as i am writing this blog post this afternoon, i have four days’ worth of unfolded laundry upstairs. i just finished unloading all the sacks from my once a month target run and now i am getting ready to use one of my empty target sacks for cleaning out the cat litter. because not that i finally figured out how to keep the dogs out of it, turns out i have to clean it out a little more often.
{wondering now if maybe i should have thought that out a little more.}
at any rate, i’m not telling you this to gross you out. i had kinda sorta promised myself i would restrain from talking about the litter box for this 31 days, but, well…this is my life. my very real, ordinary life. and i wanted to share this, because i think sometimes there in a misconception about bloggers. that we sort of be-bop through life taking pictures of our perfect families and our perfect gardens and our perfect homes. and i’m sure there are some like that. but that generalization does not apply to me in the least.
ok…maybe i be-bop once in a while, but only if i’ve had too much coffee in the morning.
but even with all of its struggles and imperfections, i embrace the ordinary. because here’s the deal…this is where 90% of life happens. right here, amidst the laundry and the litter box. and the dirty kitchen and the dog hair. and to be honest, i just have never been able to wrap my head around waiting for that other 10% of my life – vacations, special events, good hair days – to be happy and experience joy. maybe i’m being a little greedy, but i want joy all the time, not just when things are ‘special.’
the true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life and elevating them to an art. ~william morris
in my ongoing efforts to capture the joy in my ordinary life, i recently finished up an online photography class, picture everyday with tracey clark. the objective of this class was “finding and photographing the magic in your daily life.” which, like all of the other photography courses i’ve taken by tracey, is a concept that is right up my alley.
what i love about all of her courses (and her philosophy of elevating the everyday) is that they have taught me to see the beauty in my ordinary life. because when you really look, beauty is everywhere.
but it’s not always easy for me. racing around with my running to-do list and ongoing personal narrative of trying to squeeze too much into too short amount of time. add on to that my annoying inner critic, and together these things not only make for mediocre photography but are also a total joy killer. i know this from personal experience. and what i’ve learned is that for me to really connect to my life, to be able to really see the beauty – either through the lens of my camera or the lens of my heart – it requires that i slow down. pay attention. be open. let go of my expectations.
like i said, not always easy…but those times when i do get it right? that’s where the joy lives. that is the magic not only in a photography, but also in my life.
life is your art. an open, aware heart is your camera. a oneness with your world is your film. your bright eyes and easy smile is your museum. ~ansel adams
well so in addition to my photography class, i’ve also just finished reading a million little ways by emily p. freeman. in in her book she states that not only were we born to make art, we were also born to live art.
now never in a million years would i consider myself an ‘artist’…not in the traditional sense anyway. i mean i couldn’t paint or draw my way out of a paper bag. but in her book, emily suggests that “being an artist has something to do with being brave enough to move toward what makes you come alive.” and that when we fully embrace who we are, we have to the capacity to touch the lives of others. and that is how we live the art we were born to make. that is how “we make art with our lives”.
but how can my ordinary, cat litter box changing, messy life be art? i’m starting to think that whether it’s photography or life, it’s all in the way i look at it.
what is art but a way of seeing? ~thomas berger
if i have learned anything from this 31 day series, it’s that joy in my life came from seeing things differently. and that is what makes me come alive…when things click. whether it’s seeing on the back of the camera what i see in my mind’s eye or seeing my life in a new way. it’s making these connections…these everyday discoveries…that ignite my passion.
i’m wondering…maybe this is my art. elevating my everyday. capturing it with my camera. seeing the wonder and beauty in my ordinary life. experiencing the fullness of life through a practice of gratitude. learning to seeing Grace in the journey.
yes, maybe this is it. maybe this is art i was made to live…
the art of an ordinary life.
thank you so much for joining me on my 31 day writing challenge. to see all of the posts in this series, please click here. and if you would like to receive future posts via email, you can subscribe here.
from the archives
I love you, Kelly, and yes! You are an artist and your inner beauty is as much your art, as your photography is! As for making the world a better place? You have made my world a better place! Congratulations on finishing your project!
ordinary is so, so beautiful.
Your photos are absolutely beautiful. Keep it up!
Elevating my everyday. This is beautiful.
Okay…this is beautiful. Your photos are “simply” amazing! Oh you ARE an artist, that’s obvious to me. I was struck by how your thoughts (and even of your pictures) resembled mine in a recent post. (http://www.mywordstudy.com/simple-pleasures/) Truly, I am not trying to promote myself here, but it is uncanny and how your thoughts are helping me concerning a photo challenge I created, one which I’ve been wondering whether to continue (thanks to the “annoying inner critic” you speak of). Taking photos has been opening my eyes to the beauty around me too. You might be interested in this blog…( http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/posie_gets_cozy/) if you like great pictures of simple life. She’s definitely got a gift for it too. Just happened by you via Emily Freeman’s site and so glad I did. Blessings to you. I’ll be back for more inspiration.
beautiful post! i love that ansel adams quote and your pictures are so pretty 🙂
Hi Kelly,
Love your name! I gave it to my firstborn who is now a grown up beautiful mom like you. Your words really resonate with me today as my 12 year old grandson sits in the chair beside me creating his own design. I’ve learned, just since reading from Emily’s book, my art has been living out my passions with my grandchildren. My dream of writing a book began to take shape this morning when my grandson said these magic words. ” I love the days I can be here just spending time with you.” What greater accolade can one woman want?
I’m enjoying the thoughts each person shares about their own living art. As I read your thoughts, I noticed your recipes in protector pages. Did you use a particular software for those? I want to leave family recipes for my children and grandchildren. This format looked really nice. I’d love if you’d share with me how you organized these. Thanks for sharing your heart with others. Your creations were the cherry on top of an already incredible day with my grandson!
hi there robin. thank you so much for your heartfelt comment. the recipe in the photo i shard on this post is actually from an old church cookbook…i’ve had it for years. it came in the ringed binder and its pages are not in sleeves or protectors.