Genus?

Have you seen this TED Talk by Elizabeth Gilbert? She discusses her theory about creativity not being inherent in the person, but instead the source of the creativity is outside ourselves, visited upon us by a being history has called a Genius. She shares some funny, interesting, even fascinating stories of the creative process from this perspective.

I'm not a morning person. At all. My bladder disagrees, and I typically wake between 5am and 6am, but I'm back asleep less than 5 minutes later, 99% of the time. This morning was different. I was on the edge of sleep when my brain clicked ON. It was almost audible. My brain was on fire with different thoughts - web copy, sales copy, to do tasks, ideas, pricing, staffing needs, things I'd previously forgotten... on and on it whirled for 20 minutes, until I finally gave in, grabbed a pen, and tried to write it down in the dark to shut it up.

It worked. Kinda. By then it was too late to get more rest, but I did feel a sense of peace in my head for a short time, until the edges of sleep began to curl around me once more. Having experienced this kind of visitation before, I knew that sleep at that point would simply create a crabby mommy when the boys got up in 20 minutes, so today my day started early. Wish me luck.

Here are a couple of example photos - one being my normal 'brain-dump' list-making style. The other, my 5am Genius writing. I've got about 8  pages of the 5am Genius writing. It was so dark I could see the notebook, but not the writing I'd put on it. My hope was that I was legible enough to read in the daylight. Luckily, it seems mostly coherent.

5am Genius writing:

Normal 'brain-dump' writing:

Take the 20 minutes to watch the TED Talk. The story about the poet is simply compelling.

Hope you have a visit from your Genius when you can best receive it.

LHP + Mudpuppies = Awesome

You might have met D's dog Spot (who thinks he's my dog...) Well, Spot dislikes having his nails trimmed. A LOT. I've done all the recommended steps that include treats and such - Spot still has a 'no way am I letting you touch my feet' kinda attitude. So, when I called Mudpuppies and mentioned this, their answer was 'no problem, but you can't be in the room.' Total win-win for me! The first time I took him in, I met Kimberly, the owner. We chatted for about 30 seconds - and Spot was DONE. What? I didn't even hear him barking! They were phenomenal. Seriously. I continued to chat with Kimberly, and guess what? She wanted to see about partnering together for some Holiday pet photos. How fun is that? I was in... and now we are getting so close to time and I'm getting even more excited.

I'll be at Mudpuppies Barktober event happening on Oct. 8th, where you can learn all about Mudpuppies Self-Serve Dog Washing (and everything to do with pets!) and more about how to jump in and have a great photo of your pet for the Holidays with our Holiday Paw Prints event.

Here's what you need to know to stop by:
Mudpuppies
3867 Peach St.
Erie, PA

More to come about Holiday Paw Prints, but until then, here's a short slideshow of some special pups I've enjoyed working with...

Tuesday love

A dear friend with a beautiful Inner Creative Voice started a practice of posting things she loves each Tuesday, and we can link to it! I think it's a wonderful idea, and so. Although it is unusual, I love Facebook. I was dreadfully resistant at first thinking it would simply be a time-sucker (and it is! Oh, how it is!) but without it, I would have trouble sharing our life with my sisters-in-law. I wouldn't be able to do this anywhere near as easily. So, for today, I love Facebook!

Friendship

Friendship can be a funny thing. Certainly, friends cycle in and out as our phases and interests of life change. Sometimes though, there is a friend that you simply forget how much you have in common, and how nice it always is to chat when you make the time to see each other. Do you have friends like that? For me, one of my friends like that is Amy. Every time we see each other, we have great conversations, and I so enjoy our time together... but you know. It's just hard to make that effort to see each other.
Thank goodness Amy likes my photos! Otherwise, I do wonder when we might see each other!
One of the things I like most about Amy is her desire to really capture their life and the things that they enjoy. So, one year we were outside at a grandparents house playing soccer. The next year we spent time together at Asbury Woods. Summertime this year, Amy wanted to capture one of their favorite pastimes - campfires! (Any place there might be marshmallows is somewhere I want to be!)
In honor of friendships everywhere, here's their slideshow!
Enjoy!

Music: Tim McMorris "Make It Last"

Today

Today there are so many thoughts and ideas buzzing around in my head that I'm finding it hard to concentrate. There are so many wonderful opportunities coming my way right now! I'm excited to share some of them with all of you next week... but today is all about trying to stay on task and finish up some edits.
Just for stopping by though, here's a sneak-peek at what I'm working on for next week!

Happy 1st Day of School!!!

In honor of the first day of school this year, I wanted to share some photos that mean a lot to me and my family. You see, we are a Montessori Family.

In February of this year I was able to repay the teachers in our Montessori program for all the gifts they’ve given to our boys in the last two years.

I visited the boys classrooms, and as always, I was amazed at the way the rooms function. Each room has a distinctly different feel, and it completely reflects the personalities of the teachers.

Mrs. Law is energetic and energizing. In her room, the movement is a little quicker, more colorful, more bold.

Mrs. Mulholland is dedicated, and calm. In her room, the focus is always on the children and the process, and the pace is a little more quiet.

They’re even organized differently - which at its core, reflects the Montessori process clearly. As a primary student, (grades pre-k through kindergarten) the students are invited to experience their world with manipulatives, and are surrounded by materials that involve all the senses in the process of learning. In the elementary space, there are more work tables, and spaces to work in groups. The  materials are still there, as well as some more advanced hands-on learning manipulatives, but I find it fascinating that the same tools are approached differently at each phase of the Montessori education process.

Here is a peak into the work, personalities, and processes of the wonderful Montessori program at Belle Valley.

Music: Renee and Jeremy - "Share"



Thanks so much to the hard work of our Montessori Family. Here’s to a fantastic year!

A new home

My 2nd Anniversary for LHP is coming up in October. I've been doing photography (both teaching and working with clients) for about 6 years, but the official, paying taxes and being a registered business is about 2 years old. I spent a large part of this year wondering if I was going to keep LHP running, and as I've done some sessions, worked with some great clients, met some amazing women, and learned about how to run a successful business, my heart keeps returning me to YES. This is my passion. This is the time. So, with the support of my family, we made some changes, and LHP's official home moved from a small, dark, shared space out into an open, bright, sunny spot where I can interact with my family, see the bus when it comes, and have a sweet dog sleeping at my feet.
There is more work to be done, but I'm so pleased with how this new layout has been working for me.

Here's a picture of Day One of LHP's new home.

Soon, I will introduce you all to LHP's new web-home. I've been working on a new website for quite some time, and I'm excited to be getting closer to revealing it to you! A few tweaks and changes to reflect some new ideas I've had is all that is left to do. There are lots of changes, new stuff, and products coming, so keep checking back!