My Week(s) in Creative Acts
Sun prints, yellow dahlias and a quilt project
Hi, you.
I meant to write this letter last week, but I was having too much fun mountain biking, boating and celebrating the 4th. The week just slipped away from me. So now, you’re getting a double dose of what I made, thought about, and found lovely and inspiring.
Did you know Linda McCartney made Sun Prints (cyanotypes)? A) She is one of my favorite photographers, B) Her sun prints are gold and C) I will now refer to my cyanotype studies as sun prints because it sounds so joyful. I have a lot of photos to pull from to experiment with and so much to learn from her. She captures how I feel about photography in the quote below:
“There’s the feeling, and the right reading – that’s all you really need to know; the right light and the feeling.”
– Linda McCartney
Below are a few of my favorite sun prints by Linda.
My quote of the week is “All that matters is that you are making something you love, to the best of your ability, here and now.”
― Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being
My here and now the past two weeks was the most beautiful yellow dahlia from my garden. I photographed her a few different ways during an early morning session in my studio. The images below are the very last of the batch. I stripped away the still- life elements I like to use and played with just the flower and subtle movement.
Here is a little behind the scenes moment:
A very important part of my creative process is moving meditation. I must move my body and drain its battery a bit to calm my muti-passionate brain and focus. This summer, I started mountain biking! Can you believe it? I know I am a bit shocked, because last summer I told my husband “I will never do that.” Then much to my delight one of my favorite writers wrote about the The Best Workout You (Probably) Aren't Doing.
I will leave you today with a gem of gratitude. For the past few years, I have been saving all of my children’s swim suits to eventually make a quilt. A friend posted a t-shirt quilt she had made for her daughter to mark a special day, which reminded me of my quilt idea. I could not for the life of me remember my source inspiration. While digging through my saved images, I found it! I am so grateful for people who share the things they make. The quilt is by founder and creative director of Loeffler Randall (I discovered this brand in 2020 and there is so much to love and be inspired by).
While I was exploring Jessie Randall’s IG posts, I learned she has a craft club! I want to start one. I have no idea the format or what to make but message me if you’re interested.
Thank you for reading.
With Love,
Natalie
P.S. If you enjoy this (mostly) weekly letter, please help spread the word! Or click the heart button; that’s always very appreciated! You can also support me by subscribing.