the feeling of actually getting somewhere on a project.
It makes you feel like anything is possible! More details to come soon.
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25 things
25 things you probably don’t know about me
(This was a Facebook thing awhile ago. I didn’t do it then, mostly because I have a hate/kind-of-like relationship with Facebook and the various things on there. But I decided to post something like this here.)
6. I want to be a writer as well as a visual artist. 7. I adore the Harry Potter books. 8. I love playing board games and card games. 9. I hate competitions. I especially hate when people make everyday life things into competitions. 10. I’m usually quite shy in large groups of people. 11. I have a very hard time concentrating on what I should be working on during the day when I have friends to talk to online. 12. I love when it snows 13. I love skiing – downhill skiing is a little like flying 14. I started out riding my bike more as trasportation because of the oil spill last summer, but I found that I really enjoy riding my bike. 15. I love my volkswagen beetle and I really miss driving it! (I hate when people tell me my car looks like it is sporting Vikings colors.) 16. Lacross and the Roller Derby are really the only sports I don’t hate. (Though I admit I am a bit curious about the new player from Japan that just joined the MN Twins…) 17. I think one of the worst thing in the world is having to pretend you are happy and make other people happy when you aren’t feeling well. 18. The supplies for my artwork are extremely expensive, and I sometimes feel guilty about spending the money on them, but that doesn’t really stop me. 19. I’m thinking about artwork pretty much all the time. 20. I am very easily intimidated. It takes a lot, but I usually get over it. 21. I love handwriting, and I still keep a handwritten journal. 22. I love hugs. 23. I’m really very nervous about the project I’m currently working on.
24. I am usually a very happy, upbeat person, but sometimes, I just need someone else to be upbeat for me. 25. My granny started me collecting Russian dolls when I was little. My collection is growing.
New things and the prairie
I have been working hard lately. There are a lot of big projects coming up, all of them quite fun, though, as usual, it does mean some things get neglected in the proces.
Today, I actually took a bit of time off from working on projects for other people, and started a new compilation for a project I am working on for myself. I don’t know if it is finished yet, or how this will all pan out, but It is a start on a new journey.
Prairie restoration site, Theological Seminary, New Brighton, Minnesota
When my friend first asked me to work on videos for her poems, I found many poems that were full of imagery from the prairie. Knowing I would need some images for that, I talked to my uncle who happens to work for the DNR. He pointed me to a number of prarie restoration projects that are going on not far from the cities. One of them was practically in my back yard. The more I talked to him, the more I became fascinated with these places. Almost a perfect mix of analog, land, growth, returning places to what they had naturally been, mixed with digital, tracking growth, predators, controlled burning, life cycles…
It has been taking over my mind lately. I see my Digital Dreams of Life series stretching towards this. Everything needs a new direction sometimes. I think this is where I’m going.
In the mean time – Yes! Videos! My friend Kathryn Kysar will have a new book of poems being released March 19th. We are working together to create videos of her poetry, which will be posted on the website for the book, as well as here. It is an exciting project. Video is can be an unforgiving, frustrating medium, but it can be beautiful when layered and finessed just right. It is taking me awhile to catch on, but I keep working. In the mean time, there are some still images that pertain to this project in this gallery. Mostly portraits right now, I will be posting some of the still images I am using in the videos.
I am also starting a little prairie gallery just for all of the prairie images I’m working with.
It has been a busy winter. Around here, that seems like a good thing. It doesn’t leave for much time to relax, but it does leave a lot less time to mope around with the winter blues. Just this last week, I was at a kareoke bar for the first time ever, went to visit friends at their studios during First Thursday, saw a screening of some of Jay Rosenblatt’s films at the Walker, and checked out a couple of great local date night places. The date night time did a lot to get me out of my winter funk, and all of the great artwork I have seen at the galleries and at the studios of my friends lately has done a lot to inspire me and get me working again. We all need pick-me-ups like that sometimes.
While I wish that these days of “so freezing cold you don’t dare take a camera outside for fear it will freeze to your face” would be over, today I am so grateful for the sunshine!
Until next time,
~Peace~
New obsessions:
~ the prairie
~ prairie restoration projects
~ instant film (ok, not really new, but I have recently had a bit more luck with it, which is re-newing my interest/obsession)
~ videography
~ creativity journals
~ paper calendars
~ book arts (again, not really new, but I’m starting a pretty awesome book arts program at MCBA in a few weeks)
~ cooking as many things as possible in my rice cooker
Dazed
The blog has been a little bit quiet lately.
After an epically fun New Year’s Eve, I have spent most of this new year in quiet contemplation about what 2011 has in store.
Ok, really, I’ve been sick, and only getting to around 1/2 of the things on my to-do list, and honestly, writing a blog post just kept getting shoved to the bottom. I’m still a bit under the weather, but things are perking up around here.
In exciting news, I was invited to be part of the Minnesota Center for Book Art‘s Parts of a Whole: New Work by MCBA’s Artist Community! I am honored to be considered part of their Artist Community! The opening reception will be Friday, February 18th. I hope you can make it! More details will be sent out on that as they come. I’m expecting it to be a wonderful show. MCBA has so many talented, amazing artists, and I can only imagine how amazing this show will be!
I will be displaying my piece Population Density in that show. After choosing it, I was honestly a little worried. This is a quieter piece that some of my compilations. It is more analog. I can’t say what made me choose it. I did get a lot of good feed back on that piece when I had it at the Book Arts Festival at MCBA this winter, so I know it will get a good reception. But as to what made me decide to put that in instead of a compilation? I don’t know. Maybe just the desire to feel like the black and whites fit into my series better than they maybe do. Maybe just wanting to show I can do more than play in Photoshop? Either way, I hope people like it! It is one of my favorite images.
Moving on to other things.
I won a new camera at John’s company’s Holiday party! It is a Canon Rebel T2i! Woo hoo! It is shiny! I am very excited about the video capabilities of it most of all right now. I have the privilege of working with a very good friend on a video project this spring, and I am planning on using this new camera for most of the video recording. It has been awhile since I have worked in the video world (ok, since college really), but I have always enjoyed it, and I can’t think of anything better than working on a project with another creative friend. So, here we go! Jump with both feet!
The 365 cell phone photo project kind of fell by the wayside when I got sick. I’m thinking of starting over with a new 365 project starting in February. Not sure what it will be though. Details will be posted here when I have them!
In the mean time, I am trying to get into a creative groove – one where I spend more time creating and less time organizing things in my studio. Where I am actually making things. That will come, I’m sure, once I start feeling just a bit better and having a bit more energy. Maybe tomorrow will be that day.
Until next time,
~Peace~
How do you
How do you know if you are being too literal?
New year day one:
5 things I’m grateful for today (and a bit from last night since the two days have really blended together!)
1. For friends in general, and especially those who know how to make a radio antenna from a beer can and champagne cork cover
2. For a new year to start fresh with
3. For my family and husband who always help new with my studio cleaning and rearranging
4. That I am not normal and don’t have to pretend that I am normal.
5. The feeling of how awesome and comfortable your own bed is which you can only feel after spending a night sleeping on a sofa bed ;)
Happy new years!
Long days
The days seem really long when there isn’t much you can do except sit at home and try to feel healthy again.
Today I am starting to feel a little better, but progress is still slow. I’m just hoping to be much closer to normal tomorrow so I can celebrate New Year’s Eve properly with friends!I’ve learned a lot more about coding, and adjusted quite a few things on my website and blog site (some of those changes will take effect much later after my web guru looks them over). While it took me almost all day to make what seems like only a few design changes, things that would have taken others with more knowledge a fraction of the time to do, I’m pretty proud of myself! There is something awesome about taking charge and learning what you need to do to make things the way you want, whether it is painting your home yourself, developing your own film, printing your own pictures, or in my case today, hacking away at my own website.
I got a box of film in the mail from The Impossible Project (www.theimpossibleproject.com) yesterday…yes, I know, I have a film buying addiction…but the purpose of the order was to buy some Spectra film to see if the little camera I picked up at the thrift store for $5 works. The good news – it does!
It has been a very rainy, dreary December day out today, and I honestly didn’t mind not leaving the house today. I’m looking forward to spending this evening inside as well, curling up with a book of poetry I have the honor of previewing, and getting more rest for tomorrow.
Until next time~Peace~
And then everything stops
There are times when no matter how hard you try to stay healthy and keep going with all the plans you have made, life brings you to a halt. That’s exactly what happened to me this week. I’m slowly on the mend, but not after drastically revising my plans for the week, which included a few photo outings, as well as other studio re-aranging work. Thankfully I have understanding friends, and plenty of work that can be done form the comfort of my couch! Expect to see a few design changes on my website this week!
I just found out today that I will be collaborating with another friend on a project this winter. I’m not sure how much of it I can talk about here yet, but I will post details as soon as I can! Needless to say, I am very excited about it and I am looking forward to the new challenges it will bring. 2011 should be very exciting indeed! I expect I will be blogging a bit more this week as I try to rest and stay indoors and not go stir crazy! I have a lot of film I recently developed and scanned in, and I have every intention of getting some of that posted this week!
My immune deficiency is not something that I talk about much, and especially something I rarely blog about, but I’ll mention it now and stand on my soap box for just a minute. I probably would have made it without getting sick, except that I was late on one of my infusion doses that helps my immune system. I was late getting it due to a shortage from the company that makes it. Since they make it from plasma donated by people around the world, shortages are a fact of life. Donating plasma can help a lot of people, including me! I would donate if I could, but they don’t really want any from me ;) If you would like to know more about donating, look here: http://bit.ly/ahMqtJ This is the company that manufactures the infusion therapy I take for my immune deficiency, and they have many plasma donation centers around the world. I will now step off my soap box!
Until next time,~Peace~ www.jesleephotos.com
So this is Christmas
The holidays make a wonderful mess of all of the plans you make to actually get things done! With all of the parties with friends and family, all the desserts, the lights, the songs, well, I wouldn’t trade any of it!
Many friends have been posting on their blogs in the days leading up to Christmas what their favorite holiday songs are. I have honestly not been a super big fan of Christmas music (working anywhere in retail during the holidays can do that to you!), but there is one song that has been floating around in my head for the last few days now. Just a simple song, wishing for peace and a good year for everyone from John Lennon…(all of these pictures were taken with my cell phone using an app called Vignette on the random setting. I love this little camera app. Somehow, through the graininess of these pics, I think you can almost hear the craziness and love and noise that comes with my family being together for the holiday…)
So this is Christmas
and what have you done?
another year over,
a new one just begun.
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
the near and the dear ones
the old and the young.
A very merry Christmas
and a happy New Year
let’s hope its a good one
without any fear.
And so this is Christmas
for weak and for stron
the rich and the poor ones,
the road is so long
So happy Christmas
for black and for white
for the yellow and red ones
let’s all stop the fight.
A very merry Christmas
and a happy New Year
let’s hope its a good one
without any fear.
We had a very very white Christmas this year, with loads of snow…
and when you didn’t have to shovel it, it could actually be quite pretty. There is a silence that comes when everything is covered with snow. Things outside just become quieter. Anyone who has grown up in this climate will know what I’m talking about. I have been enjoying that stillness.
Of course there are some that seem to think winter should just be napped through!
One thing I did accomplish was organizing my film stash in our fridge. There is a small chance I may have a bit of a problem collecting film…
I think I just need to get out and take more pictures!
~Peace~