HAPPY MAY NEW MOON!

Things have been pretty dry around the western provinces of Canada. Alberta especially is suffering at the moment. Please hope for rain! I just might go splash in it like a little kid. Speaking of kids, did you embrace your inner toddler last month and ask why repeatedly? If so, I'd love to hear what you learned!

CURRENT EVENTS IN THE SPELLING ROOM

I've been in a bit of creative slump this month. I did invest a lot of time and energy into a maternity shoot that I'm excited about. I have a deep love for the pregnant form. It might have something to do with Empress energy. I've been pretty busy since so I haven't had as much time to work on the images as I'd like, but I am really pleased with them so far.

Overall, though, I've been stressed. I've been juggling multiple balls and have struggled to find time to work on projects I need/want to work on. Sometimes, when I have a few minutes, I feel so burned out I just want to veg.

What's been stressing me? We're trying to figure out where my youngest will live in the fall since she got accepted to a Softball Academy for the first semester of grade 10. That school is two hours away and doesn't have dorms. It's a very exciting opportunity for her that we want her to have but it's a huge task to get sorted out. It's also ball season right now so we are running to practices and games. My husband wants to build a shop on our acreage so that he can eventually work from home instead of away for half the month. That is a monumental project to take on.

And, if I am being honest with myself, I'm afraid to succeed. I'm afraid to have my time filled up and taken away from my family, but at the same time, I want to build a sustainable creative future for myself so that I don't have to go back to desk job that slowly kills me. So here I am trying to figure it all out.

Grad Season

If you, or a graduate you know, are still looking for a photographer, I am taking bookings! Just email me at tara@theportraitwitch.com to start planning. Let's make epic stuff together.

What I Read This Month

This past month has been crazy busy so it took me a while to finish a single book. I read Creativity Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull. It is a fascinating read about how Pixar fosters an intensely creative culture. Ed is very passionate about ensuring everyone in the company is involved, creative, and feels like they are part of something incredible. Definitely a workplace I'd like to be in.

Currently Reading

I am currently reading The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell. I just started this book but I am learning a great deal and am making connections all over the place! One of my biggest takeaways is to be inspired by other art forms and not so much by others in your field.

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

THE LATEST GRIMOIRE PAGES

A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE

A MESSAGE FROM THE POWERS THAT BE

This card is from Tarot of the Old Path illustrated by Sylvia Gainsford

A CREATIVE MISSION

COLLECT YOUR INSPIRATIONS

We are all inspired by things every day but we don't always stop to ponder why these things inspire us. I invite you this month to pay attention to everything that strikes a cord in you. Create a computer folder, a Pinterest Board, an Instagram Collection, or any other sort of collection you like, of everything that speaks to you this moon cycle. And as you add it to your collection, make notes about why it inspires you. Try to distill it down to its essence. At the end of the cycle, review, see what you've learned, and pay attention to any themes that reveal themselves. How can you incorporate these important things into your creative work?

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
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​