The Intertwining of Inner Guidance, Memories, and Art

Dive into the intricate dance between intuition, memories, and the art they inspire. Discover how each thread weaves a story, guiding us on a journey of self-expression and deeper understanding.

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Finding Calm in Creation: A Personal Journey into Mindfulness

Finding solace in creativity isn't just a hobby; it's a lifeline. Amidst the chaos of anxious thoughts, the act of creating self-portraits becomes a grounding force, a way to reconnect with oneself. It's not about crafting the perfect image; it's about the therapeutic journey through each click of the shutter. Join me as I explore how art transcends its visual appeal and becomes a profound tool for mental wellness, transforming anxiety into a wellspring of inspiration.

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The Artist's Rollercoaster: Navigating Love, Doubt, and Reconnection with Your Art

Artists often experience fluctuating feelings towards their own work - a love-hate relationship that can sometimes be difficult to navigate. In this blog post, I share my own experiences with this emotional rollercoaster and offer tips to help manage these feelings, fostering a healthier and more balanced relationship with your creative output.

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Dancing with the Rhythms of Creativity: A Seasonal Approach to Artistic Flow

Just as nature is governed by seasons, so too can our creativity be guided by the rhythm of sowing, growing, reaping, and resting. This cyclical process can help maintain a sustainable creative practice and enrich the depth of our work. Let's unpack this concept.

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The Power of Experimentation: Why It's Crucial for Your Artistic Journey

As artists, we often find comfort in the familiar - our tried-and-true techniques, favorite mediums, and signature styles. We become known for that one thing. Yet, when we dare to step out of this comfort zone and explore the unknown, our creative journey truly takes flight. Although it may seem daunting, experimentation in art is an essential component of artistic growth and development.

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Self-Portraits With My Lensbaby Sol 45

It took a lot for me to remove my Lensbaby Soft Focus II from my camera and replace it with the Sol 45, but I learned I love the Sol 45 because of it!

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Are you Feeling Supported?

Something that often comes up in my class, Expressive Self Portraiture, is the fear of sharing such deep and personal work while not feeling supported by those closest to us. I always encourage artists to share their work and trust that it will reach the right people at the right time, but this is no easy feat even for some of the most esteemed artists.
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It can feel confusing and even hurtful when the people we are closest to do not show support for our art. Why does it seem to be common to feel more supported by strangers and people you have never met in person? There can be several reasons for this.
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Our art is not for everyone.
I’ll say it again.
Not everyone is going to understand or connect with our work.
Our work can cause uncomfortable feelings for some people.
It may encourage them to face something in themselves that they are not ready to face.
They may think following you is enough.
They may feel intimidated or feel like an outsider to the art world.
They may not know how or feel comfortable interpreting our art.
They have their reasons and whatever they may be, just know that it is about them and not you or your work.
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As artists, we sometimes fall too deep in the trap of external validation. When we don’t see the support we would hope for from friends and family we tend to stay small. We don’t speak up or question it, but instead we hide with our feelings of unworthiness, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome.
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Fellow artists, keep doing what you’re doing and supporting each other. I know what gets put into making personal work. I’m a firm believer in artists supporting artists. I support you and appreciate your support- every comment, like, share, review, and recommendation.
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Thank you!
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Let’s discuss this. Do you find this is something you have struggled with or encountered? I believe it’s much more common than we think.

Sony a7riii | Velvet 56 | f/2.8 | 1/250 | 200

✨ Don’t forget as a Lensbaby Ambassador I can save you 10% on your purchase. You can click this link and use the discount code- wsharon . Tag me on Instagram with any images you make with your Lensbaby gear so I can show my support!

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Intuition {Self-Portrait}

Intuitively, we gather together. We learn from each other. We share each other’s pain and life experiences as a collective.
We learn we are not so different from one another. We go beyond the surface and we create from a once guarded space deep within. We support, we grieve, we hold space, we grow, we make a mess. We are Artists. There’s no textbook that can teach this experience; this way of learning. It’s in the doing. It’s in the mistakes. It’s in our guts. We are guided by our intuition and we trust the process.
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Thank you to the women who have trusted in me and have gathered together to create in Expressive Self Portraiture. It is a gift and honor to spend time with you.♥️

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The Snow Queen

Perfectionism is fear in disguise. How many times have you wanted to do something but told yourself the timing wasn't right or you didn't have enough time? Maybe if ___ happened or ____ then you could begin. Oftentimes, I find the most difficult part with something new is to begin. If we could allow ourselves to just begin, then the rest will unfold. We don't have to be experts to begin.

I’m currently reading Julia Cameron's newest book, The Listening Path. When she teaches, she cues her students to make a list of 10 fill in the blanks. Each one begins with- If it didn't have to do it perfectly, I’d try ____.

My very first thought was paint. I would paint. Thinking of all of the things I would do if they didn't have to be perfect was profound and gave me a lot to journal about. Think of all the things we hold back from in fear of not being good enough. We are depriving ourselves of the very things that will make us thrive!

Let's be brave together and show up and do the work...whatever that work may be.

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The Snow Fairy

An important and key part to being an artist is to practice, play, and be hands on. We learn and grow by doing.

Begin before you feel ready to. It’s no secret, we’re going to experience failures. We’re going to make bad art. There is no exception to that. It’s a rite of passage. It happens to us all, myself included.

We are going to fail, but we’re going to learn. Be open to the lessons of your failures. Listen to them and study them as if they were sacred secrets. Become receptive. Crack open and let the ideas flow in that are unique to your self-expression.

It’s in the experience where the magic happens. The doing. Going into a shoot with an open mind and allowing the outcome to unfold before you is where creativity thrives.

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The Apple Orchards

Everybody has a secret world inside of them. I mean everybody. All of the people in the whole world, I mean everybody — no matter how dull and boring they are on the outside. Inside them they've all got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds... Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe.
Neil Gaiman
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Here is the second location from the other day. If you zoom in you’ll see my fingers are as red as the falling apple. No editing there. It was freezing! I have Raynaud’s Syndrome and normally my fingers and toes turn pure white and go numb even while being inside of my house. I reached a new level of cold that day. Does anyone else have Raynaud’s? My daughter plays ice hockey so I have an endless supply of hand and toe warmers!

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Fantasy {Self-Portrait}

Fantasy is storytelling with the beguiling power to transform the impossible into the imaginable, and to reveal our own “real” world in a fresh and truth-bearing light.
Leonard S. Marcus
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In my Instagram stories I asked which location you would like to see first from a recent shoot. Here is the location with the most votes.

What’s everyone up to today? Here in NJ we are having a snow day. Is there anything more magical that newly fallen snow? ❄️

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Seeker {Lensbaby Self-Portraits)

Seeker🕯

Earlier this week, I shot these self-portrait in my backyard using my Lensbaby Velvet 56. Since @lensbabyusa lenses are manual focus lenses, I needed something to focus on in the place where I would be standing. I used a dress form complete with a wig and mask on it to stand in my place. I use this because it is similar in size and height to me. Once I grabbed my focus, I was able to place a stick on the ground where I would be standing and move the dress form out of the frame.
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Have a question? Comment or DM me! Here’s the link for Lensbaby’s site. Be sure to use the code wsharon for a 10% discount on your next Lensbaby purchase!

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Sony a7riii | Velvet 56 | 1/250 | f/2 | ISO 100

Sony a7riii | Velvet 56 | 1/250 | f/2 | ISO 100