Not What I Said...

So... I said that, upon my return, my post would feature several artists I admire for various reasons. This post does not deliver on what I said. The task of compiling sample works, contacting them for permission, expressing in words that do justice to what I admire about them, and getting it all to finally format nicely, has been a task I can't seem to get slipped in between other things right now. For that, I do apologize... know that I *will* do this soon. I have not forgotten.

Though I've been "blog-absent," I've thought of you often... I very much appreciate you guys and it felt wrong to go on without saying something to you, even just a brief update to say "hi" to old friends (and new ones)! Since I don't have the words or time to properly share the story (lots of transition and growth... good, though, I think)...

I leave this "update" to a photo I took recently, and the words of one far more eloquent than I...

The Road Not Taken- Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

5 minute break in the Hiatus

Hi all! Can't be here long (breaking my own rules-- it's terrible to be in trouble with yourself!) buuuut...

Julie Magers Soulen, a very talented artist living in beautiful Colorado, has included a photo of mine in her Friday Favorites post, and you simply MUST go see her blog... not to go see my photo (you've likely seen it already) but to read the amazing, touching short poem her daughter wrote...

Julie Magers Soulen: Friday Favorites- Trees

**I noticed a couple new follow-friends and comments, but I'm not allowed to go "investigate" ;) until the hiatus is over (gotta stay on task-- making good progress on some projects that have been put off). Will come meet-and-greet upon my return. :D

~Sending smiles and warm wishes~ Kenna

The "Apparently I'm Slow" Hiatus

The title says "Apparently I'm Slow" as if that awareness is new to me... as I further analyze, it's definitely not. It's not new knowledge, I'm just being forced to come to terms with it again as though it were new. Really, if I've heard it once I've heard it a hundred times; it's been a constant battle for me. In our high-tech, fast-paced, multi-tasking, greater-productivity, what-was-new-last-month-is-now-old society, there is little tolerance of "slow."

So... while my tendency to stop and smell the flowers,

wait for the right lighting,

and pause to appreciate the beauty all around me does contribute a great deal to my personal growth and growth in photography,


it detracts from my overall efficiency and productivity. I owe many of my photos to "taking my time" and yet "being slow" makes me less able to effectively network, market my work, track inventory, process sales, etc... I know those of you who manage to work, comment on 30 blogs a day, create and "C&C" treasuries continually, turn out new creations regularly, AND keep up on all the ning sites, facebook, myspace, twitters, flickers, n' others. I tip my hat to you and would love to know *how* you do it (perhaps joining the ranks of the chronically sleep-deprived, which I also fall prey to, but often serves to make me an even slower zombie)...

For now, I leave the debate of the advantages vs. disadvantages of "slow" (as it applies to my life) in someone else's hands (and head). I've come to realize that the only way I'm going to complete the big projects that keep getting moved from one week to the next on my calendar, is to enforce almost a complete internet hiatus on myself for a bit... perhaps a week or two. I'll check Etsy, fulfill orders, and limited email, but that's probably about it. I'll spare you the details of the "to-do" list (yes, taxes are on it, with about a dozen other time-taking tasks I've put off for too long).

I'll just ask that you please excuse my absence for a bit...



and hope that we can "catch up" when I get back (assuming you're not on a leave of your own). :) Upon my return, I will finish another of the "projects being put off" and finally compile one of the "tribute" posts I've planned, featuring some of the wonderful works of artisans and crafters whom I've come to respect so much...

In the meantime, I'm sending warm wishes and smiles! :D
~Kenna

****8/09: Could NOT resist this brief update-- I was directed to read a new article Etsy published... "Carl Honoré on The Power of Slow"

Coincidence?? ;)