Back to School

Are you tired of that subject yet? All this summer I have done little art but I have been cogitating. And at times when I'm not making any art it is frustrating and I am frequently short of temper, but not this summer.

I have just started my own school year too. I'm signed up for a photo a day for 365 days (day 15 today). It's a challenge - not so much right now while it's fresh but when it's around - oh, say, day 127? I'm guessing. But the intent is to improve my skills. I am trying to do at least one shot on manual. Taking photos is like eating chips - you can't take just one. I have already found that picking up the camera with intent, and not just to capture a moment, is waking up part of my brain, my heart and my spirit.

Another year-long project I've signed myself up for was inspired by Caroline Myss' suggestion that on our birthdays we ask ourselves, "what can I do this year to learn more about myself?" I've tweaked that to asking, "what am I learning (about myself) this week?" I'm on week 2 now and in being aware of that ever-present question I'm discovering a lot about myself and my world. This week I had a hard time narrowing down from my list which image I want to work with. In the spirit of the 52 questions I participated in in 2009 created by Emily Falconbridge, I've picked up a pack of flash cards and am going to make art on one side, journalling on the other over this next year. In my cogitation this summer I also wanted to try one new technique a week for an undetermined time. Here is my card for week 1, using Kim Klassen's free Friday photoshop textures. On the front I blended a simple photo with her mustard seed texture and used some distress inks, the back I used her Break Free and Fly texture with simple text on top.