Books, books, and more books!

If you have been reading my blog lately, you know how much I love books! This is a photo I took of Raimonds and his book collection.

Bakersfield

My grandmother has lived in Bakersfield for about 50+ years. She will be moving to Oregon in a few weeks. These are some photos of her home. I hope to have some more up soon.

Room

Took this photo this afternoon.

I see you Spring

It feels nice to start the day off with a photo. I love looking through this window and seeing the transitions between seasons... today I see Spring. A few more tweaks and I think this will be a good candidate for my website!

Have a wonderful day!

Dreaming Big

My participation in Blog it Forward really has me thinking a lot about inspiration! Another book that I love is The Alchemist. It is one that I must re-read!

"Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure. You've got to find the treasure, so that everything you have learned along the way can make sense."

- The Alchemist

Blog it Forward-Inspiration!!!

I am so excited to participate in sfgirlbybay's blog it forward mashup! We were all given the task of describing what inspires us. First off a big thank you to Sarah over at Cursive Design for introducing me. Sarah's jewelry is so wonderful!

I was a bit overwhelmed when thinking about what inspires me because there are so many different things that spark my creativity, but I decided to narrow it down to three things, books, photography, family.

Reading has always been such a source of joy for me. Even as a little kid it was not uncommon for my parents to find me tucked up in a corner of the house reading. Luckily my parents were both avid readers and encouraged me to read, read, read! My dad gave me a copy of Steinbeck's East of Eden. It has remained a long standing favorite of mine. I love stories and draw tons of inspiration from books.

And here are a few other books I love...

Photography is my passion and I am constantly inspired to take better photos. I fell in love with it when I first picked up Annie Leibovitz's "Photographs." Her work opened up my eyes to how photography could convey emotion. Here are a few other photographers who's work has changed the way I view photography.

Todd Hido
Leslie Williamson
Eric Ogden

And of course... Annie.

Finally, my greatest source of inspiration comes from family!! Where would I be without the love and support of my parents, two brothers, and sister?? My parents have never balked at my desire to be an artist. They have done the opposite in fact, encouraged me at every step of the way. And of course my siblings offer me the laughter I need when things seem bleak. Inspiration comes to me in all sorts of way, but it is my family that reminds me of the most important thing in life-- love!

Phew! This is by far the longest blog entry for me!

I am happy to introduce up next Dashily! I have a soft spot for photo blogs and I don't think you will be disappointed by this one! Isn't this photo wonderful?!

Thank you for reading!

Drive Home

I took this one coming home from work.

Creek

Shot a few weeks ago.

Kristy

Shot a few weeks back.

Fashion Education

A few weeks ago, I started a new job. One of the perks of the job has been learning more about fashion and styling. I have always been into fashion, aware of the big labels, Chanel, Christian Dior, Oscar de la Renta, etc, but lately I have been exposed to some newer lines... Alice & Olivia, Charlotte Ronson, and my new favorite Tibi (pictured above). I am definitely feeling inspired by all the wonderful styles I see daily. I can't wait to start incorporating some of them into my photoshoots!

Gallery Show

I am thrilled to announce that I will be having my first show! Here is all the important info:

Gallery: 625 Sutter St. SF

Dates: March 1st-March 31st

Opening Reception: Thursday March 4th

I hope to see you there!

Blogger mashup

I am so excited to be participating in the sfgirlbybay's blogger mashup! The topic will be "what inspires us most." This is such a fun topic, but also daunting as there is a lot that inspires me!

I dream of airplanes

I have a day job that is rather frustrating at times, but the upside is that it is located right near San Francisco International Airport. On breaks, I go outside and watch the planes land and take off. This is a photo I took the other day while fantasizing about vacation!

Kitchen

Here's another shot (not a window!) of my kitchen. Lately I have been photographing the spaces around me.

more of the window

Another window shot... I am into this lately.