nice spot and started taking some neat photos. We then went to Ruby's where I ate a child-sized meal for my child-sized bladder. After that, we went to White Oak Park and I played guitar on a blanket for awhile.

I'm not allowed to drive while on this new medication, so it was a great relief to get out and about, especially since we were doing everything I love to do and often cannot do at home. Dustin is an old friend.

More photos later....I have some maile-inspired flowery dyptichs for you guys.

yarn!

2009-02-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

A fellow ORG member, enchiladaplate, loved the cabled tam that I knitted in January and we came up with an exchange. I would knit her a hat of her choice if she provided me with the yarn for her hat and an equal amount of yarn for my own compensation. She chose the Foliage Hat, and her yarn choice was Comfy in Creme Brulee and I chose the same in Planetarium. I'll be knitting version one and I am going to start on it as soon as I finish Joel's Valentine's Day present! I have only a few rows left...

I will keep a detailed log of the foliage hat's progress!

Rain at the Monastery

2009-02-07T11:29:00.000-08:00

The sky yesterday during a break from the rain, and Maile's rainboots.

Yesterday was very rainy. Maile, her friend Robert, and I went on an adventure in Silverado/Black Star Canyon. We stopped at an abandoned little shack, at a Ramakrishna Monastery, and drove around looking for places to take photos when the weather clears.

At the monastery, we were greeted by two dogs (one named "Sadhu"). Sadhu was very friendly and tried to join us for the rest of our journey by jumping into the car and onto my lap. Robert had to subdue him and keep him entertained while Maile drove away.

My Wet Dog/Things I have Knitted/PRM Ad/Other Things

2009-02-04T10:20:00.001-08:00

MY WET DOG:

I gave Heidi a much needed bath on Saturday. She needs another one now, as we have been taking her on long walks and hikes and the like. We've been trying to wear her out so she'll be a relaxed and docile little pup by the time we're ready to hit the sack. So far, it's been working, and I'm really glad that both of my parents have been helping out with her a bit more, too, as I have usually been the one to take her on the long walks and to throw the ball around and all of that. It's nice that we're all pitching in, and Heidi sure appreciates all of the love and the attention!

THINGS I HAVE KNITTED:

I love my Serpentine Arm Warmers! Technically, I can only say arm warmer, no s, because I am not finished with the second one. I used TLC Essentials worsted Acrylic yarn, in 2821 Paradise Blue. It was such a fast knit, I finished the first one in only several hours. I have the pattern pretty much memorized, too. I made a couple of changes to the pattern, to make it shorter and tighter. After repeating the cable pattern twice, in the third set of rows 1-3, I decreased 2st each row, a total of 6st. I then ignored the fourth repeat and instead finished the arm warmer after doing the cable pattern 3x and then rows 1-8, with a purl bind off.

I'm going to make a pair in red for Megan to match the lace beanie (you might need to be logged in to see the pattern, FYI) I made for her:

As soon as I finish the matching arm warmers, I'm going to send these off to Germany! I'll have Megan take some pictures wearing the garments and then send them to me.

Pacific Ranch Market Ad:

Pacific Ranch Market, my home for four years and counting, asked me to create an advertisement for their full-page ad in the Foothills Sentry Newspaper. Here's what I came up with, and what they ended up buying from me:

OTHER THINGS:

Maile and I had a great breakfast on Sunday morning. She brought over some strawberries, some clementines, and yogurt and we made DELICIOUS parfaits! We used yogurt, sliced strawberries, honey, grape nuts, and oats. I also made some pumpkin bread, which tasted like pumpkin pie, and we generally had a lovely time. we are going to have a photo day soon, which excites me, because I love love love her style.

Valerie Caddell (2 of 13)

2009-01-25T20:57:00.000-08:00

Here's the latest edit from Valerie Caddell's calendar shoot:

Completed Cabled Tam!!!

2009-01-25T20:36:00.000-08:00

I started on this on Wednesday evening and finished it tonight.

I used a pattern from the Fall/Winter 2008 issue of Knit.1 magazine, but used acrylic yarn instead of the CRAZY expensive hand-spun wool that the pattern recommended. I love my new hat- the gorgeous crimson color, the complicated-looking cables, and the enormity of the darn thing. I didn't really think it was going to be a huge as it turned out and first thought that I made a mistake, but I measured it and I did it correctly- it just happens to be big enough to conceal my schnauzer if need be.

Here is the hat:

Here is how big the hat actually is:

SEND HELP.

2009-01-23T23:33:00.000-08:00

I cannot stop knitting. Absolutely cannot. And I am spreading the addiction to others, like Maile and Lauren. I want to knit these mermaid fingerless gloves soon, but with black yarn. Joel shot these on Wednesday. That's Maile in the background. She is also knitting.

I wish my demons were that pretty...

2009-01-20T03:07:00.000-08:00

Photoshoot with Valeria Caddell (assisted by Amanda Watts.)

She's making a calendar for her marine boyfriend and commissioned me to shoot all of her photos. They are supposed to be silly and cheesy.

Here's my favorite edit so far!

We did the shoot in my room, but you'd never know it...

the economy is so bad...

2009-01-18T02:57:00.000-08:00

...that even the magazine "The Economist" seems to be having a rough time, as it appears as if they've laid off some of their graphic designers. The cover of this week's print edition really bothered my eyes at the newsstand.

It just seems as if Obama is placed WAY too low, and the shot is cropped at an awkward place at the neck. They couldn't have tightened up that layout a bit? Why are the featured topics double spaced? Why isn't the title of the magazine just a bit higher, so they could scoot Obama up a bit? Unfortunately, this image is without the barcode and price listings (I'm pretty sure that's what they are) that are on all of the newsstand copies, so you're missing out on what really bugged me. So, imagine what it what look like, looking at the placement of the text below Georgie's hand, if all of that text was on top of the President Elect's freaking chin:

And not only that, but the text was much higher up than it is on this cover.

They either need a shot of Obama that isn't as tightly cropped or they need to tighten up other aspects of their layout.

I'm a snob. Sue me.

explanation

2009-01-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

So, I was listening to Pandora Radio yesterday (it was my "Mellow Electronic" station, pooled from the Postal Service, Junior Boys, Hot Chip, and the like) when I happened across Mike Milosh. I loved his music immediately and investigated him further. I found his photography blog and enjoyed that just as much. I shot him an email:

"So, I first happened upon your music via Pandora's radio. My ears perked up as soon as I heard "It's Over", so I looked you up and then found your photography blog, which was just as impressive. I love your emotive female portraits, especially. I am a photographer and a musician, too, and I feel like both endeavors fight for my full attention. How do you balance it out, I wonder? It's nice to see someone succeeding in both areas.

Thank you for sharing your artwork, both visual and musical."

I didn't expect a response, but I received one, only hours later. And it floored me:

"Interesting question. Basically the balance is that I just can't always be making music, I have to intentionally slow myself down, that way ideas mature, you take more time on the details make things more complex. Photography is the perfect alternative for me because it is so immediate. It just takes the time that I actually shoot and a little post but even that is really immediate, I don't think about shots for days on end. I love the contrast with it and the more time consuming act of composing, writing and recording music. I am a very visual person and I think it's no secret that I love shooting women, their faces and bodies. There is something so satisfying to me about capturing something rather subtle but alluring about someone I am visually drawn to. Also it is a beautiful outlet for a specific side of my sexuality."

!!!

!!1!!1!!!!

He articulated something I've been struggling to explain ever since my interest in photography developed.

If I'm not producing something, I get antsy and feel stagnant artistically. Photography is the perfect outlet for me- not only because of the immediacy of producing something the moment the shutter clicks, but because I can spend time editing them later in Photoshop. If I'm feeling anxious and unproductive, I find myself going through my most recent photoshoots for photos that I love whose tones I want to tweak until I get it just the way I like it, satisfying my need to produce.

However, since music was my first interest, with the introduction of photography in the mix, I've been feeling guilty for not balancing the passions properly, when really, my idea of "balance" didn't really apply to those activities because they are so different in their processes. I can't churn out music as quickly as I can churn out photos, is all. I've been struggling with this ever since I fell in love with photography. I knew that it never had to be a battle between one passion or the other, really, but his explanation just tied a bow around the whole thing.

I feel relieved.

Thank you.

ffffound

2009-01-17T00:44:00.001-08:00

If you are a visual artist, photographer, painter, graphic designer, or if you plain just like looking at pretty things, you need to go to this site: http://www.ffffound.com

Simply, it's an image bookmarking site whose members submit images with proper identifying tags, which are used to bring you images similar in style, subject, color, or...something. I'm assuming this is how it works, as the membership is invitation only (though anyone can browse through all of the images.)

Anyways, this has been a GOLDMINE and...a problem, because there are just too many things that I like! I go from one image to the next to the next to the next, let alone all of the links to the home of the original image, which is usually either the artist's site (which gives you even more to look at) or it's a blog dedicated to the discovery and sharing of pretty things (hence, even more to explore.)

So, upon discovering the site, I got lost on ffffound.com (oh you know I know about my stupid pun) for about three hours before I had to force myself to get off of the internet so I could finally poop.

See? The site was so great, the importance of my own bowel movement was diminished.

Here are a couple of gems that I ffffound:

I love how wide this shot is...the composition is perfect, as is the focus, and the beautiful tones just seal the deal (for me.)

By Fogke.

When I can afford to get another tattoo, I want to commission this artist to design it for me. You NEED to check out his flickr site...I love his style and his use of maritime and folksy subjects.

By Evan B. Harris.

Lauren

2009-01-15T10:50:00.000-08:00

Here are some recent portraits that I shot of my favorite Pole, Lauren. She could outsmile the cheshire cat.

She also made these FANTASTICALLY CUTE hamburger cookies for the vegetarian she is dating, which made my YEAR when I saw them in all of their glory. (BUN SEEDS!!) She shot a picture of them, and I won't be a photo nerd ~~even though her composition and focus is fantastic.~~

you stopped me and said hello.

2009-01-15T08:58:00.000-08:00

Every normal person I know wrinkles their nose at the stench of stale beer. It's an odor reminiscent of alleyways, college parties, and of general squalor.

When that scent reaches my nose, I welcome it. Rather than turn away and find something else to sniff, I breathe it in and I cautiously think of him. No flood of memories, here, for I built a dam to ensure that. I can't have an uncontrolled onslaught of memories of you, as that is far too dangerous.

It would be far easier if you hadn't shown any semblance of owning a heart or conscience. There's just enough good in you that someone can potentially "overlook" the bad. My inherent disposition to excuse inexcusable behavior in exchange for a harmonious relationship is far from under control, so while I'm grappling with that issue, I've found it necessary to build certain defenses. Which include keeping a certain set of memories readily available for when the need arises to chide my insensible heart. But usually one word reminders do the trick. Like alcoholic. Or asshole.

Still, even with these defenses in place, the temptation to bypass them is a strong one. I remember twirling with you, laughing as our poor coordination brought us to the ground, knocking over our glasses and pausing our dance to sop up the mess. When I reached for my pile of clothes on the floor in the morning, I could smell what we failed to clean up. It didn't seem too pressing at the time, as those were not our first glasses of the night, and you had started much earlier than I. As a result, your room always smelled faintly of old booze, though it didn't just come from the site of our spill. I wondered how many drinks had found their way to the ground during your nights alone, but didn't think about the implications of such behavior, and instead joined you with another bottle that I would think eventually led to our demise, when really it was when you stopped me and said hello.

Let's see how long this lasts

2008-12-07T22:56:00.000-08:00

I'm usually one to get excited and revved up about things like this- blogs, 365 day photo projects, etc. Excitement doesn't guarantee consistency, however. So, we'll see how often this sucker gets updated.

Here are some of my latest shoots:

Esther Romero:

An actress/model with a classic look. She was great to work with, and adventurous to boot. We snuck into a cupcake shop that was still under construction in order to get this shot.

Jessica Wilkerson:

A photographer/model whom I have known for a few years now. She and I trade photoshoots quite often and she's always a pleasure to work with. This shot was taken in my "studio" (some sheets taped to my wall + well placed lights) and was SO fun to do.

Jeremy MacDonald:

One of my favorite people ALIVE. He's a musician, cigar connoisseur, and a genius. He doesn't take himself seriously at all, so whenever I take photos of him, he ALWAYS looks hilarious. Always. That's a picture that he's had for a few years. Who doesn't have an electric painting of "The Last Supper" with flashing lights in their entryway?

As always, there is a LOT more to come...click on the photos to reach my flickr site.

Oh, and here's something to make you laugh- the "MacDonald Family Portrait" for Christmas 2008 that I shot today. Jeremy wanted as much cheesiness as possible, and I think we got it: