Bloom Where You Are Planted
Symbolism in the little things.
I bought an flower from the 99 Cent store in town to bring a little life into my room, if I can't have my very own garden. The tag said it was an african violet, but I think it's a type of pansy. I thought it would be a simple thing to take care of, I mean it fit in a small cereal bowl that I planted it in (totally using my resources here), I mean what could go wrong? I set it in my room and watered it when I thought it might be a little dry, it looked like it had some sun in the afternoon, since the sun sets where my window is. "It'll be fine," I thought.
Reality. My plant died. Well became very close to dying; it was droopy and sad looking, and the once blooming buds were shriveling. I asked my mom if I should just throw it away because there wasn't much more I could do. I began to realize the soil was just too dry, as I had thought I may have overwatered it before. Soon, I learned that watering it in the morning and at night helped my little flower, as I saw the color come back into the buds. I rearranged my room and I sat the tiny cereal bowl garden in my window on a stand, so it had more of a chance to see the sun through the day. I counted the blooms. One... two... three... water in the morning... water at night. It began to droop again, maybe too much water? Water in the morning, water a little at night. Four, five, six, seven. A week went by, I was learning to care for this little gem as it bloomed right where I planted it. Eight, nine, ten, eleven! More and more blooms popped up. Every day there seems to be more. I now have 19 blooms on a flower that I planned to throw away when things were looking a little rough and the water had dried up.
Bloom where you're planted.
Sometimes the first place we are planted is a little rough, drying up our inspiration and hopes. Maybe we're losing the life we once had. The next place we plant ourselves is a little better, we start to learn what works for us and what doesn't so much. Sometimes we fall. But we look to The Light and slowly, but surely find our way and find ourselves with more blooms of joy than we ever dreamed were possible in an idea that began in the size of a cereal bowl.
Live by faith & share through fotos.
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas
Portraits of my friends Lynzie & Bronson in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Since I've started living in the Los Angeles area, I've had unexpected and long awaited traveling opportunities with some of my "life goal" destinations. Not only have I been given the chance to see places around Southern California, but another spot on my list to see was Las Vegas, Nevada.
It was an amazing opportunity to meet up with my friends Lynzie and Bronson in Las Vegas. They had been planning their trip out for months, and I only a week, but I wanted to meet up with them when we were just hours away (a lot closer than being across the country!). Lynzie and I have been friends since kindergarten and they both live near where I am from in Ohio. So, in order to meet up with them, we in a way did a 'photo for travel' trade and I got to see the city in the process. Nothing like traveling with your friends and taking great photos along the way! Here are some of my favorite shots at Caesar's Palace and on our walks around downtown. (More to come in the future of my adventures traveling in Vegas and other places!)
Live by faith & share through fotos.
Print Portfolio
My print portfolio case by Shrapnel Design & my final selected portfolio images.
As you may know, I graduated at the end of June this past year from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. In order to graduate, one of the requirements was to show a print portfolio to the faculty and at the Portfolio Show. This portfolio book is also a tool to show potential employers your work that may not be displayed directly on your website portfolio, but is still consistent in style. The portfolio includes my best work created up until graduation, along with an artist statement. It is a difficult self-assignment because of all the decisions that need to be made, and in a timely fashion. These decisions include what type of case, plastic sleeves or no plastic sleeves, what type of paper to print on if you are printing yourself, choosing which images show your overall and consistent style; from there, the layout of the images on the page, and many more technicalities. A lot of time and thought went into this print portfolio, although all the prep work goes unseen.
I chose to order my white aluminum case from Shrapnel Design and use plastic sleeves to protect the prints. My portfolio is 11x17 in order to show the closest crop size as possible to the originals, and printed at full bleed. The average number of images in a portfolio should be about 15-25 and display your technical skills and creative ability, in a consistent manner that reflects your branding. An artist statement about my work is displayed before the images. The cover of my portfolio reflects the watermark that I use for social media which "Faith Through Fotos" printed at the bottom.
So here it is, my artist statement (able to be clicked on to read more easily) and my print portfolio from this past year!
Live by faith & share through fotos.