Tuesday, December 29, 2015

2016-Bring it On!

I am writing this today with a whole lot of love, joy and excitement in my heart. 2016 is almost here and I just can't wait for all it has in store! Just like a kid on Christmas Even excited! I am usually a pretty positive person, no matter what...but something about this new year has me pretty excited! I think I may know why. Given everything that we have gone through in the past few years, I finally feel like this coming year is my year! The possibilities are endless. I feel like I am standing on the edge of a bridge, waiting to bungee jump off it and for the first time ever...I wont scream, jump back or startle at the sight of the edge in view. I am just going to open my arms wide and free fall and laugh when I bounce back up!

So, what has brought about this change you may ask? Well, I am not sure if most of you will remember the kind of year that we had last year or not. Let me tell you, it was scary and hard and I cried a whole lot. There were so many decisions to be made that totally stressed us all out. Things to worry about that I didn't think I would ever have to to worry about. (Like making sure my will is all in order and my daughter was safe.) And from that, something wonderful happened. I know what's important now and most of all, who is important. I learned not to sweat the small stuff and to just try and go with the flow more. I learned that living life is more important than making plans to live it. Seize the day...seems so corny to say, but it is so very true. So this year, I am doing me, and our family and our life. I am going to try new things, see new sights and meet new people. I am going to do all of those things that I want to do and not worry about whether or not its a good idea. There will be no list making. There will just be jumping off the edge to see what happens. I learned a very valuable lesson. Life is a precious gift and I am done being scared and unhappy to any extent. So, let's get it started.

I will be taking steps to open my store again. It got derailed the first time, but this is the year. I will be booking more shoots this year. I am going to start taking my prints to craft fairs and building a real business. I will be spending my time with my loved ones the way I want. (Lori, we are going to take a page out of your book!) Adventure awaits!!! It awaits us all!

So, what more can I share my friends? If I had any piece of advice, it is to live in the moment. Be present. Put your phone down and open your eyes. Have a conversation with someone. Do something that terrifies you and will exhilarate you all at the same time. Love your family and be there for the friends that are there for you. Forget all of that bullshit that is the past! It will serve you no good now. Be kind to those you meet, for you never know what their path has been like. And finally, find joy! Be joyful! I wish you a very happy and healthy 2016 my friends!

Happy-Happy
Joy-Joy
Anna
Artfully Odd


Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Oh My Gosh, It's December!

My title says it all really! Where on earth did fall go? Looking back at my posts, I realize that its been some time since I jotted anything down here. I am sorry for that. Fall was a really busy season for us, including our vacation to Niagara Falls. We had such a good time and if you follow me on Facebook, you have seen what a lovely place it is via our photos. However you spent your fall season, I hope it was a good one! Now December is here!!! Can you believe it? We are currently busy getting ready for the holidays. We are looking forward to having a quiet and calm season with our daughter visiting shortly after. I am looking so forward to a calm end to 2015, (It has really been quite a year! The good and the bad.) and all that 2016 has in store for us!

On to artistic endeavors...I have been working on some new photography projects as well as taking on new photo shoots. Its been a lot of fun and I must say, the creativity that I am enjoying has been amazing. I have a new series in the works that I am really excited about! Can't wait to share it all with you. I was lucky enough to have just finish a fantastic shoot with the lovely Kim. She wanted to do something special to honor her family and I think the creative concept we came up with was pretty cool. I am sharing a few shots from the session here and I hope that you like the creativity that went into it. (On and ending note, Kim got permission from the church and the cemetery to be there and shoot photos there. We did this all with respect to her family as well as the other families there.)

Well, that's all for now. I hope that you are enjoying a wonderful week and wish you a lovely weekend!

Artfully Odd
Anna






Monday, August 31, 2015

Brace Yourselves...Fall is On it's Way!

As the popular meme says, "Brace yourselves...Pumpkin flavored everything is coming!" This makes me giggle. Like really giggle. You know that kind of giggle where you actually snort and then, surprised by said snort, you begin to giggle all over again. The reason for the laughter is mostly because I am one of those people who loves most pumpkin anything. I will have pumpkin coffee, tea, late, cake, pie...heck, even my car air freshener will be pumpkin spice! Raise your hands if you belong to the club. Don't try to hide...you there, in the back...you have pumpkin on your face! Raise your hand.

So, what is it about fall that brings out our never ending craving for the large gourd? (Or is it a fruit? I have never been clear on that. I could look it up, but I figure that those of you who actually read this, will do it for me and inform us all.) And while we are at it, don't you think it's strange that once September and October are gone, the craving disappears only to come back in spurts here and there? That is one sneaky gourd! (Again, see above. Come on people, don't let me down!) All I know is that once I see one yellow or red leaf, I am a pumpkin goner!

Now, I should clarify...I only want to devour pumpkin foods and the occasional car freshener. Place a pumpkin candle on my table, light it and I could very well vomit. Seems a bit extreme right? I think that every time the revulsion rolls off of me and I have no plausible explanation. To any doctors out there that may be reading this...thoughts?

But I digress...Fall is also one of the best and my most favorite time to shoot landscapes. There is something magical about all the reds, golds and oranges that sway in the breeze and dance in the sun. My camera will be glued to my side in a week or so. Thoughts of having it surgically attached to me so that it can be ready at all times, crosses my mind...but then I think, nah, better not, lol! I am not wishing summer away, (Winter=Boo), but I can't wait to get out there and capture some of natures beauty. So, what are we waiting for?

Oh yea...Mother Nature. She's so beautiful, so who minds the wait!

AMP
Artfully Odd




Monday, June 15, 2015

Just a Thought

We as people, should be lifting each other up, not stepping on each other to get to where we are going. That goes for artists as well. How much better would our world be if what was put out was goodness, compassion, and the like? Just a thought....

Have a wonderful week!
A

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Let's Create Something Good

Hello! I hope that this finds you doing well today. So, I am getting ready. For what you ask? Well, I am getting ready to get back into it. Shoots that is :) As some of you know, circumstances beyond my control have kept me from picking up my camera more that I would like as of late. But I am ready now...Ready to get back to the drawing board and plans some amazing things! I will say though, that this time away has given me a chance to hone some of my editing skills. I think I have grown leaps and bounds in that department and I think that my vision for the fantastic has grown with it! As I have learned this past year, it doesn't matter how many times you fall down on your face. The thing that matters is how many times you pick yourself up. How much you fight against the things that try to keep you from your goal. It's not always easy...believe me, I know that. I have lived that. The trick is how you arrive at your destination and how whole you are when you get there. I am happy to say that I did not lose too many pieces of myself on this journey, which is why I am so happy to get back to doing what I love!

So, if you are looking for some portraits, prints or a fantastic fantasy shoot, please contact me! I am always looking for new models to shoot as well. The time has come! Let's create something beautiful!!!

PS- I am also always available for styling. Because of my love of vintage and all things shiny, I have a small, but growing room of stuff to help style a shoot.  Hit me up, you never know what I might have :)
A
Artfully Odd Photography


Friday, May 22, 2015

New Senior Portrait Session & Life

Well, a big hello there! Let me first apologize for the length of my absence here. I have not been too good about blogging as of late for many reasons, but mostly because I have been living life. Isn't it nice now that that old winter is gone! Never thought we were going to make it through this year! But, we did & I have been out enjoying the sunshine too much as well as shooting a lot of people and things, but have not had much time to blog about it. I will try to do better this summer as I will have so much that I want to share with you!  Like this for instance....

Steven Class of 2015


Steven Class of 2015
In memory of his Father

Senior photos are something that's near and dear to my heart. I get so much happiness from shooting these kids at the beginning of the rest of their life. They are so happy and so full of promise! It reminds me that life is a precious thing and should be full of those things always. No matter what age you are! So, CONGRATULATIONS Steven & the class of 2015! I wish you light and happiness as you start your life in this world!

Have a wonderful day!
Anna

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

New Poem-The Soul's Hammer

So, I couldn't sleep the other night. Something kept running through my brain and would not let me be. So, I got up, grabbed my journal and this is what came out. Sometimes a poem just sort of pours out of you and you get surprised by the results. This did surprise me a bit but I love how it all came together. Hope you do too. #WordsandThings 

The Soul’s Hammer:

This girl; Oh so lonely
Tears cascade down the hills and valleys of her soul
Days stretch into years as light vanishes out over the twilight of the horizons edge
There is just her being and the endless darkness of silence in the velvet
No words spoken; only deep, deep thoughts remain
Deep thoughts that steal her breath and blot out the light of her arch

Dark
Dark
Dark

Night falls out of the body
Time holds no resonating beat
Rivers churn in her spirit
Trees bend with her will
This girl; Oh so lonely

Light
Light
Light

Where is the sunshine of the soul
To make it to the other side
She must grasp handfuls of summer grass
See the fields dotted with the bone white lilies of the valley
The end is illuminated on the horizon of salvation from death


Calm
Calm
Calm

The soul is quiet now
Time has a resonating beat
Time has a resonating beat

Tick tock
Tick tock
Tick tock

This girl; Oh so lonely
Lonely never more
The sunshine of the soul explodes
Time has a resonating beat

Tick
Tock
Tick
Tock
Tick

(C) Anna Patten 2015