Business Focus: Mason Doughty, Car Detailing
Posted on April 14, 2023
I have a confession: I have not washed or cleaned my car out in forever…like over a year. Activities I/we have done in the car includes, but not limited to, eating in the car, taking dogs in the car, carting bags of mulch and plants, adventuring and exploring, going to the farm, driving to photography locations, and much, much more. This does not include all of the activities we have participated in since I have had the car, which is coming up on 6 years by the way. You can imagine how grungy it is from a year’s absence of cleaning, and never having it detailed before…I can totally understand why it took an hour longer than expected. Mason, I am sorry to have given you such a large task, but you were clearly up for it and hit the end zone with this one, and the extra points too.
I knew that Mason Doughty was skilled at football, and heard he was great at detailing cars, but I was seriously blown away when we pulled up to retrieve my car from his provided services. My car looks brand new, inside and out, and I could not be happier with the results. While I did not get any photos of Mason working, I did take a slew of photos for you to be impressed with.
Obviously there are no before photos, just know that it was SO bad that I refused to take before pictures. Yes, THAT bad. This cargo mat is not just clean, but super clean. Imagine if I did not have the mat, and it hadn’t just been cleaned. Yes, that is a dog leash for the car to keep roaming at a minimum. I also have a whole system for the car to keep the dogs contained in the cargo area. I have never put the system in, and after Mason’s hard work, they won’t be going in the car anytime soon. White dog hair and a black car are not the best fit, as I am sure Mason could tell you first hand.
We bought this car in 2017, when we moved to Chillicothe and knew we would be driving to Columbus for soccer practice and all over Ohio for soccer games and tournaments, in addition to carting the girls to school or wherever needed. I put a lot of miles on it the first 2 years, and now, she has 75,000 miles on her. I slowed way down after soccer was as thing in the past for our family. Lots of grass, turf pellets, turf blades, dirt, debris, sweaty socks, cleats, soccer gear, have been in this car, and I would not be surprised if Mason found some remnants of those things. I used to clean the car a lot during soccer, but then it didn’t need it as much…but you really have no idea how filthy your car gets until you have someone else clean it. Then you realize, it was BAD.
Can you believe how good this looks??? I am so impressed with Mason’s eye for detail, and things that I would nitpick over when I cleaned it, he did a great job on! Do you ever just feel so relieved when something gets done that you didn’t realize it was weighing on you? Yes, well, I think I even drove home very slowly, you know, because I didn’t want to disturb the new atmosphere of the car.
I am convinced my driver’s seat sits differently now, better. Maybe it’s because I am not feeling that hidden dread of needing the car cleaned when I get in? I love how my car seats hug you when you ride in it, but I feel that squeeze a little tighter now, as she is happy to be so fresh and clean!
Remember those small details that I referred to that I nitpick? The edge of the car door being clean and shiny, truly is a sign of care and a good eye from the detailer. I could eat off of that surface, really I could do that anywhere in or on the car. I mean, look at those wheels and wheel wells! C-L-E-A-N!!!!
Having a ton of trees at my house, this space accumulates so much by the way of leaves, pollen, twigs, debris. Look at how sparkly and clear that space is! I may have stroked that part in awe. Maybe.
Bugs are an issue for any car in this area, did you look close up on the first grill and front of the car photo above? Bug free y’all. I never realized how much I love the front of my car prior to Mason’s detailing. Look at the details of the front…and with the wheel wells and the wheels, WOO! Gorgeous.
I seriously cannot tell you how happy I am with Mason’s work, I think he was speaking to me as I was walking up, but I kept saying, “It looks brand new!!”, to which he smiled. And when I opened the door to look inside, we repeated the same process of him describing and me exclaiming how new she looks! To say that I am pleased and impressed is an understatement, I am in love all over again with my car, and I never fell out of love. Mason proved to be a pleasure to communicate with prior to scheduling, he had great follow up to confirm my appointment, and he was terrific to interact with during the conclusion of my service. I would highly recommend him for your car detailing needs! Give him a text or call at (740)656-7728, tell him I sent you!
If you would like to be featured in the Business Focus here at The Photographist Life, drop me a line or message me!
Prom is upon us…
Posted on April 8, 2023
Prom season is upon us, do you have a look you are going for? Are you matching your colors to your eyes, your date’s eyes, a favorite color or something classic like black? Parents, drop me a line, let me know if you can’t contain your excitement! It is my last prom, feeling a bit bittersweet about it, but I can’t wait to see what everyone wears!
Business Focus: Wilkey’s Window Tinting
Posted on April 5, 2023
Good day and a happy Wednesday to you all! Today I am sharing with you, a Business Focus, these are businesses that I believe in, patron, have had great experiences with, and/or I see myself or possibly you, using in the future! Allow me to introduce you to Ryan Wilkey, of Wilkey’s Window Tinting!
You can be directed to Ryan’s website by clicking on any photos, or by visiting his Facebook page, by clicking here: https://m.facebook/wilkeyswindowtinting/photos
When we purchased Brooke’s car, she asked about getting the window’s tinted. We discussed this at length, unsure of who does this type of work, and where we could find them, how much would it cost, etc.. Not ironically, I was scrolling Facebook one day shortly after and there was a post a friend had shared of their car, and their family member’s car they had just gotten tinted. The original post was made by Wilkey’s Window Tinting, and upon further inspection and scrolling through Ryan’s posts, I knew this was a place I needed to contact for their service.
I had a lot of questions as I had never had window tinting done before, and Ryan was excellent on easing my apprehension and walking me through this process. We were very pleased with the results of Ryan’s experienced work and his professionalism, but what also caught my eye was his standard of quality in his shop. I was intrigued to learn more, so I inquired about coming in to observe the process, to possibly capture some details, and to watch Ryan masterfully demonstrate his craft. He readily agreed to this collaboration, so let’s show you what happens behind the scenes at Wilkey’s Window Tinting!
First, I have to say that window tinting is a process that requires a ton of spraying. Whether that is cleaning the outside of the window to prep for a template dry fit, to spraying to clean the inside of said window for application, to spraying the tint film itself, and finally spraying the window for installation. LOTS of spraying.
Ryan is very efficient with his spraying and his overall process! When I first arrived, I observed his work on one vehicle, he is very methodical, precise and laser focused. Honestly, I wasn’t sure we would speak a word to each other, he is totally in the process! I was delighted to be able to converse and let Ryan tell me his story about how he got started with window tinting, how long he has been in this line of work, and hints of what possibilities he is considering for expansion.
Ryan has been tinting windows since he was 16, and is coming up on his 20th year of providing this service to others. Like many new drivers, he purchased several vehicles as a youngster and asked his mom to tint his windows for him, which she did. Ryan got to the point of feeling like he was constantly asking her to do his windows for him, that eventually he just asked her to teach him how to do it instead. She must be pretty good at it, because Ryan is completely mind boggling to watch in his skill. While Ryan’s mom is not currently tinting, she helps him in other ways, and who knows, she may come on board at some point. This brought me around to asking Ryan if he was going to add another technician, all I can say is watch his Facebook page, Wilkey’s Window Tinting has some exciting things in store for 2023!
I also learned that in window tinting, you use your teeth for a few things, holding your smoothing tools being one. Separating film and mylar film backing is another use, you’ll see that in a bit. If you love ASMR, these next steps are ones you would love to observe.
Who doesn’t like to watch a heat gun shrink things?? For precision and efficiency, this is the perfect tool for Ryan to use to get the right size of film for such an expansive area of glass.
Bye bye air pockets. While Ryan was eliminating air pockets, I asked him what his current favorite vehicle is to tint the windows of. He got a big smile and said the Hyundai Elantra. I asked why, and he told me that it was the smoothest car from start to finish, and he has it down to a science on his timing with those cars as well. He said they are user friendly to a tinter, there is not a lot to obstruct his work and the work flow is very nice. Ryan went on to answer the question I must have had on my face, he said each car and manufacturer will have it’s challenges, but the Elantra was edging the rest out currently. Look at that dry fitted tint film, no bubbles!! Although it looks pretty accurate, Ryan will outline exactly where the film will need trimmed.
This board is one of the handiest things I have ever seen, and I cannot imagine this process getting done without it.
All trimmed up, back to spraying.
Then comes the cleaning!
I felt like I was in the car wash!
It was at this moment that Ryan expressed the importance of his steps pertaining to the back glass. So many dealerships and folks will tape the new temporary tags to the back glass, often leaving adhesive that he is stringent on removing or assuring that is no longer there. This was a very neat process to watch, as was the dry fitting of the back glass’s tint.
That tint film is so precise, look at those blue outlines Ryan made! It blows my perfectionistic, high standard mind, just how detailed this process is. This was what made me wonder about the part Ryan likes most about his job, and when I asked it wasn’t the answer I expected, yet it really was. He loves making his own hours and working his schedule to be able to have the ability to spend time with his family. When Ryan worked at a local factory, he was working his full time hours there, and often working in tinting jobs after his full time position hours ended, or began. It was not uncommon for him to work late, late nights, the middle of the night, or super early in the morning which was still nighttime for most. This occupation of window tinting allowed him the freedom to leave his last job, and go to full time, to the point of expansion…shh. Tune in to his page.
*cough cough* spray the fim
Roll the film. Spray and place the tint!
SMOOTHHHHH
WOOHOO! Ryan was talking business, advice he would give new entrepreneurs, and the old adage of a friends and family discount as he was smoothing it all out, I asked if he gave the discount to any friends…
Ryan said he sure did give that discount, but only after he charged that friend a “Friends and family membership” of the same price! I am going to keep this one in my back pocket for future use. Ryan truly provides an affordable service and he is looking to keep his pricing that way, so everyone can partake in the service he offers. As his client, I had no idea what to expect, and when he quoted me for Brooke’s car, my brain was a bit confused. It was affordable. After spending more time with Ryan, it was clear to me that he is a very kind person, not someone to take advantage of, but someone that genuinely cares about people and he is generous with his resources, when he chooses to be. But don’t ask about that discount, you aren’t in the circle yet and stranger memberships may cost more. I should have asked.
Remember when I told you that Ryan was respectful of his client’s property? I witnessed him slide his Dudes off and on as needed when it was necessary for him to put his feet in your car while tinting the windows. It really is the little things that make your experiences great. I would highly recommend you use Wilkey’s Window Tinting for all of your tinting needs, Ryan is even going onsite for large equipment such as skid steers, tractors, and more. I cannot wait to see what this year holds for Ryan and his business, I know it will be great! Don’t forget, you can click on any picture of Ryan to be connected to his business pages, as well as call his number, (740)804-5765.
If you are interested in doing a Business Focus at The Photographist Life, please feel free to message me at e.robinsonphotos@gmail.com.
You are BEAUTIFUL
Posted on April 1, 2023
Happy Saturday to you all! I hope you are enjoying this fine, breezy, springy first day of April! Yesterday, I mentioned a recent senior photo shoot, and how amazing that session was. Today, I would like to tell you more about that, the importance of music during our shoot, how our first session’s results catapulted our second session, and the overall positives of knowing what really gets your client going. First, let me introduce you to Meadow!
Meadow was one of Brooke’s first friends when we moved to Chillicothe several years ago. She is a kind soul that is caring about her friends, but she is frank and honest too. Meadow is a very fun and funny girl! She is outgoing, very vocal, and super colorful, her style, hair and personality!
When Meadow asked me to shoot her senior portrait sessions, I was stoked for several reasons. One, she is a very beautiful person, her smile is endearing, ornery and captivating. Her personality shines through her pores, she radiates confidence. Meadow is also silly, she will do some out of the box thinking, which results in great shots. One such shot, I loved it so much that I submitted it for awards. When I received a Bronze for this image, she was the first person I told. This image was peer reviewed by those deemed as Portrait Masters through the acclaimed Portrait System powered by Sue Bryce, as well as some top notch educators in the portrait photography realm. The most frequent piece of positive feedback that I received from the judges was how the background color really enhanced my subject and her hair color. What the judges did not know, was that this was the perfect compliment to Meadow’s personality and her desire to make a process she did not want to really undertake, in to something fun that highlighted her, inside and out. When Meadow was gearing up for her second session, I told her that I wanted to take the submitted photo and let that be our inspiration for her indoor session. We were going to springboard off of this image and tailor the session to where she is now, while making her recent transitions more obvious through poses. We were going to add a bit of sophistication while keeping her images youthful and fun. This is where Dr. Dre comes in.
Meadow arrived looking beautiful and ready to go, but still a bit apprehensive to the whole process. I asked her what she would like to listen to during her session, and she replied rap. That is pretty extensive, so through further questioning, I was able to narrow that down to the OG, Dr. Dre. I too love Dre, so it was a treat for me as well. We began with some wall poses, moved in to seated poses and the magic just flowed instantly.
Meadow seriously is a lot of fun, even if she jokingly tells me she hates me because I am talking her in to poses she feels unsure of. She trusts that I am looking at her, seeing her amazing presence, and with a few tweaks, she is giving me gold. I show her the image captured and she smiles, BIG. She likes what she sees, herself, she likes what we are creating, and she likes how I see her truly, through my lens. BEAUTIFUL!
Color is this girl’s vibe. She is so stunning in an array of colors, although she prefers purples and reds. I asked her how she felt about dark hot pink, she wasn’t too keen, but when she saw this image, she was delighted and called herself cute! Yes girl, and then some. When I sent her finally gallery over, she said they looked so f*ing good. This is what I want for my clients. I want them to see themselves as I see them, and when I look at Meadow, I see a beautiful young woman, powerful, ready for the next chapter of her life. I like to play too, and because I knew Meadow would soak this up, I went old school on an edit with a suggestion from my husband.
Meadow posted this to her social media, “I am that bitch”. THIS is everything. I see you my little badass. She loves her gallery, she had a great experience and she absolutely killed it during her session. We had a blast, and I doubt this is the last time this beauty will be in front of my lens, Thank you Meadow for trusting me to capture your beautiful soul, I am truly honored!
If you are interested in a photography session, hit me up, we’ll custom tailor a session just right for you!
the time is now, we are shifting gears!
Posted on March 31, 2023
Way back when I started this blog, the goal was tie my photography, writing, projects, and good works/deeds of others captured all together. While that was a good thing, the blog manifested in ways that I did not see coming for reasons not understood by me at the time. I made attempts to shift back to the original goal but the timing was never right, the purpose of the new way needed to be completed before I could fulfill that original goal. Note: you cannot rush timing when you are not the one to determine the timing, it determines itself. Things have been changing for me in a myriad of ways due to the way I have conducted the blog, the things I have uncovered and discovered have been life altering, and one thing has been made very clear, it is currently time to shift gears. Now is not the time to not return to the original goal, but to actually begin my original purpose. Welcome to The Photographist Life, where I’ll be capturing the stories of life’s images.
PHOTOGRAPHY
I will be showcasing images and stories from my photography sessions here at The Photographist Life. My photography sessions are fun, exciting, often humorous, and very empowering. I deeply connect with my clients, walking hand in hand through self limiting beliefs, hangups, insecurities, hesitations, or just the plain lack of desire to have portraits done, while watching my clients bloom into full expressions of themselves, and capturing the image of what that looks like, sounds pretty magical, don’t you think?
I will also be sharing photography of a journalistic nature, whether that be a branding session of a person mastering their craft, charitable organizations carrying out their visions, exciting things happening in our community or something I have never captured or shared before. The possibilities are pretty limitless, and opportunities are abounding!
WRITING
I am, by nature and nurture, a sharer. I want to celebrate your wins with you, I want to share my own wins with you too. I want to share the great experiences we have on shoots, and I want to share the great experiences I have with you in your businesses, charities, organizations, or offerings. I am excited about great people doing great things! I love the community I live in, I have passion for the history, the people, places and things, and I want to share stories surrounding all of these!
PROJECTS
There will be plenty of projects around here, that may be my own, or YOUR project. I will be sharing photography projects that I am passionate about, I have a few in mind for this year. I would love to add some collaborative projects as well, showcasing you and what you are working on, or what sets your heart on fire…that gives me chills just thinking of what we could turn out!! Who knows, you may find yourself on The Photographist Life at some point, in a variety of ways!
GOOD WORKS/DEEDS
I truly want share my platform and reach for the things people are doing to help others, human and animal based. We often have no idea of all the helpers around us, and I think spotlighting those that serve is a great way to find out more about what they do and how we can get involved to help. I would love it if you shared good works and deeds with me that you think deserve recognition, so I can capture and share that with others. Our communities large and small, that compromise our area, have so much love, care, and support to offer. I believe we can all learn about local resources that are available for our loved ones, pets/animals, as well as ourselves.
THE STORY
THIS is what The Photographist Life is all about, the story. I come from a long line of storytellers, it is in my blood and it runs rather deep. I am fortunate in the sense that I also capture the images to go along with these stories. I am a very visual person that feels the essence of a soul, the importance of a moment or a movement. I love connecting with people. I love hearing about you and your stories. I LOVE seeing you, see yourself through my lens. I LOVE THAT. LOVE.
Tomorrow, I will be sharing a recent session and how that impacted not only my client, but me too! I am so excited for you to be here with me on this journey, where we will be crossing paths, sharing our experiences, and hopefully learning some new things too! I am ready, are you?
Your Photographist, Erin
The (un)Educated Eye
Posted on March 18, 2023
Hello All! I hope this post finds you well and happy. Are you busy preparing for Spring, or are you feeling Winter’s claws like a porcupine’s quills, sunk deep and in need of a tough removal? I noticed all of the greening of fauna and flora today, so I think I will make it. This weather has been all over the place, but we wouldn’t expect anything different around here, nope! In fact, I did see someone mowing their grass last Wednesday, and it was only 40 degrees outside. I was amazed, impressed, and wondering why not tall grass warranted a mowing, in their mind. To each their own! This brings me to the post title today, The unEducated Eye, where we will discuss our uneducated eyes, and how our brain and mouth may not understand the disconnect.
On The Photographist Life, you will find professional photos and cell phone captures. The cell phone captures are usually used when I am out and about, discovering new places or visiting haunts I truly love. I want to quickly capture what I see, this encourages you to check the places out for yourself, and it allows me the ability to enjoy what I am seeing too. I would never submit these pictures for awards or accreditation, nor do I refer to them as photos. They are pictures that are not my “work”, but snapshots that I am sharing with you. Sure, we could say all images are artistic and of high quality, blah blah blah, but in reality, that is like comparing a chips ahoy cookie with grandma’s homemade, family heirloom recipe, chocolate chip cookies. Are the chips ahoy good and serviceable? Of course! However, the real deal, tried and true, hand crafted, love-poured-in recipe of grandma’s is not only better, but crafted and honed over time with love and care to deliver a product that is just that much better. So, if photos from my professional camera are better, why am I not sharing those all of the time?
Yep, TIME. I like to take my time with my professional photos. This is why I am not trying to attain every client out there. Sure, I could slap a filter on it and call it a day, call it professional, but that’s just not my style nor approach. Again, to each their own! I respect photographers that use presets(filters), but it is not my style nor approach. I am a hand crafter, starting my art before composing the shot, to delivering the final finished, hand it over product.
Does this mean my blog doesn’t deserve my time or handcrafting? Not at all! I actually spend a ton of time on my blog, but at the end of the day, the stories of the images tend to be more presiding, and in that, the images are only to enhance the story. I have a confession. I have not been writing because I have no stories for you, nor any images to go along with them. I am focusing more on my professional studio work, and that’s what has been more pressing in my life. You can’t and won’t grow if you are not focusing on what needs attention for growth.
So, this goes back to that conversation we had recently, that was centered on the need for elimination. I have to eliminate things that squander my time, that are not pushing me or making me grow, or that are not fostering the next best version of me. Clearly that means no cell phone captures of what my days consist of, no stories of what I am doing, no blog posts encouraging you to get out and explore your local world. While this is a bummer for me, and maybe for you, I am hoping you are still getting out there seeing and experiencing new things, capturing your own cell phone images, maybe even grabbing a professional camera and calling your work professional, even though a good camera doesn’t make you a pro, an educated eye does. Oops.
I will post some photos for you, and some cell phone captures…does the mix make me “almost professional”? I think not, and my credentials don’t think so either. Time to get back to work and focusing on my next level of growth, see you when I see you?!
Illusions
Posted on March 10, 2023
We could be talking smoke and mirrors, fun house sorts of illusions, but if you know me, then you know we aren’t. We are talking about personal illusions, of course. Of course. I would love to discuss how sometimes we lie to ourselves, about ourselves.
Bill and I were going to breakfast last Saturday, and he had been unwell with a cold. I watched it develop from Monday through the week to Saturday. It built a little more every day to where I knew he desperately needed rest, and so I had to convince him he was unwell and needed rest to recover. Our conversation was humorous if nothing else, as I was telling him that he was sick. He asked why when he is unwell, I say he is sick, but when I am sick, I say I am unwell. I took the longest, most pregnant pause ever, and finally answered with “we are just different”. We both busted out laughing and spent a good minute or two laughing at the absurdity of my statement. To make it worse, I went on to explain(womansplain) to him why and how it is different…let me just say, that the picture I painted of him, to him, was very unflattering, while the picture I painted of myself was pretty complimentary, if not down right heroic.
I should say, Bill has asthma, so when he gets sick, it does affect him differently than it does me-in a breathing capacity sort of way. So, this is the complete basis of my picture painting style for both of us in our respective states of unwellness. Never mind that he will work through his illness, while I will rest and sleep to recover. No, we don’t need to pay attention to these disparaging differences. Let’s keep our focus on the fact that I have super human powers and Bill is a sickly kind of person. Yes, this is the part where you laugh with and at me for my own sense of illusion…even if it is based on my previous life of constantly pushing through any obstacle in my way, and his dying with any minor illness.
Today, I am writing this while I am a bit unwell, and under the influence of medication. Never mind that my face feels kind of numb, my thumbs work and I can feel the left side of my brain working. See, super human! Sure, Bill is working away in the next room, having recovered. Probably because I made him rest last weekend when he was sick. Not to lose track of our topic, but the best naps are to be had on Fridays when he is on conference calls all day. The soothing deep tones of mainly male voices really just relaxes me and I rest so well. I probably should ask for one of them to record about 2 hours worth of talking and put that on when I need a nap, on a day other than Friday.
Back to illusion. I may be unwell today. I am not going to commit to answering this quite yet. Maybe it’s just allergies. I think I was just run down from my 4:30am wake up calls this week, and sleeping poorly, yeah, that sounds truly accurate. I am fine, not unwell, definitely not sick. I have work to do, but maybe I will just sit here and stare at a wall for a while…while I drool from my numb left side of my face. Sounds like a decent plan, thumbs working, maybe it is my right side of my brain working, the left side may be numb like my face? Hmm. The wind is kind of strong today, and look at the bushes leafing!
I think I will rest today, maybe the whole weekend? I am so glad Bill is feeling well, recovered from being sick. I am definitely well, maybe I just need to go work out today. Perhaps I should look up the word illusion?
In all seriousness, I am mildly unwell, but I will rest, hydrate and medicate to help my body recover. I no longer live under the illusion of my super powers and will listen to my body when I need to. My people are all adults now and can fend for themselves, if need be. I don’t have to keep plowing away, I can rest. I know illness is going around the area, and hope if you find yourself sick or unwell, that you listen to the wisdom of your body. No illusions for us, our super power is wisdom in acknowledgment and then dealing accordingly! 😉
Tattoo Time
Posted on March 8, 2023
Bill and I have been wanting to get matching or coordinating tattoos for a while. He has decided to be his best self, and I have decided to keep him because of it. We have had each other’s name and the kids’ names tattooed on our bodies for 15 years, but this is something that just we have, as I have a design that the kids and I share too. I liked this design immediately, and so did Bill, to me it represents individuality and freedom in our love for one another. Your marriage should not be a prison sentence or shackle, and this says unending love for self and one another.
Bill also got a sacred heart, and had some leaves and shading done at his appointment. Heidi always exceeds our expectations, she is great to work with and sadly my cell pics are not doing her work the praise and recognition it deserves.
Bill’s half sleeve is really coming along, and I am excited to see what he and Heidi come up with next! My tattoos always have a meaning or a story, usually both, connecting to where I am at in life. I had a couple of designs in the hopper that I have thought about getting from months to a year. I have quite the tattoo board on Pinterest and I just keep adding to it, gathering inspiration and ideas. I was fairly certain I was getting an eagle or an owl this time, but clearly that wasn’t meant to be. To my delight, I had a vision of what I needed to get next, and so I looked up the significance.
The cedar waxwing stands for: Balance, patience, self reliance, family, teamwork, dedication, love and prosperity. These are all cornerstones of my beliefs about life and family dynamics! The peonies stand for: love, honor, happiness, wealth, romance, and beauty. These are also very important to me in my relationship with self, home, partner and family. This is very spot on with how I have always felt, and how my life is finally in alignment with that. It was a done deal for me!
Heidi does amazing work, and we are always blown away by her talent and skill! I will have to post a better photo when I am healed up, but I think this is my favorite piece so far. Who knows what other birds I will end up with, but I am sure there will be more! If you would like a referral to get some amazing work done by Heidi, let me know and I will send you her link! Bill and I are both so thrilled with her art inked on us, we will definitely be adding more in the future!
Misinterpretation/Misunderstood
Posted on March 5, 2023
Happy Sunday All! It is such a lovely day today, I hope you are all basking in the sunshine and Spring time views! Today’s prompt is one I considered not writing about, as my answer may seem vague, and I considered how much my words may be misinterpreted or misunderstood…then I remembered that is a regular occurrence when we read others’ writings, and so I said “why not?”!
What experiences in life helped you grow the most?
Most people will tell you that you never grow unless the experience is bad, has repercussions, or you learned a lesson. While the latter is most true, the former is not the exception, nor always true. Yes, our experiences may seem to be more impactful with a negative connotation, because human nature focuses more on the negatives, but can you remember a positive experience that held just as much, if not way more weight, in helping you grow? I can, and I will share that with you, eventually. Let’s start with the negatives, looking at them in an overview sort of way.
When we are children, we often learn from things that scare us, especially when reinforced by parents or authority figures. This holds true throughout our lives, again this can be reinforced by those around or influential to us, but the way we hold on to how fear impacts us can seriously alter our experiences and our lives. Let me give you some examples.
Growing up for me, my parents would have differing reactions to my actions. Sometimes I would be met with harsh criticism, other times they would ask me if I thought my solution/answer was a good idea, and some times they would tell me that eventually I would learn. While I eventually saw merit or purpose in all three methods, it dawned on me that harsh criticism was typically done when they were stressed, when they were worried about or for me, or when I seriously was not getting the lesson. This is when they would typically sigh and say I would learn eventually. I always knew that at that point, I really had to pay attention, this was on me to learn from. Thanks mom and dad, this was my favorite part of your parenting of me, and I also use it for my kids-telling them they will eventually figure it out.
I learned so much from those experiences, and I honestly think the most sunk in with those instances…because I was truly aware and paying attention then. Do you know why? It was because my parents were not having a negative feeling about it, they felt a bit helpless, and I could feel that it was up to me to help myself and to change things if I wanted a different experience, with them, and with whatever the situation was. Ironically, that is what I have been doing with my life, seemingly forever, but definitely recently. I want a different experience, and so I am making decisions to have that. I have had several people think there is something wrong with me, commenting as such and asking me if I am okay, but that is so far from the truth. So much in my life is right because I am making different choices, and this is providing room for me to grow and enjoy my life more. I am choosing differently than most people would, and while that looks like self isolation, it is me eliminating negatives or distractions so that I am more choosy with the good things in my life. Talk about misinterpreted or misunderstanding, but that also comes from the others’ levels of perception. They might get it eventually.
I have had all kinds of experiences that have helped me to grow, some amazing experiences where another person’s kindness has made my heart bloom like a field of wildflowers. I swear in these experiences, you feel your heart expand threefold, almost to the point of bursting with joy and love. This is when we find ourselves growing in love, compassion, joy, empathy, kindness, happiness, etc.. We often forget these over the painful or the less than stellar times, maybe we should hold on to these experiences more and let them guide our hearts and minds more frequently.
So which experiences helped me grow the most? All of them. The good, the bad, the indifferent, the negative, the positive, the stumping, the hateful ones, the joyful ones, the ones that held no clarity. I have learned from them all, grown from them all, I am having the human experience after all! I will tell you the ones that I did not grow from, that would be the ones I kept repeating…until I eventually paid attention, let go of something and learned.
Tell me, what experiences do you grow the most from? I am still not on FB, so feel free to drop me a message, or chat amongst yourselves. In the meantime, embrace being misinterpreted, misunderstood and have a laugh about it. You know you and that is all that matters, not what others think they know. Chao!
Fate or Choice?
Posted on March 1, 2023
I was reading this morning, and came across this prompt from a fellow blogger, I felt it was an excellent prompt to consider and explore. Please remember, I am not on FB currently, but hope you are all discussing this without me. I am always a message away, and welcome discussion if you have time. Let’s check out this prompt and see where it takes us.
TO WHAT DEGREE HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO CONTROL THE COURSE THAT YOUR LIFE HAS TAKEN?
When I was younger, I found my life to have so many fateful coincidences that I believed solely in fate. Everything happened in sequence, with purpose, and it felt very much that my life was being guided by forces beyond me. I am not sure how long I believed that fate was the only factor in my life evolving, growing, and changing. Looking back, I can say with certainty, that I was a very naive person to not see my choices then, and how fate may have been more so a different kind of force than what I perceived.
If I am being totally honest, fate as I erroneously assumed, was really opportunity for choice. That is kind of mind blowing, knowing that my choices in fact were not fate, but actual choices. I say that because fate may have presented opportunities with possible outcomes having ability to forge my path left or right, but ultimately, I made the choice…even if those choices were intuitively lead. Intuition is more or less a built in system of self trust, and I trusted that part of me to make decisions…choices.
Sooo, looking at this prompt, I am gobsmacked not by the prompt, but by my own words slapping me in the face. I have told my clients and people for years that they can make choices that can alter, mold, or completely change their lives, and while I have subscribed to the same logic for myself, once upon a time I denied the truth of this. The answer to the prompt?
My choices have by and large shaped my life. Just like me forcefully changing my life since 2018, I am undoing a lot of what I chose, or at least that is the way it seems, perhaps fate is intervening again? Ha! Truthfully, I am forging a new path, one in which I am working with my body and not against it, bringing me more in to alignment…maybe the most aligned I have ever been with myself, my values, my intentions and goals. While this is carving new paths, I am always guided by a compass set forth for me that reminds me, my choices shape my life. I ultimately have a lot of sway over my own life, my choices are the only things I can control. Unpopular statement: our lives are exactly where we have chosen them to be. While this is not 100% true, it is probably 75-80% true, outside factors weigh on our lives…but we still are making choices, so…
Our lives have been wholly in our control, despite what has happened to us. We typically don’t realize how much control we had with our choices until later in life. It is a shocking moment to realize we have chosen so much that affects us, good, bad, and indifferent. How do you feel about this? I feel oddly relieved, yet full of grace for my younger self. I have some regrets, but don’t feel regretful. I have been working through these feelings for over 4 years, and the last year has really shown me that I feel my best while making choices best for me, less self sacrificing. I am working to the Nth degree to make my choices count, how about you?
Drop me a line, send me a message, give a smoke signal or something to let me know your thoughts on this. I would love to know!
Behind the Lens
The Photographist Life 