.241 day 216

(((yawns)))

when working...my personal creativity dampens a bit. all my energy is thrust into the current project and little is left over for independent adventures. these days...my current projects equate to as many shoots as i can do weekly. 

(i need to move. preferably out of the state. to do so requires enough of a financial nest egg, to hold us while toots and i assimilate to whatever new culture we'll be in)

recently, i've acquired a few new clients who made me test my comfort levels. 

everyone isn't a fan of "artistic expression". some folks just want plain ole photos, light on the artsy fartsy stuff. now, the old me, proclaiming to stay true to my craft, all-out refused to work with clients not on the same accord as i. after-all, i started working for myself to do what i love, not what someone else loves. but now that i am a mother, primarily a single mother, my art and business are one and the same.

and i found...that art..is in everything.

one client wanted angled photos of intersections for a project she was working on. quite boring, but it gave me a whole new perspective on angled shooting. another client was a straight, black and white, no grey area stock broker, who specifically told me to "not get fancy" (yes, that kind of 'no grey area' guy). he didn't even smile the entire shoot. but, i learned how to make a wrinkle or a mole stand out and smile for him. and yesterday...i shot a bishop (ha! like with a gun. i shot the sheriff...the deputy...and a bishop) and now...i'm über excited to explore new avenues in the religious arena.

anyway, this long, drawn out post isn't about much. these are toot's new kicks. i am super digging them, and even considered shelling out the $80 for a pair for myself. but i digress...i'm  thirty-two years old. i wear flat-rider boots, fitted jeans and blazer jackets %90 of the time. ballerina flats and thin, leather sandals, my summer/spring crave. in fact, unless they are chuck taylors, there is just no place a pair sneakers would fit in my life. 

ha! i actually laugh at the thought...

this was the most random post...ever.

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.239 day 214

dear god: please paint me a brighter reality.

   

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my pseudo self-portrait, within a piece of another's portrait.

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wardrobe change before the park...because mommy is anal...about dirt...and...stuff.

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flowing skirts. sincere smiles. gentle breeze.

(spring is here)

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.233 day 208

earrings with a purpose, each color represents another struggle, another survival, of a disease being fought. when i survived my aneurysm, kiki gave me a pair burgundy diva earrings, a token of love for my life that was spared, and i've been a fan of them ever since. t'is why when she called me to do an impromptu shoot for a new line of wooden and fabric earrings she's doing, i dropped everything on my plate and lovingly obliged. i am grateful for her, i am. 

visit. support a cause, while supporting her cause.

www.divaears.com

.232 day 207

visited my god-son's mother today, mother of my first long term boyfriend (6 years...and then some). on her table rest the prettiest madonna lillies, that she affectionally named after her mother's likeness. 

"take a picture of nana"

a woman whose stories of strength and humor and "take no shit'ness" have filled my heart and mind for so many years, it's hard to believe she died before i would meet her, this lifetime. simply amazing. now that's how you keep someone's spirit alive.

.231 day 206

it belonged to my maternal grandmother. rachel was her name. inside, rest a 'yellowed from time' obituary of my aunt, vivian, the mother of my twinkin. a written note, from my grandmother's hands, made her alive at that very moment. a simple plea: "if anything should happen...please give this to my children"

i was nine before anything ever did.