HAPPY AUGUST NEW MOON!

Wow! Where does the time go? I can't believe another month has passed already! So much has happened since we last spoke that I don't know where to begin.
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Your creative mission for the last New Moon was to observe a work of art. Did you do that? What did you learn? Did you find it challenging to sit and focus on something for so long? I'd love to hear about your experience, so hit reply and tell me about it!

CURRENT EVENTS IN THE SPELLING ROOM

Camping

We took a weeklong camping trip to a beautiful lake with some of our family that we don't get to see often. It was a wonderful time and I was not ready for it to be over! We got to take our new camping trailer for its first spin! Let's just say we were not disappointed. I am pretty sure the campers next to us had a good laugh at our expense, though. We had some adventures with positioning the trailer. We got it all in place only to realize that we forgot to fill it with water! So we had to go get water and then do it all over again! We may or may not have hit a tree stump on the second go around. It was a bit of a gong show. If I were the neighbours I would certainly have had a chuckle.

Check out my dogs, Jax and Stryker, enjoying the couch and this is the beautiful lake we camped at.

Softball

After my return from my Atlantic adventures, I hustled to edit the images I took of my daughter Shae's team so that they would have them before Softball Provincials. I still have a few to work on and all the game photos that I made. I have a new appreciation for the work that sports photographers do.

The team played well but unfortunately didn't progress to finals. The girls learned so much this year! It was inspiring to see.

While we have had a break from softball for a few weeks, the adventures are not over. We are currently looking into buying a second home in a city two hours away so that Shae can attend a Softball Academy for her first semester of high school. We are also hoping to create an income property out of it. So much to do. So much to learn! And September 5th is arriving so swiftly!

Bachelor of Photography (BoP)

One of the experiences I had at Land & See in July was having my worst fear confirmed. Okay, it wasn't quite as dramatic as that. I have been feeling like the more artistic portraiture and digital art that I have been creating has been largely uninspired. I had the opportunity to have one of my images critiqued by a photographer whom I greatly admire. She confirmed my feelings when she called my image "mediocre." I must confess that I did take it personally. However, I completely disregarded the fact that she also said that rule #1 is: YOU ARE NOT YOUR WORK. But it confirmed some feelings that I've been having about the work that I've been creating (ball photos aside because they were both fun and awesome). I want to be more fearless! I want to tell better stories. I want to evoke all the emotions!

This experience as well as a book that I read just after Land & See inspired a new project for myself. One that aligns perfectly with three of my core values: Curiosity, Growth, and Variety. It also incorporates the one goal on my 2023 list that I have yet to start on: Creativity Drills. I have decided to embark on what I am calling a Bachelor of Photography. Lovingly known as BoP!

What is BoP exactly? It's a year-long personal learning journey focused on Art, Photography, Business and Mythology. I've spent the last month researching University programs and course syllabi to determine what a well-rounded degree program looks like, the various ways to learn, the rubrics (or grading systems) used and what the expected learning outcomes are.

I'm currently using this information to design my program. You might be wondering" Why go to so much effort if you aren't going to get a degree out of it?" Well, I LOVE learning. And I want to GROW. Pursuing an actual degree is not feasible for me and my family at this time. But I want to advance my craft. I want to have a deeper understanding of technical skills and theories so that I can produce more meaningful work. Having a purpose and a direction for learning appeals to me. Taking on multiple subjects at once will keep me from being bored with them. Deadlines will keep me on track. And, I can learn whatever I want and not be restricted by what an institution tells me I have to choose from.

I learned so much when I did my 365 Project, but I want to learn even more. Are you interested in following along with me? Let me know!

Reading

I am still reading The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell. I put it on the back burner because it is quite a lot to absorb. Nothing new to report on this one.
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​Ultralearning by Scott H. Young inspired me on a massive level and is the book I referred to above. The author undertook a year-long personal study plan that would approximate a degree from MIT. Isn't that impressive? His book discussed the tools and principles that helped him do so.

I also read Limitless by Jim Kwik. The book offers tools and techniques to improve your learning such as focus tools, speed reading, and different ways of thinking. He also talks a great deal about brain health and shifting from a fixed mindset (I am this or I am not that) to a growth mindset (I may not be good at this yet, but I can be).

During our short vacation, I managed to also read two fiction books and finish a book I started two years ago:

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead was a difficult book for me to read. I won it, and nine other books by Canadian authors of varying ethnicities. The story is about a young Two-Spirit Indigenous man trying to make enough money to get home to the reserve for a funeral. The book is both eye-opening and heartbreaking. If you are squeamish about sexuality and violence I would avoid it. The writer excelled at evoking strong emotions in me. But in addition to the difficult subject matter, I struggled with the rambling nature of the chapters. Bouncing between various memories and the present time.

The Witch Hunter by Nicole R. Taylor had some promise but failed to deliver on it. The perspectives frequently jumped between characters and I felt the story advanced too rapidly. This made many of the interactions feel unjustified or inauthentic. The author's story idea was fantastic, I just wish she'd developed the relationships between the characters more naturally and not so rushed.

Cackle by Rachel Harrison was well written but I greatly disliked the main character. She was so negative! Right up until the last chapters of the book. I spent much of the time reading it wishing I could yell at her. LOL! Maybe that was the intention of the author. But one really interesting thing I found at the end of the book was a set of discussion questions about the book. What a cool idea!

Upcoming Projects

Mental Health

I am still seeking participants for my Mental Health Triptych series. Anyone who has ever experienced a mental health issue is welcome to participate. My goal is to create a set of three images per participant that represent what people see, the struggle people don't see, and the hope or thing we aspire to be that keeps us going. There is no fee to participate and you will have the final say over whether the images we create can be shared. My main goal is the catharsis of being able to express how you feel in images. If we create something you are comfortable sharing, then that is a happy byproduct that may help others feel seen and heard regarding their struggles.

Critiquing

One of the biggest struggles I've had as a creative is finding constructive feedback. How do we grow if we don't know what we don't know? If someone isn't asking us thought-provoking questions about the work we have created? If you are interested in having some of your work critiqued by me, send me an email and I will happily do so for the first 10 people to reply. I can do a written critique or you can choose to have a 30-minute Zoom call with me to talk about your image or project.

So that's what's been happening in The Spelling Room lately!

THE LATEST GRIMOIRE PAGES

I did not produce anything on the blog, but you can expect the BoP to change that.

A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE

A first look at some images I made in Nova Scotia at the famous Peggy's Cove and from a lovely town called Wolfville.

A MESSAGE FROM THE POWERS THAT BE

How open are you to making new connections in your life? New romantic relationships? New friendships? Discovering new associations that can take you in new creative directions? There are so many possibilities but first, we must be open to them. Then we must take the first steps to forge those new connections. Are you feeling butterflies right now? That's a sign that something exciting is happening. Will you chase them? Will you take those first steps toward a new adventure?

This card is from The Light Seer's Tarot by Chris-Anne.

A CREATIVE MISSION

TRY SOMETHING NEW

It's tough to step outside our comfort zones. We like to be comfortable, don't we? So your mission for this new moon is to try something new. A new food, a new art form, a new restaurant. And while you are doing it, pay attention to how you feel, what your pre-conceptions were and what you learn. But most of all, have fun!

Tell me what you learned on this Creative Mission by replying to this email, or tagging me in your post about it on Facebook or Instagram: @theportraitwitch.

Thank you for joining me on this journey! I can't wait to see where we go from here.

PO Box 301, Meath Park, SK S0J 1T0
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