365 Project: Day 131

Lately I feel like I'm waiting around for something to happen. I don't know what, I don't even know what I want to happen at this point. But still, I'm waiting, trying to figure it all out. 

I'm still waiting for my motivation to return. I'm bored, unsettled, unsure. I don't know if I can wait much longer to figure all of this out before I explode. Its getting really frustrating and I feel like I'm wasting time. Days are just going by one by one with no distinction between them. I'm trying to wait patiently. Unfortunately patience is not a virtue I possess.  For once in my life I wish that something could just come easily. Effortlessly. Is it too much to ask for something amazing to just happen?

365 Project: Day 129

I love hotels. I love the little shampoos, the fold out stand that you put your suitcase on, the little fridge, seeing all the people who are traveling to and from who knows where...its great.

Think of all the people who have stayed in that room, from all over the place. Where were they going? Why did they stop there? Where had they been? They should keep a guest book in every single hotel room for people to write the story of their travels. That's a book I'd love to read.

The Roots Series is now magnetic!

Spruce up your kitchen or office with a Stuck on You Magnet from Sara Norris Photography! I love this "Roots" series. These would be perfect in your office to hang pictures of loved ones or an important memo.

www.saranorris.etsy.com

365 Project: Day 116

The wind is so crazy today! Not so long ago I couldn't wait for Spring to start, but now I can't wait for it to be over. I forgot that Spring in New Mexico comes with a lot of really windy days. Its like mother nature's own special form of torture. The temperature finally warms up, but you have to deal with blowing sand, dirt in your teeth, your hair all tangled, allergies, etc. It sucks.

365 Project: Day 89

Photoshop is amazing. I learned how to use this program about 10 years ago and, wow, it has come a long way since then. It is one of the many tools that enables me to express myself creatively. Its just incredible what you can accomplish with this one program. I've been working on learning some new skills and techniques lately and I am having so much fun playing around with it.

This smoke effect could not better describe my state of mind this week. I've just been going crazy with stress. I've known I would be a photographer since I was 7 years old, but pursuing it as my full time job is really new to me. The work and sales are still really inconsistent at this point and its a scary feeling when funds are getting low and it starts to sink in that maybe I should try to find a job. Ugh. There is no worse hell that I can imagine at this point than having a full time job. When I'm working at a job, I melt down creatively. Its not that I don't want to work. Believe me, I work harder now than I ever did with a full time job. But its a different kind of work. Sitting in a beige office with utility carpeting, florescent lighting, little bobble head dolls and various other knick-knacks on people's desks just crushes my soul.

I walked into an office today to pay a bill and almost had a panic attack. Walking through the rows of desks, phones ringing in the background, people glued to their rolling desk chairs, motivational posters on the walls, cubicle partitions...I don't want that sort of life. Its just not for me. I stood in line waiting to pay my bill and seriously started to break out in a sweat just thinking that I could be working in a place like this in the very near future. I could just feel my dreams starting to slip away from me.

My dream of being a full time photographer is like my baby. I'll do anything to defend and protect it. I am so happy with my life right now, that the thought of losing it all because of something as stupid as money is just devastating. But, the universe (or whatever you believe) came to my rescue once again. I don't know why I ever doubt that there is a plan for me. This is what I'm supposed to be doing right now. This is exactly where I'm supposed to be and things have just fallen into place yet again. Somehow, whenever I need help the most, it just appears and I'm amazed every time it happens. This has turned out to be an amazing week and I'm so glad that everything has worked out.

365 Project: Day 88

This is how stress feels to me. It binds me, restrains me, holds me back. It takes a lot of focus for me to free myself from its grasp. I tend to fixate on whatever is stressing me out. My mind gets clouded in a panic and I find it really hard to concentrate on fixing the situation. The worst part is, I know this about myself and I still do it anyway.

I've been really stressed out this week. Everything has turned out to be fine, as it always does. For some reason, knowing that everything will work itself out doesn't ever seem to comfort me when I'm in the throws of my stress panic. There has never been a situation in my life that hasn't worked itself out in some way or another. So why do I stress? Why am I afraid? Why do I let it get to me? Why is it so hard for me to believe that everything will be just fine?

365 Project: Day 81

I am determined to stick to my list of New Year's resolutions this year. So, today I attended my very first business class at a local non-profit organization. I walked away feeling much more prepared and confident. I got a lot of my questions answered and was able to bounce some ideas off of the person giving the presentation. She had some really great advice. It was so refreshing to get answers from someone who knows what they're talking about. There are always so many ideas dancing around in my head and its nice to know that I can go there any time and get informed guidance on what my next move should be or which ideas I should pursue more seriously. Its amazing that these resources are out there in the community and available for FREE or almost free. Its a good feeling to know that there are entire organizations who want to see you succeed and will help you in any way they can. I will be taking several more classes in marketing, finance, SEO and website optimization and several other subjects over the next few months and I think my business is going to thrive this year because of it. I feel, overall, really encouraged and supported after this class.

Since I am the Jill of all Trades running this business and single handedly taking care of everything that goes along with that, I sometimes feel really isolated. I know that I have an amazing family and friends who love and support me, but there is no one who is actually in this boat with me. That can be hard. Sometimes it would be nice to have someone to collaborate with, someone who knows what I'm going through to talk to and rest my head on when I'm stressed and exhausted and just worked a 15 hour day, someone to just be excited with me when things are going well. I do get that from the people in my life, but its just not the same as having someone directly involved. At least now I feel like there is a place I can go where the people have the answers I'm looking for. Just knowing that gives me a little peace of mind.

365 Project: Day 79

This is one of the seven books that I'm reading right now. Well, there's not really much to read in this book, its mostly pictures, but it still counts. Richard Avedon is one of my favorite photographers. Hell, I'd even venture to say that he may be my favorite photographer. When I saw this book sitting on the shelf at the library, I had to take it home with me. There is a lot of truth in his images. The way he captures people seems to show them for who they are in that moment. I love all the black and white portraits that he shot on a clean white background. The white background allows the person to become the focus of the image without any distractions. The intensity is incredible.

He was able photograph so many amazing people and document many important time periods of the 1900s. I love his images from during the Civil Rights Movement. In 1963 he photographed William Casby, a man who was born into slavery.  Its one of my favorite of Avedon's portraits. The tone of Casby's skin is so rich. The expression on his face shows how hard his life must have been. He's worn.

Avedon photographed Napalm victims in Vietnam in 1971. One of his subjects is a woman who was terribly scarred and disfigured. She is looking into the camera with the only eye she has left. She has so much intensity and sadness. It makes me cry every time I see it. My heart goes out to her. I can't imagine what she's been through, not only physically, but emotionally and mentally. You can't survive something like that without it permanently damaging you inside and out.

His images from the East Louisiana State Mental Hospital are disturbing to say the least. He documented people who are lost, childlike, afraid, confused, distraught and locked up in a facility because society and their families don't know what else to do with them. The patients all look abandoned. They all seem so alone, each in their own little worlds. The hospital is all tile. Its stark and cold. Avedon's own sister passed away in a mental institution.

Avedon also photographed fashion. Ah...Avedon's fashion portfolio is amazing. In the 50s he created a series with Dovima wearing Dior and posing with elephants. Brilliant.

I can't say enough about his work. If you haven't seen it, you are missing out. It is incredible. Avedon inspires me.

The Road Not Taken

How would your life have been different if you had only taken the other road? I wonder often where I would be now if I had made some different choices in my life. But I've come to realize, ultimately, even though there were some bumps, rough spots, and even places where the road was washed out,  I'm glad I made all the choices I did. I'm happy with where the road I chose has led me.

This picture reminds me of the Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken. I feel like this is the road less traveled, I have taken it, and it has made all the difference. This print is now available in my Etsy shop.

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood.

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

365 Project: Day 60

I have made it 60 days into this project. I can't believe it. Thats approximately 2 months! So, in celebration of that, I thought I'd create 2 pictures of 2 of me.

My friends are incredibly important to me. I'm extremely picky about who I really let into my life. I make friends easily, but I let very few people close to me. One of my closest and oldest friends is coming to visit from New York today! I'm really excited. We became friends in middle school when we were paired up to write movie reviews for the school newspaper. The two of us were the wittiest and most sarcastic 13 year olds you'd ever meet. Even now I'll go back and read our movie reviews and laugh.

We stayed close all through high school and even though we went our separate ways in college, we never lost touch. Even now, we'll go months without seeing each other or sometimes without even talking, but when we find time to get together again, we pick up right where we left off.

She is one of the very few people in my life who:

A) Just gets it. She always has. Whatever it is I'm thinking or doing or going through in my life, she gets it. Even when she doesn't, she at least tries to understand.

B) She is someone I trust without hesitation. I can tell her absolutely anything and not have to worry about being judged. With her, I can just vent.

C) I can always expect an honest response. I appreciate it when a person can be blunt with me and give me their real opinion with complete disregard for my feelings. Only a real friend will do that.

There are millions of other things that I love about her, but those three things, as simple as they may be, are very hard to find in another person. I value those things about our friendship. We've been through a lot together over the last 13+ years. There have been a lot of really good times and a lot of really bad ones. Only she can understand where I've been during the hard times, because she was there with me. No one else can ever understand the things that have bound us together. Our friendship has stood the test of time and distance. She will always be a part of my life. I consider her to be more than a friend, I consider her family.

365 Project: Day 11

Ok, I admit it. I'm addicted to coffee. I love everything about it: the sound of it brewing, the smell, the taste, the warmth. But some days, like today, I swear my coffee maker is just toying with me. It knows how much I want a cup and it takes its sweet time. Working extra slowly...drip...drip...drip...and I sit, cup in hand, staring at it in anticipation of that first sip.

365 Project: Day 8

Its a cloudy, gloomy day outside and I have been listening to John Coltrane all morning. This moody black and white portrait was bound to happen today. If you've never listened to Coltrane, do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy of something, anything that he played. You won't be sorry.

365 Project: Day 2

This is the first thing I do every morning. Get up, turn on iTunes, make coffee, check email, re-list items in my Etsy shop, Facebook...I am parked at this desk for a good part of my day.

Day 2: