Inspirational Litter

A few weeks ago,  I was walking to the store when I came across this piece of paper lying in a pile of dead leaves. I snapped this photo with my cell phone before picking up the paper and sticking it in my bag. 

Some of you will remember when I used to blog a photo a day from my cell phone. It was a fun exercise for a while, but eventually I became bored with the project. Sometimes I miss it, and I am trying to think of a way to refresh the "assignment" and make it new and interesting agin. (If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear them!)

This morning I realized the memory in my cell phone is full. This happens from time to time, and the first things to go are always old text messages and photos. Before they go, I wanted to share a few of my favorites with you here. 

Real Vermonters...

I never learned to ski when I was a kid, and when people ask why, I tell them, honestly, “Real Vermonters don’t ski”. I know what you’re thinking; “But my sister/cousin/best friend/college roommate lives in Vermont, and s/he skis!” 

Here’s the thing about Vermonters. We have a few rules. Living in Vermont isn’t enough to get you “real Vermonter” status. Real Vermonters were born in Vermont, and so were our parents. It takes at least two generations to count. (I’m lucky; my family has been in VT for seven.) Real Vermonters have parents and grandparents who ran dairy farms. Real Vermonters know how to drive in a snowstorm while maintaining a close relationship with the speed limit. (Here in Boulder, people don’t know how to drive in the snow. They halve the speed limit and drive over the lane lines to be “safe”, which really is just dangerous for the people around them.)  Real Vermonters are Red Sox fans, even though we’re closer to New York than Boston. Real Vermonters know the seasons in Vermont aren’t Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall, they are Winter, Mud, Black Fly, and Foliage. We know not to start our gardens outside until May, because the plants will just freeze to death. We know that Holstein cattle produce the best milk for drinking, and Jerseys and Guernseys are the best for making butter and ice cream. Real Vermonters don’t buy maple syrup from Canada or cheese from Wisconsin.

I have lived in Boulder for almost six years now, and I just bought my first ever pair of skis. I am determined to learn to ski, even if it will jeopardize my status with other Vermonters. I don’t know if I’ll ever love it as much as my husband does. I don’t know if I’ll ever be excited enough for skiing to voluntarily get up at 5:30 with him and drive for 4 hours to get to the mountain. Right now I only go to a small mountain about 45 minutes away. Yesterday I went for a few hours with my friend Sam, and before the end of the day I was able to do a few runs on a blue trail. (I only fell once.) While we were on the ski lift, I borrowed Sam’s camera and played around, using our ski goggles as filters. It was a fun experiment, and I got some cool shots to remember our ski experience. I hope to get 5-10 uses out of my new skis this year, and maybe I’ll fall in love with the sport. Maybe I will want to go skiing every weekend, and I’ll be setting my alarm for 5:00 a.m. Maybe.

But I’ll never convert to Wisconsin cheddar.  

1.11.11 New Year, New Inspiration

2010 was my first full year as a business owner. It was a busy year for me, working and growing my business, as well as planning my own wedding (from 2,000 miles away). I learned exponentially more about working in the wedding industry than I feel I would have, had I not had the opportunity to view it from both sides simultaneously. It was an exciting experience, and now that my wedding is over, I look forward to gaining new experiences through other channels. With 2011 stretching out, new and fresh, ahead of me, I am at last able to sit down and think about what I can look forward to accomplishing over the next 2-3 years in my business, photography, and art. 

Some of the items on this list are more practical than others, some are long term, continuous goals, some are a one time thing. I hope a little of my enthusiasm for these projects and goals will rub off on you, and I hope you will enjoy reading my blog through the next year as I record my experiences here.

Photography/Art/Business Goals, 2011-2013

1. Display my work in a coffee shop or other small, local business
2. Continue to donate my time and services at least 2-3 times a year to worthy organizations/causes
3. Enter my photos in at least one national competition each year
4. Photograph something in a new location (city, state, or country) once a year
5. Have a piece of my work in a gallery show
6. Plan and execute a community event or competition, and get people involved
7. Learn something new each month (read a book, watch a tutorial video, attend a class, workshop, seminar, etc.)
8. Blog at least once a week
9. Work with someone new (photographer/artist/business person) 3 times a year
10. Re-design my brand (logo, color scheme, website, etc.)
11. Build a darkroom or belong to a community darkroom and get back into black and white film photography
12. Learn to use my Brownie
13. Play with my Polaroid
14. Attend Imaging USA 2012 in New Orleans or WPPI in Las Vegas to network and learn from the most successful photographers in the industry
15. Attend at least one arts festival (preferably the Boulder Creek Festival) and exhibit and sell my fine art prints

I know that I may not be able to accomplish everything on this list in the next 2-3 years, and my goals may shift throughout the process, but I also know that with a clear set of goals, I am more likely to grow at a faster rate. This list is coming from a place full of the love and excitement that I have for my work, and I can’t wait to see where my business and I will be six months, a year, 3 years from now. 

Goodbye, 2010, Welcome, 2011!

2010 brought me together with many great new people and opened me up to several wonderful experiences. I feel honored to have been involved in so many special events and meaningful moments this past year. This montage is a tribute to all of the people who shared their lives with me in 2010. I can’t wait to see what and whom 2011 will bring into my life. Will it be you?? 

Happy New Year!