Wonder + Light writes about her art and imagery, explaining both her creative process and how it is defined by her life experience both past, present, and future.
Dear Becky, When I saw you, it looked like you where having a rough go this morning. Parenthood can make a girl feel like a modern day Nehemiah, amirite?! At any rate, you looked a little ragged and I had a few things I was too scared to say to you in the moment. I thought maybe if I wrote them out, perhaps I’d have more courage to send it. So here goes…
Read MoreHave you ever set out to create something only to end up stuck somewhere along the way? Maybe it’s an element that isn’t working, or perhaps the concept is just not translating the way you hoped. Or how about when you start to question whether your idea was worth its salt to begin with? What then? Though it can be an extremely frustrating circumstance, what if I told you these roadblocks are as important as the process itself? It’s true! And I’m going to tell you why.
Read MoreAfter 10 years of playing hopscotch across the US, The Weatherman and I made a choice to settle in Oklahoma. There were a lot of reasons for this but mostly because we spent 11 years praying for an impossible doorway to open, never sure that it could, until it did. We took a beating to get here, leaving so many great friends, hopeful that our future here would be promising. Since then the journey has hardly been what we expected; riddled with disappointments both great and small.
Read MoreSix years ago, I took a running leap off a cliff with my whole life screaming across the feeble promise of a wire. Gliding through that liminal space, my fear gave way to a child-like curiosity and wonder that has cascaded through so many facets of my life to the present day. How could one simple choice to let go of fear become such a pivotal moment?
Read MoreI’m by no means an expert, but I don’t need to be an expert to call out a racket when I see it. Juried Exhibitions definitely seem to fall into the category as one of the fastest ways I’ve pissed away my money as an artist. If there’s one thing I’m passionate about, it’s about helping people and artists avoid mistakes I’ve made along the way--learning as I go. Now more than ever, I think we need to put our minds together collectively and form an alliance of market disrupters to take antiquated ideas, such as juried exhibitions, and turn them on end. Amirite? Let me explain...
Read MoreIf you read my last blog post, you know that recently I needed to step back for my own sanity, but after doing so, I found that busyness just filled up the gaps. It’s like I stepped off one hamster wheel to try out another. I had to get disciplined about resting, which are words I never thought I would utter. When yesterday came, I finally had the energy to create the first in a new body of work I’m exploring, only to be confronted by what seemed like endless obstacles. How do you overcome that when you’re feet are already feel heavy? I don’t have a magical cure for this, but I can tell you how I got through it.
Read MoreIt’s not something anyone really talks about, but it plagues creators of all kinds. It happens in the aftermath of a show and it often strikes hardest just after the biggest of our career milestones. I call it the “Exhibition Hangover”. Like other hangovers it has the nasty backhanded sting fresh off the heels of a career high, but unlike others this one isn’t alcohol induced. Allow me to elaborate...
Have you ever come face to face with part of your nature that you aren’t friends with? When that happens how do you respond? It’s uncomfortable coming to grips with your ugly. One of my uglies is that I’m a big scaredy-cat, though I didn’t acknowledge it for a really long time. But if there is something I’ve learned recently it’s that it’s better to face my inner demons head on instead of the alternative. So let’s come to a meeting of minds shall we?
Read MoreWe’ve all heard the term “starving artist”. I remember my first week as an art major at Texas Tech, I was required to take some new “intro to arts” course where they discussed in a brief summation of why no artist should have to starve. Whether you consider yourself an artist or creative, making a living at a creative entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. The world of a creative can often be a rollercoaster of ups and downs, and lest you be nestled snugly in one of the lows, here is your PSA to look for the helpers.
Read MoreWhen I was growing up my childhood bestie (and best friend of nearly 30 years) had an infatuation with Winnie the Pooh that I could never fully understand. In middle school, she carried a Pooh-themed diaper bag as a purse, because that’s what you do when you’re just dipping your toes into your own individuality--and she wore it proudly. I suppose my gray hairs have lent me the ability to hear the profound intertwined with the simple, because some of the quotes from the movie “Christopher Robin” brought my whole house of cards tumbling down... and those are the moments when I know a new image is being birthed. This is how I cultivate my creative process. These are my 3 steps to harnessing inspiration in your creative process and photography.
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