Lovely Sunday Photograph and an Update....

Hello Everyone!

I've missed you guys and i've missed blogging and writing, and finding interesting stuff!  I am just so damn busy with school.

I am taking two online classes right now and then I have a month off before school starts again at the end of August.  I am hoping with that month to start blogging again and see..how...it...goes!

Now:  Lovely Sunday Photograph.  My mind is on weddings of course.  It's summer and when I was shooting weddings this was the start of the busiest season.  Plus I would much rather think about pretty dresses and love than my Human Growth and Development class!

Alfred and Emma Photography

Isn't this image fantastic?!  Click on the link to check out Alfred and Emma Photography based in San Francisco.

Lots of Love,

Jess

No pictures in this post....It's been a hard week.

Hello All!

How is everyone doing this week?

This week has been a rough one for me and to be truthful I am having a hard time.

Having this blog I always wonder how to handle these rough weeks.  Should I completely pretend they are not happening and continue posting about happiness and all the beautiful things that I love or should I address the suckiness that is life sometimes?

Truthfully, I set up the blog in the first place to get away from the realness of the world and to enjoy that I could have a place to escape and enjoy the beauty and the amazing things that are out there everywhere you look.

Yet, how I am as a person, how I have always been, is that when I am feeling very real emotions and going through things I can't ignore them.  I was a sensitive child and I grew up into a sensitive adult that has been able to channel those feelings into being an artist.

Therefore, I am usually silent on the blog when I am having a bad week because I can't force myself to post about a great dish that I made or a beautiful dress that I found because when I don't feel happy I don't usually want to post about happy things.

I constantly look at others blogs.  Lots of wedding blogs.  Style me Pretty, Green Weddings Shoes, Snippet and Ink, Rock and Roll Bride...I know the people that run these blogs can't be happy all the time but all of the posts week after week drip with gorgeousness and glam and prettiness and goodness.

I think maybe I am a little jealous that I can't bring myself to feel that happiness all the time.  Or the jealous feeling stems from the fact that I can't force myself to hit the post button and publish a happy post when I am not happy.

This post wraps into my New Years resolutions which is trying to figure out where I want this blog to go.  How truthful do I want it to be?  Do I want to show more of myself?  Do I only want happy posts with beautiful pictures and gorgeous products or should I talk about real issues in between the clouds of happiness?

So much to thing about don't you think? 

Lots of Love,

Jess

Having a Blogger Feature your Work: To Ask or Not to Ask

Hi All!

I hope everyone's Monday is off to a lovely start.  I start my statistics class tonight and I am nervous!  Mer had to find her TI-83 Calculator for me and I haven't had to use one of those since 10th grade geometry!  If I remember correctly I didn't do very well in 10th grade geometry...

However, I digress...Today in my blog post I wanted to talk about bloggers picturing work and not asking the person who owns the images or product.  I am hoping to hear opinions about this subject as well.

Since I started my blog, I have tried very hard to site, link, and give the correct person who made the image/art/etc, the correct credit.

I have always been of the mindset that most people believe, including myself, that any publicity is good publicity.  I also have been of the mindset that most people out there would be happy to have their work on any blog as long as credit was given.

Last week I came across some angry tweets from wedding photographers who were very mad that there pictures were put on a blog that they did not give permission to be put on.  I don't know the whole story, or if their image had a link or citation to who they were and back to their homepage, but honestly the whole conversation had me upset.

I adore finding cool images on the web and sharing them with you.  The same goes to finding photographers or artists.  I don't usually ask to feature their work but I always cite and give credit and tell the reader to go back to the original website.

All of the sudden I feel like I am doing something wrong.  However, I feel like if any blog wanted to use images from my etsy site I would be over the moon with the free publicity as long as my name was on the images and a link was put back to my site.

What do you guys think?  Would you be very upset if someone featured your work and didn't ask but did cite the images?

Cartoon by R.J. Romero

 Lots of Love,

Jess
  

Being an artist yet trying to be consistent

Hello lovely readers!
I have to apologize for completely and totally slacking on the blog posts.

I had been blogging like a good little blogger for a few months and really felt good that I had been consistent about something.

This brings me to the topic of my post. 

I love to blog.  I love finding cool things on the web, reader others blogs, and sharing what i'm thinking. 

That brings me to being an artist.  The way that I create might seem insane to some artists, but honestly, I first need to feel inspired.  Not just a little inspired, but REALLY inspired!

Whether it be dreams, seeing something while i'm driving, or a song that hits me the right way, I HAVE TO FEEL IT!

That then takes us to the process of actually making something.  I wish this wasn't true, but usually the first time I draw, carve, make something it looks the best.  Whatever the image may be it does not look over drawn or over thought.  When I start to make adjustments and fix things I feel the image starts to feel too worked.  (I discovered this when I was in grad school in a very halted conversation in Venitian style italian with my intaglio professor).

I have found in the last couple of weeks that this also relates to my blogging.  I haven't felt inspired lately.  After the hype and workup to the wedding I have felt exhausted.  I have also had some ugly chronic medical issues that have caused me to be in bed and asleep by 7:30 or 8:00 p.m.

So, the question I have been asking myself is how do you as an artist be consistent with things without it feeling fake or forced?

That is the question.  I don't have an answer yet.  When I do I will let you know, but I would love to hear other's thoughts.

How to stay true to yourself and who you are as an artist/writer/creater without forcing it.

Lots of Love and hopefully more consistent blogging to come!

Jess

Artist Saturday and a Sorry...

Hello all you lovelies!

First let me apologize for slacking off this week with blogging!  I have now slept two straight nights in a row (hooray!) and I am now posting artist Saturday/Friday for you!

I am going to share with you some work by Illustrator Michael Sloan who went as Ewan Macleish in his early days.  I became obsessed with is work probably in 2007, but unfortunately I cannot find the paintings he did for his son that I ABSOLUTELY LOVED (sad face)!

However, I did pull other images that I like of his.  I find myself drawn to his blue work and I think his use of space and the way he draws cities is AMAZING!

He also does a graphic novel featuring Professor Nimbus who I have included in this set of images.

I might also be drawn to him because he loves Venice, Italy as much as I do.  His drawings are my dreams...

He is very talented and you should definitely check him out.  If I do ever come across the other images I will send out a big hooray and show you.

Now I introduce....Michael Sloan!

What do you guys think?  I also love his use of darks and lights.  This guy has got it going on!

Until tomorrow,

Love,

Jess