HAPPY JULY NEW MOON!

This month flew by! I did so much that I don't know where to begin this newsletter. Today is my anniversary. My husband is unfortunately away at work so I won't get to see him for another week and a half. And I haven't seen him since the end of June. He held down the fort while my daughters and I explored PEI and Nova Scotia.
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Your last creative mission was to iterate. In other words, to make variations of the piece of art you are working on. Did you give it a go? How did that work out for you? Did you learn something in the process? I'd love to hear about it! Feel free to reply to this email to fill me in.

CURRENT EVENTS IN THE SPELLING ROOM

Softball

I mentioned last month that I was trying my hand at photographing my daughter's softball games. Well, I upped the ante and did some ball photos with her team featuring balls and bats on fire. I'm still working on the editing, but I can't wait for her teammates to see them. This weekend is Provincials so ball season is almost at an end.

These were a couple of my test shots in preparation:

The Final Land & See and Adventures in Atlantic Canada

I was lucky to attend the very last Land & See Photography Workshop to be held on Prince Edward Island. I knew I had to go when the mentors attending were all my favourites: Joel Robison, Brooke Shaden, Two Mann Studios, Wayne Simpson, and, of course, the organizer, Dave Brosha. Every one of these people has impacted my photography in positive ways. They inspire me to me keep striving toward becoming a better artist and a better photographer.

I am still processing everything I learned during this incredible, and emotional, week. Last month I talked about my values. You might remember that among them was "Growth." What I witnessed during my week, was a group of people who have had a significant impact on countless people. Positive impact in that they inspire people to grow. I had the realization that what I want, more than anything, is to promote growth in people. 10 years from now, I want to feel proud of having positively impacted even a small group of people. This lesson will certainly shape where I go with my creative business now. Stay tuned for what's coming! For now, here are a few captures from my adventure.

Me and Joel Robison, Me and Brooke Shaden, My first lobster, and Observing Joel create.

Grad Season

If you, or a graduate you know, are still looking for a photographer, I am still taking bookings! Just email me at tara@theportraitwitch.com to start planning. Let's make epic stuff together any time this summer and even into the fall and winter.

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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I finished Designing Your New Work Life by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans. One of the things I appreciate about this book is how they stress that we have the power to improve our current situation. They speak often about "good enough, for now." It's a mentality I will strive to adopt. I plan to read their other book Design Your Life but not right away.

Once I finished that book, I read a fiction book, Deadline by Jennifer Blackstream. It's been a while since I read for the pure pleasure of it! It's the first book in a series about a witch who is apprenticed to Baba Yaga but is trying to strike out on her own as a Private Detective. I enjoyed the story. It has potential, so I think I will continue on! I have also decided that from now on I will alternate non-fiction and fiction. I miss stories!
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​Ultralearning by Scott H. Young is currently captivating me. I LOVE learning! And this book is all about how to learn more deeply and more quickly through self-directed learning projects. I am a little over halfway through the book and I am getting anxious for the section on your first learning project. I have ideas about what that will be!

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

THE LATEST GRIMOIRE PAGES

I've been slacking on the blogging so I have nothing new to share at the moment.

A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE

A first look at some of what I created at Land & See.

A MESSAGE FROM THE POWERS THAT BE

What have you accumulated that you are willing to share? Have you built up a number of skills? Wealth? Art? Food? How might your abundance be beneficial to others? The more you grow, the more you have to offer. Think about the ways in which sharing what you have with others can be rewarding. For many, the ultimate gift is in the act of sharing. Sure you climbed a mountain, does it matter if you have no one to share your excitement with? So count your blessings this moon cycle and see where you might be a blessing to others.

This card is from Animal Totem Tarot by Leeza Robertson and illustrated by Eugene Smith.

A CREATIVE MISSION

OBSERVE

I'm going to steal a lesson I learned from Erika Jensen of Two Mann Studios and give you what might be the most challenging assignment yet. Go observe a work of art for a minimum of one hour, but for as long as you possibly can. Learn it, study it, memorize it.

Go to an art studio, or a museum, or open a book of art. While I encourage you to find a physical work, you can also visit Art Station or online Art Galleries and choose a work that can fill your screen. Take it in. Let it reveal its secrets to you.

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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