Small Things

Today I... woke up at 9:31 for my 9:30 class and managed to get there at 9:37, accidentally squirted black paint on this girls designer jeans and felt super bad about it, cooked mushroom risotto for lunch, stressed out about my finals, read vintage Vouges and Life Magazines in the library basement instead of working on my finals, marveled over how nice all the reference desk librarians are/freaked out for 5 min. wanting to be a librarian, listened to the below song on repeat for 100 hours, & then took some pictures of some nice things laying around my room.

'Beautiful Dawn' by the Wailin' Jennys...this song gets me every time.

From top to bottom (all photos are my own):

dried roses taped to my wall

adorable gardening tools gifted from a friend

bowl of crystals and turquoise beads from Israel that I'm waiting to make jewelry out of

white loafers that I've been wearing all year and still haven't gotten dirty

velvet fox mask

Canada March Photo Diary

As you probably know I went to Canada a month ago for spring break.

I've already blogged about field shells, bear skulls, and the quiet life I experienced there...but now I'm finally posting my photo diary.

The main reason I loved my short trip so much is because it was a few days that I could complete devote to photography.

Even though I consider photography one of my biggest hobbies/passions I hardly ever experiment with my camera! I find a mode/way of shooting I like and I stick to it.

This trip was different. Although I've probably been to Canada 25 times in my 20 short year of life, I had never been in March (or early spring/spring at all).

Everything looked completely different from the winter and summer months.

I was shocked to discover how unusually colorful yet insanely dull all of the nature looked. Does that concept make sense?

For example one moment I'd goes outside and the world was blanketed in gray and beige; however, I'd walk for 10 minuets and the forest floor would be glowing with neon mosses and fungi. It was so so so so perfect for my photographing escapade!

(So if you like the pictures don't credit me credit mama earth....)

((Actually please don't steal my pictures credit us both))

I'm usually a really heavy shooter and take tons of photos that I then edit down later, but this trip I carefully selected each photo I took (I tried to channel my inner film photographer self).

The result of this was I got a lot more pictures I liked; however it was so impossible for me to edit down on my computer and ya know...post 10-15 Canada photos like a normal person....I feel so attached to them all.

Even though I took multiple cozy naps by the fire, ate towering seafood feasts, wore Native American moccasins and Irish knit sweaters (like a mo-fo), and lived a pretty aesthetically pleasing indoor life I mostly saved my picture taking for outside. AKA the pictures below don't have that much variety. They are about 75% trees 10% moss 10% ponds and 5% rocks.

I always think that a huge part of being a good photographer (or artist at all for that matter) lies in the way you present your work. I always admire blogs and websites where the photos are carefully chosen and presented in a clean, simple, narrowed down way...I'm so bad at doing this...if anyone has any tips please tell me HOW...literally whenever I have to send out my portfolio for a job it always has like 70 too many slides because I just can never choose WHAT THE HECK to include and not to include.

So I created a read more tab...as to not overwhelm the blog with too pictures of beaver dams and buoys. I would be so honored/happy if people actually did click 'read more' and told me what they thought. I'm pretty pleased with this little body of nature/landscape photo work.

Field Shells

A few more photos from Canada in march.

Finding discarded shells in a field always feels so much more exciting than finding them on the beach... :)

Bear Skull

Hip hip hooraah! What does it say about me that the highlight of my spring break was finding this beauty in the woods? My family has been collecting animal bones, skulls, and feathers for as long as I can remember. Our Canadian cottage is literally full of deer jaws and eagle feathers...which may sound gross to some, but its so beautiful to me. My older sister has the best collection, but with this find I'm close behind.

Finding something like this in the woods is a true gift from nature. Seriously its so circle of life and natural.

After some research and talking to island locals who have grown up knowing the species that live there inside and out, this skull and bottom jaw has been identified as a black bear. You can't really tell how huge from the pictures, but those front teeth are about 2 inches!

The above photos were taken right when I found it, and I was way too excited to get any good shots. Cleaning and bleaching the skull was a most-of-the-day project but its now drying out in the shed and should look sparkly and white by summer :)

Canada in March

Just got back from Canada, and even though I spent longer in the car getting there (4 total days traveling and 2 days actually in Canada) it was SO WORTH IT. The drive from NYC to Canada was beautiful..especially once we got to Maine and hit up our favorite lobster shacks and blueberry pancake diners.

When we got to the ferry landing to go the deserted island it was dark. The sky was glowing as it exploded with stars--everything was so clear!

I swear nature is the best medicine. I missed it sooo much!

Sitting by the fireplace burning logs my dad chopped himself made me so happy/grateful/think about everything. Now I'm back in Brooklyn and its bittersweet...but mostly bitter. I guess I have to get back in the design mindset because the weeks ahead are going to be grueling, but I can't stop dreaming of having a little studio in the middle of the woods where I can display all of my animal skulls and seaglass and be super inspired all the time and create create create!

On another note i've been reading loads of blogs recently and I kind of like it when people only post a couple of pictures at a time...its kind of a less is more thing I think...I know its a small presentation detail but thoughts? I do it sometimes, but then I go somewhere and take a million pictures and i'm awful at editing etc.....well I'm giving it a try now and will post more Canada pictures later!

Above is a sea urchin I found in our field....which is an odd place to find a sea urchin, but seagulls pick up urchins, clams, and crabs at low tide, eat them and then drop the shells wherever they please...

Wandering

Sometimes often I go wandering at night. Since I live in Brooklyn that pretty much means trying to find creative spots to go to on Pratt campus. My most visited spots include the engine room and the Pratt rooftops.

I don't know how it always happens to me, but I find the engine room unlocked at night all the time, and of course I sneak in (Sorry Pratt!) If you go deep into the ground it looks like the bottom of the Titanic (didn't have my camera with me the few times I went down there but it was really amazing).

Then there are the rooftops. There is something so comforting about just being when you're up there.

You Are Exactly Where You Are Meant To Be.

May today there be peace within.

May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others.

May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.May you be content with yourself just the way you are.Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.It is there for each and every one of us.

-Mother Teresa

I love quotes, but whenever I read them I feel a sense of intense cheesiness come over me. For some reason quotes often feel fake. I think whenever I see " " I subconsciously think the message  isn't relatable or that its preserved in a glass bottle and can't be examined. I want the above quote to be examined and feel relatable because I think its beautiful and true.

 This post is a little on the spiritual side, but thats just how i've been feeling lately, and this blog is an abstract conglomeration of pretty much anything and everything...so there ya go!

Salvation Shoes

I don't really know what to say in this post. I want the pictures to speak for themselves.

I'll just say....I went to salvation army on Wednesday and there were over 6 racks of the same ugly shoe in the same size. It was way too humorous not to take some pictures of.

Israel Photo Diary 2012

A few photos I managed to take (before my camera died on day 3) of a marvelous Israel journey. Maybe one day I'll cough up the money for photoshop so I can properly edit; however, I this beautiful country speaks for itself....

Negev Desert

Ein Avdat

Masada

Western Wall

Old City Jerusalem

Peering into the mens side of the Western Wall

Looking down at the topography from Masada

Inside Bedouin Tents

City of David

Arad

Heaven?

Underground at the Western Wall

This reminds me of the story of King Midas....where everything he touches turns to gold....haha

Notes in the Western Wall

Tel Aviv

Thank you Birthright Free Spirit for this experience! It was sababa! :)