Jes

I have been thinking of things to post here for quite a few days now. Many posts. They don’t make it past my brain though. But I thought I really needed to post something today.

Today, is my 28th Birthday. Not that numbers matter really. I have never been one that has been hooked on age and numbers like that. You are as old as you act, and I generally don’t usually feel or act my age!

But it is amazing when you stop for just a minute and think of the time in between the whole ‘being born’ and where you are at. I had an impromptu pool party with some of my family today, which was super fun, but reminded me a lot of just that. It has been quite the journey to here, and I’m looking forward to the rest. Onward!

Today it was also made official that we took the condo off the market. I got my keys back from the lock box, we breathed a sigh of relief, there are a few more things left out on our counter now, and we are going to buy paint. I don’t know how long we will really end up here, but here we are. There are far worse places to be. I don’t think I mind this so much right now.

Thank you to all my friends and family for all of the Birthday love :) You make me feel so special and I love each and everyone of you! I’m amazingly lucky to have such a crowd around me!

Now, I’m shutting off my laptop, grabbing my book, and waiting for my husband to get home to continue the Birthday adventuring!

~Peace~

Please tell me what I am waiting for, and why any type if decision making has been so hard lately?!

Awhile ago my husband and I decided it was time to try and sell our condo and buy a house. We have called this little condo our home for 8 years, at least 4 years longer than we originally planned. It was time, we thought, for something new. Something with a bit more space, a yard to grow veggies in, a basement for my darkroom.

For the past 3 months we have kept the condo spotless, allowed appointments to show it whenever they came. After 3 months, and discouraging market news, I was finally ready to give up, figuring this just wasn’t the right time. We made up out minds to redecorate a bit, make things new again if we were going to be there awhile longer. We planned a trip to the hardware store this weekend to look for paint chips.

I decided we would officially take it off the market once we hit 100 days. For some reason I wanted to hit that milestone before sending the email to our agent and our mortgage agent that we were giving up for now and thanks for all the hard work anyway.

Wednesday I got a phone call that someone wants to come look at the condo and could they make an appointment?! They are coming today.

Really??? After all that deciding? After making the decision that it was OK to give up?

I’m still convinced that those decisions will stay the same. That we will still be looking at paint samples this weekend. That we will spend another year or two there. But I did still clean just a little bit harder for today. It is so hard not to get your hopes up…

Somethings just look better on film. Old cars I think are definitely one of those things.

My dad has a lot of friends that have cars in the Back to the 50's car show that took place over Father's day weekend this year. We had a bunch of them up at the restaurant for breakfast, so I took a few photos.

These were all taken with my Polaroid Sx-70. I just love the look of them….

I have a couple of rolls of film to be developed from this weekend too. I'm sure I'll post a few more shots when I get the film done.

Until next time,

~Peace~

We had so much fun going to Rock the Garden at the Walker Art Center this year! OK Go was by far the best of the line up, though we did enjoy Sharon Jones and the Dapp Kings (she has so much energy!). Retribution Gospel Choir were pretty good. It was great to hear a few favorite songs by MGMT, but there stage act was nothing compared to OK Go. 

We had gorgeous weather for being outside, the acoustics are great near the Walker, and we were with some very awesome fiends :) It couldn’t have been better!

See the full gallery on Posterous

Today begins the one weekend every year when I feel that I am being a hypocrite.

Why?

Because it is Back to the 50’s Weekend in Roseville, Minnesota. Because every other moment of the summer I am doing my best to ride my bike instead of driving any time I can. Because this weekend, no matter how gorgeous the weather is for biking, I will be driving my ’76 Volkswagen Beetle to work to part next to my dad’s ’62 Chevy Panel truck so it is there for all the other car people to see, to ask me how I painted it, and numerous other questions. For people to tell me “That’s cool!”

I fully believe that we need to work on not being dependent on oil, not being dependent on driving, all of that. I’ve visited places with awesome public transportation systems, where you hardly need to think about having a car, and certainly don’t need it for getting to work every day. I truly believe we need to work towards that without a doubt.

But for this one weekend every year, I’m right there with my dad and so many others being excited over cars, and engines, and paint jobs, and the sounds of motors revving. I can’t help it.

It does make me wonder though…

With all that needs to be done to change our habits with driving and what cars run on, etc. What would happen if the people in power asked more of these car people what they should do? I’ve listened to many of these people talk – many of them are geniuses when it comes to cars. Quite a few of them I know, when they need a special part and they can’t readily find it, they just machine it themselves. Make it out of nothing. What would happen if you had a bunch of people like that in on figuring out the mess we are in? Perhaps a motor that could run on something other than gasoline and could easily be swapped into any car on the road (when you hear how many different cars you can put a standard Chevy motor in, you can really believe this!) I know I would do quite a bit to make it so I could keep driving my little Beetle. I’m sure there are many that feel the same. 

Enough of my little soap box.

I just wanted to apologize for being a hypocrite this weekend. I hope you can forgive me. Also, if you’re in to that kind of thing, there will be photos of old cars up on my photo blog very soon I’m sure.

~Peace~

Every Saturday I have had off of work so far this summer, John and I have gone to the Mill City Farmer's Market. There are three places in this city that I automatically think of as my 'favorites'…places that constantly calm and inspire me. The Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden at night (especially the back garden walkway when the lights are on, and the wind chimes that were up for one of their latest shows…I haven't been there recently, but I really hope the chimes are still there!), The Open Book Building that houses Minnesota Center for Book Arts and The Loft Literary Center (being around all of MCBA's old presses is a favorite place to be) and walking around the Mill City Ruins. 

John and I were there this past Saturday, and I decided to try taking some photos with my SX-70, which I hadn't picked up in awhile. 

I'm sure I've mentioned here before that The Impossible Project was working their butts off making new instant film. They succeeded, but there have been many more challenges on all sides than anyone had hoped for. One of the challenges on the photographers part is that this film is very light and temperature sensitive. Many people got frustrated and gave up. Many more of us, realizing that this was new film, and that film in the first place had many challenges and set backs, pushed on, posted tips, and encouraged each other. You try, you learn, you figure out what you are doing wrong, and you fix it for the next image. No, it isn't cheap, but art isn't necessarily supposed to be cheap. Ok, rant over.

Saturday was the first time for me that 4 out of 4 photos I took came out to be something that I liked :) That feeling of success is pretty awesome! I've had a ton of fun recently just playing with my photos. Instead of worrying if they are perfect, or if they fit into the scope of my show, I just take them, and enjoy them. It is helping me work through all the stress with the finishing up process I'm working on right now. 

I had quite a bit of time to work in my studio today. I managed to get all of the edges trimmed on the prints for the Bloomington show, and managed to get my printing press area cleaned up. The next part of my project work involves printing dialogs I've written on some of the prints. I've been meaning to clean up that space, but I've been putting it off. 

Before….

After!

My plan is to start on the ink mixing and press set up next week. I'm kind of excited to be working on that part. I love my little press and I secretly love the smell of ink! Maybe that's why I enjoy being around MCBA's presses so much.

Until next time,

~Peace~

It really isn't summer yet. It feels like it though. The weather has been gorgeous, which of course makes it all the harder to stay inside working!

I've managed quite a bit of discipline though. Most of the images for my show in September are printed, the editing and framing process is definitely underway. A large part of what I am working on now is writing more dialogues that will be included with some of the images. Kind-of daunting, but I'm looking forward to working with my old printing press and mixing ink colors again. 

I have simplified since one of my last posts. Instead of carrying all of my cameras with me, I have actually left quite a few at my studio, and am carrying just a few small toy cameras with me for fun. It emphasized the fact for me that right now I am not shooting new things for this project, just looking for inspirations elsewhere in life. It reminds me that I need to play and have fun. 

The work doesn't seem quite so daunting anymore. Now if only I could concentrate on writing just a bit more!

It is hard with all of that sunshine!

Random street finds

Ice cream trips

Many bike rides

Until next time,

~Peace~

It surprised me this morning that May is already gone, and we are into June and well on our way to summer. 

John and I celebrated our anniversary just over a week ago. It has been 6 years since our second wedding ceremony…

The wedding ceremony after he got back from overseas where we actually had time to plan it to be like we wanted. 

John's hands – taken with PX100 first flush instant film

We celebrated by spending a whole day together, doing fun, normal little things, and being outside a lot. It isn't often it is this nice and warm here in May. Recently we have had a few more long days like that to spend together. It has been wonderful. He helps center me more than he will ever know.

Bike tires – taken with PX100 first flush film

Sometimes you need days like that to remember why you are working so hard on something….

remember what you are working towards.

Expired Polaroid Blue 100 peel apart film

Sometimes you also need people to remind you to take a break and have fun before summer is gone.

Splash – taken with a point-and-shoot digital Pentax camera that is waterproof

I feel like I am ready for June. I have more of a plan. 

Thank you to everyone who has reminded me what I'm doing, that it is ok to get a little extra sleep, that it is ok to leave more of my cameras at my studio (which makes biking easier!), that I still need to give myself time off once in awhile, and that it is ok to go back to taking pictures just for fun.

Happy summer!

~Peace~