Ninety-five years ago this man, James Struthers Lochhead, was born. I took this snapshot of my Dad in the late ‘80’s when I was an adult with my own children, He was visiting us in our house, and so it seemed like the moment for a photo. I didn’t think about it much. But today, in the turbulent wake …
An Audience with Ansel
It was the summer of 1983, and I was soaring. Griegs’ pianto concerto was blaring in my brown VW bus, and I was heading up Highway 1 to Carmel. I had a date with Ansel Adams. I had taken all the photography courses my community college offered, and had moved through a “Masters’ course” at UCLA. So, feeling pretty …
Out of the Dark Room
The first photo I ever printed in a darkroom was at summer camp in the 7th grade. The photo was of a girl pouring a bucket of water over another girl’s head. Hilarious, right? (Remember 7th grade humor?) My career as a comedienne ceased abruptly, but I would return to photography as my passion and art form. In college I …
Photographing the Unseen
Most people approach photography in a documentary way photographing an event, a person or an object in order to remember it, or to say, “This is how it is.” We tell a story of what we see. But another way to approach photography is through the question, “What have I not seen?” Now we’re on a treasure hunt! And rather …
What does my wild heart desire, #3
Those of you who live in AZ will understand why the snow storm we just had was a major miracle. If you live in Kansas City, you might not agree this week. But for desert dwellers in the middle of a long drought, water in any form is good news. More importantly for my wild heart, the snow created a …
What does my wild heart desire, #2
The second process I’ll use to explore what my wild heart desires is photography. I went on a walk in Catalina State Park, which is a treasure right next to my house. (I know, my wild heart is already grateful.) I took some photos—not thinking too much about why, except I was attracted to that scene—and now I’ll dialogue with …
What does my wild heart desire? #1
This is the first of a series of blogs where I’m going to share some techniques I’ve developed for looking deeply within, using the lens of our creative inner eye. I’ll pose a question that I want to explore and share with you, and then present that question using several different processes. The first question is, what does my wild …
Re-defining Power
What is your relationship to power? Last time I sat in sacred circle with my Advanced Flying Lessons group, I marveled at the experience we had when we asked the spirits of the universe to help us step into authentic power. World events continue to teach us all–regardless of political persuasion– about some types of power we just can’t afford …
All Saints and All Souls Day: Making Friends with Death
First, a bit of history about Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day. This time of year was known as Samhain by the Celts, meaning “summer’s end,” and named for the lord of death who allowed souls who had died to return to earth on Nov. 1. Some who had been harmed during their lives returned as ghosts, witches, …
Creating Beauty as a Safe Landing Space
It’s so easy and delicious for me to sink onto a place of beauty in nature and feel safe in that “All Is One” feeling. Next to ocean, or stream, or wind through the pines I am reminded of the life force that courses through all things. I am in my safe landing space at those times. And then we …
