The rhythm of his breath as he slept always calmed her...

I know I've been remiss in my blogging for quite a while, but I'm going to try to do better. It's beginning to be more necessary for me to be able to express myself in words and in images. This is an image I took last fall during my annual trip to New Mexico. It's one of my favorite mannequins. I have a new VERY favorite mannequin that my partner, R, gave me for Christmas. Her name is Siri. I'll be posting images of her here too soon. If anyone is following these posts, please send me a message and let me know you're out there! It will give me incentive to write more often if I know someone is out there.

Live it

Live it, originally uploaded by artouttamymind.

I may finally be beginning to believe that my story matters. That I matter...to others and to myself...That things manifest themselves just when we're ready for them. That magic lives all around us if we'll just open our eyes to it.

When I concentrate on it, I can see magic in my life. When I don't let the world work on me, when I stop and breathe and let myself be still, I can see the many wonderful things that have been happening...my dreams quietly coming true. Especially this past year.

Now I know the wonder that can happen when you open yourself to life without restrictions. I see possibilities all around me. And I feel love surrounding me because I finally learned to open myself and let myself be seen, cracks and all.

Kissed by the Light.

Kissed by the Light., originally uploaded by artouttamymind.

This is your year.

Laugh from your soul.

Dream even BIGGER.

Live in the moment.

Stop comparing to others.

Be joyous in yourself.

Strive for contentment.

Add memories, not things.

Give with no expectations.

Find beauty in simplicity.


This is your year. Live it.

Out of the Box

Out of the Box, originally uploaded by artouttamymind.

It was a good day in Carlisle, Arkansas. I enjoyed watching the light as it moved across the buildings. Plus, I enjoyed seeing my old friend again.

Good times are on the way....

The Girls.

The Girls., originally uploaded by artouttamymind.

I went to a workshop this past weekend to learn about the wet plate collodion process. There was a group of four of us. It was pretty great to get out of town, hang out with a group of friends I haven't seen in a while, and collaborate on making some art. I think everyone's pieces just kept getting better as the day progressed.

This is my first one. There are three more to come....and two of those feel like the beginnings of some new series and a new direction for my work....

I Was Almost There

I Was Almost There, originally uploaded by artouttamymind.

This was taken in MacArthur Park, just outside the Arts Center, right before a rain storm and my class. I didn't see that it reflected how I felt until I started working on the image in the middle of the night, getting ready to post it to Flickr. I think it shows a little of how I've been feeling lately....like everything is colorful "out there", and I'm "in here", where things are quite blurry and almost dark, with just glimmers of what could be possible....

Long Forgotten Memories

Long Forgotten Memories, originally uploaded by artouttamymind.

Memories are funny things. I've got memories of things that didn't even happen to me, and probably no memories of many things that did.

Wispy, fleeting, faint, and gauzy...this image exemplifies how I feel today.

Watching You

Watching You, originally uploaded by artouttamymind.

More often than not, Beau likes to look at me with one eye, so I thought this image was very appropriate. Maybe I should've titled it "Keeping an Eye on You".