Photo Embroidery & Stitching our Stories into our Memories with Juliana Naufel

It started with a photo of her grandmother - a woman who ironically had disliked embroidery so much that she bartered writing papers for friends instead of having to complete embroidery assignments in school (presumably in a time and place where schools gave young women embroidery HOMEWORK). 

It was only about a decade ago, and Juliana Naufels was the same age as the beloved woman in the photograph, listening intently to her shy and reserved grandfather as he came to life sharing the stories behind the images in his old photo albums. 

Juliana was also in art school and feeling stressed ABOUT ART.

Yes. art can be stressful too!

And she needed an outlet that had nothing to do with the artistic mediums she was learning in school (ceramics, painting, drawing).

She turned to embroidery for some much needed stress relief and art degree downtime. 

But in a kismet moment of poring over old photos and loving the accompanying stories she was...

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Picturing Joy with photographer George Lange (and LL Cool J, LL's grandmother and Paul Simon!)

 

"In my career, I've made an art out of creating experiences that I get to photograph. People are always surprised when I say I don't care that much about what something looks like. I want my photos to reflect what I feel more than what I see." - George Lange

For George, every picture is a reimagining of the pure joy he felt growing up in Pittsburgh holding his first camera at the age of 7. Those of us who have loved photography our whole lives (and who grew up with those quintessential Kodak moments, begging to be the one who would accidentally cut everyone's heads off in the group shot), probably remember holding that prized family camera, as well!

But George's photographic fascination went way beyond childhood and his first photography jobs out of art school were for heavy hitters like Annie Leibovitz and Duane Michals (my hero!). 

But being a lead assistant wasn't what he was called to do. George had his own ideas of what he wanted to capture and...

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Life Feast 2024

Uncategorized Jan 04, 2024

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Why Whimsy Matters with Ryan McGuire

Ever tried making a 7-foot-long fiberglass banana with eight insect legs?

No?

What about repurposing an abandoned pay phone into a positivity portal that delivers a joke, a ridiculous dance request or some encouraging words for absolutely anyone who picks up the beaming yellow receiver? 

Sounds like a strange dream or the fantasy of a 5-year old, doesn't it?

But in Ryan McGuire's world, a limitless imagination combined with a rigorous anti procrastination discipline and a mad scientist mentality results in a playful world for joy junkies or anyone craving a jolt of possibility or polka dots amidst an ordinary day. 

And this creative dynamo, founder of a burgeoning community arts organization, photographer, photo shopper, web designer and all around wild man, Ryan McGuire, is our guest expert in The Life Feast this month.

Because in a world dominated by deadlines, routines, to do lists plus the daily drudgery of life...

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Abra-CAMERA-Dabra! Dive into Phyllis Lane's FLOWtography: Magical Photography & Creativity

Buckle up Creative Buttercups...

Because we're about to embark on a wild ride that'll blow your pragmatic, practical, oh so efficient and logical mind wide open!

Say hello to the one and only Phyllis Lane—pro photographer extraordinaire by day, and a mystical creative alchemist by night.

Her style is an infusion of creative and photographic FLOW that'll leave you wondering if you accidentally stepped into a parallel universe.

Better than Netflix, scrolling instagram, paying bills, shuttling kids to the pool, working your tail off or swatting mosquitos away this July...

Are you ready for this crazy creative adventure with Phyllis? 
Yes, you are!

Because no matter what the project is (personal or professional), Phyllis is absolutely committed to listening to the moment calls for (it often calls for dancing!). Allowing the moment to speak to her, making room for magic.

Breaking the Rules (and Shot Lists!):

Phyllis Lane doesn't play by the usual camera...

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Tap into wonder: how to create a photographic conversation with Casie Zalud

Casie's photo on the left (running feet), Linnéa's photo (dog whiskers) on the right

A few years ago, A Day in the Life photographer, Casie Zalud, came to a crossroads in her work. Her photography felt stale, stagnant and a little too literal. She was looking all around for inspiration, then it dawned on her that inspiration was right in front of her all along. 

On a whim, Casie gave an old, inexpensive digital camera to her then 6-year old daughter, Linnéa, and from there, the Relinquish mother/daughter photgraphic conversation project was born. 

Linnéa's pint-size self-esteem could fill the frame and then some. Her 6-year old perspective was clean, simple and undeterred by the demands of the every day. 

As any self-assured child would, Linnéa took the creative lead on the project and taught Casie the merits of handing over the reins to her capable 6 year old hands, slowing down,...

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How to Make a Dreamy Digital Collage with ProCreate and Heather Reardon

Dreamy Digital Collage Workshop with Heather Reardon in The Life Feast this week:

Thursday, Feb 16, 2023 at 5pm PST, 6pm MST, 7pm CST, 8pm EST
 
We’re so fortunate to have our very own Life Feast member, Heather Reardon, teaching a Dreamy Digital Collage Workshop inside of The Life Feast this month.

This is part two to our Dream Big workshop earlier this month on numerology and dream interpretation. 
 
In the Dreamy Digital Collage workshop, Heather will show us how to take the meaningful images we conjured up from our future selves and turn them into digital heARTwork for the soul.

If you missed that workshop, no worries! You can still enjoy this one. 
 
You do not need prior ProCreate experience to enjoy this workshop with Heather, just a little curiosity and willingness to give it a go.
 
***You will want to download the ProCreate app ahead of time either on an iPad or iPhone.
 
If you are an Android user, there are...
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The Roadmap of Your Soul ... Numerology & Dreams: Tools for Transcendence

dream big transcendence Feb 15, 2023

In this Life Feast bonus dream interpretation and numerology workshop, Monica Kenton will show us how we can use dream interpretation and numerology to follow our own unique signs and symbols and hear our souls’ wisdom amidst the noise of everyday life.

Numerology and dream interpretation can help you navigate the unique roadmap of your soul.

Monica uses these tools to demystify certain obstacles on your life path to guide you toward more ease and grace.

Numerology can help enhance relationships with people in your life, tap into your intuition, give you greater insights and make sense of synchronicities and numbers that cross your path ... house numbers, license plates, your birthdate, these all can have soul messages that intrigue, delight and direct you to a purposeful path you might not have noticed otherwise. 

While numerology can be very personal, the year 2023 has its own universal message for all of us ... it is a wake up kind of year,...

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Here's Why You Need a 365 Everyday Photo Diary ... (with Byron Wolfe)

photo credits: Byron Wolfe from Everyday, a yearlong photo diary

What if for the next 365 days you took one photo of your life everyday?

Snippets of real life, love and loss, not just snapshots for your own personal social media highlight reel.

Before everyone and their breakfast wallpapered the internet, before we all carried around a camera in the palm of our hand, photographer Byron Wolfe, challenged himself to this daily photographic practice to see his daily life through a different lens.

He had to take one interesting and compelling photo a day between his 35th and 36th birthdays.

This was 21 years ago.

Between grading papers at work, changing diapers at home and "date nights" with his wife at the grocery store, he didn't have time to take one “compelling”picture a month let alone one every.single.day.

No, he didn't pack a bag and summit Everest in order to catalog the world's best scenery for the glossiest version of his photographic diary.

Instead, the vistas...

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Do you know why January feels like the longest month of the year?

Did you know January is known as the looooongggest month of the year?

Ok arguably, at 31 days, it's actually not longer than December or August, but without all of the holiday hoopla or sunny summer days, it feels long!

And the joyless January feeling actually is so common, that, yesterday, was not only the revered MLK Day, but, to psychologists, it's also known as BLUE Monday. 

Between the holiday credit card bill, a lot less sunshine, a fall off of resolutions (hello ice cream!) and all the twinkly lights tucked away ... January can feel longer than any other month.

But I've got the antidote. 

It'll calm your mind, invigorate your spirit and help you feel more JOY.

It's part positive psychology pep talk, part creativity, part journal, and it's exactly what mid-winter January blahs call for.

Life Feast Guest Expert Workshop on 1/19/23
3 Tools to Find Your JOY and Thrive in January (and all year long) with Jennifer King Lindley
Sign up => here.

 

We'll cultivate...

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