about me

I tweeted this article the other day about how to deal with copycats and idea thieves. Number 3 really struck a chord with me. “Go where the air is thinner. As you advance your body of work into deeper levels of depth and connection, the copycats simply won’t be able to coherently follow you; and, even when they can, they won’t because it’s too hard. Combine depth of work with your own unique voice and it’ll be impossible for people to successfully copy you.”

I can’t do anything about that uncreative person that has chosen me to copy. I can however, do something about my own work. I have to just keep creating and doing it that much better than they ever could. That’s one of the great things about the 365 Project that I’m doing. I realized that I’m making an effort to MAKE a picture, not just take one.

Yesterday’s picture was something completely different for me. Slightly “racy”, something I thought up and created. (Thankfully I have a husband who is willing to play along for me.) I was actually on the phone with my mom when she saw it for the first time. That was the highlight of my day. “Oh my gosh. Kimberly! Oh my goodness!” I love my little momma.

Sometimes a picture comes together just how I see it in my head. Other times it’s trial and error. The key is to take my ideas and run with them. Not be scared to post pictures that are different for me (like yesterday’s shot). I’ve got to keep moving up where I can’t be reached by people “nipping at my heels”.

I’m not sure why but in the winter I always do my nails a lot more. Pinterest is loaded with crazy manicures so it inspires me to paint my nails even more. I don’t really do anything too crazy but I’m enjoying trying new things. I sorted through my nail polishes a few weeks ago. No idea why I still had polish from years and years ago. I also had two of one color which makes absolutely no sense. Unless I painted my nails with that color every day… I have never once emptied a bottle of nail polish. Have you?

I tend to just go for the simple. Doing a short bright red nail is fun. I also have a great nude color that I like.

These are a few of the times I branched out and tried something different.

The top left Sally Hansen Insta-dri Blue-Away with OPI Rainbow Connection on top. I started looking for the Rainbow Connection right before Christmas. Apparently it sold out almost instantly. I was not about to pay 15 bucks for a bottle of nail polish so I didn’t order it online.  Luckily my hair stylist got it for me and it was under five dollars.  It’s a lot of fun to wear and not a lot of fun to take off.

The top right is Sally Hansen Red Zin with OPI Gettin’ Miss Piggy With It. The glitter is another one of The Muppets Collection for OPI. It was perfect for Christmas.

The bottom left is my absolute favorite color (which of course you can’t get anymore): Sally Hansen Problem Child. I need to find a good replacement for it because it’s getting kind of clumpy.  I just put silver glitter polish (cheap-o random brand) on the tips.

The bottom right is OPI Warm & Fozzie from The Muppets Collection.  I really, really like this one in the bottle and not so much on my nails.

A few things I’ve learned with all of the nail painting:
1. Go pee first. It never fails that I’ll mess up a nail trying to go to the bathroom (even if they’re dry).
2. Use Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat. Warning: Even though your nails will be dry in about 30 seconds, it’s still possible to mess them up for another 30 minutes or so. If you bump them or push on the tip, the whole color just slides off.
3. Try colors you wouldn’t normally wear. It’s funny how different things look on.
4. The more you paint your nails, the better you get at it.
5. To remove glitter nail polishes (like those two from the OPI Muppets Collection), soak a cotton ball in remover. Put the cotton on your nail, wrap in aluminum foil and then pull off after about 5 minutes.
6. Painting your fingernails can actually be really relaxing!
7. It seems like when I put a few coats of nail polish and top coat on, they chip right away. If I want my polish to last for quite a few days, I will do one fairly thick coat. Yep, just one and then top coat. That seems to last longer.

I used to think it looked weird on me but now I quite enjoy it. I’m pretty hard on my hands/fingernails so I know to wait until the last minute if I want my nails to look really nice for something. So do you do your nails?

Some confessions about me, including a few that are embarrassing to admit.

-I don’t like Nutella.
-Sometimes I eat chips just for the salt.
-Some days I stay in my pajamas until the afternoon.
-Manners are super important to me. I’m always kind of appalled when adults don’t use please, thank you, excuse me…
-Josh and I regularly plan what we would do if we suddenly came into a lot of money.
-I don’t understand the appeal of Jimmy Buffett’s music.
-I love cereal in milk but don’t really like cereal-flavored milk.
-I sleep talk.
-I love peanut butter fudge…like I could eat an entire pan myself.
-I hate running but I love the feeling when I’m done so I keep doing it.
-I am obsessed with finding original sources. Whenever I see something I really like on Pinterest I check to see if it came from a Tumblr or the original source. Often times I do some reverse searching through Google to see if I can find the original. It really bothers me when I can’t find it!
-Some evenings, like last night, Josh and I have craft night. We both do some sort of craft. It is seriously one of my favorite things to do.
-I’m pretty sure I have an ulcer.
-I sometimes self diagnose using Dr. Google. (See above, though I really do think I have an ulcer.)

I like resolutions. Some people don’t appreciate them like I do or prefer to call them “goals” like my brother. I like them because they help me focus and I do actually keep them. Looking at last year’s resolutions, I did pretty good. The key is to make realistic and slightly general resolutions. If you say, “I’m going to work out 6 times a week and run 10 miles every other day”…well, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Not many people can do that. But if you say, “I’m going to work out regularly and continue to run every week”…now that’s a resolution I won’t break.

So here are some of my goals for 2012:
1. Finally run a 5K.
2. Take one picture every day.
3. Learn to meditate. (I have a really, really hard time turning off my brain.)
4. Continue to develop and debut my new project. (More on that soon.)
5. Use my tripod more.
6. Get back in the habit of using coupons.
7. Send more thank you notes.
8. Read more.
9. Do an art project with Jasper weekly.
10. Keep a short daily journal that includes something I’m grateful for.

All doable! Here’s to a fresh start and a new year to get things right.

I was contacted months ago by a guy writing a book. He wanted to include my about.me page in it. I gave consent and didn’t really think about it again. A week or so ago it happened to cross my mind so I looked to see if the book was published. Sure enough, there it was on Amazon and even at a local Barnes & Noble. Over the weekend I went looking for the book and nervously flipped through it, kind of assuming I wouldn’t be in it.

As I thumbed through the index, there was my name with two page numbers listed. Holy crap. I flipped through to the pages and there I was. My face. In a book. The previous page talks about how as a photographer it would make sense for me to have an about.me page. I showed Jasper standing in line at Barnes and Noble. He yelled, “It’s Mommy!”. So that’s a pretty cool thing. Cross something off my bucket list that I didn’t know should be on it.

I’ve been back and forth on what to do with this little blog here. I’ve written about it before but it’s reached a different level lately. The problem with putting yourself out there on this platform is that you don’t really know who’s on the other side of the computer. Who’s reading? How are they reacting or interpreting your post? Is there someone using your blog and pictures as a direct template (digital theft template, not I paid $20 for this cool layout template) for their work?

The biggest problem for me is that I’m too sensitive. It’s a fault of mine that I’ve always had. I take things entirely too personally and often let something bother me that shouldn’t. I am me. So I am going to keep being me…faults and all. I will learn one day how to let things go a little easier and to not get my feelings hurt. Someday I’ll probably look back on this time and just pity my poor troll for not having anyone better to copy than little ole’ me. Then I’ll feel flattered. Then maybe more pity… Anyway, I’m going to guard myself a little more and bite my tongue so not to say anything I would regret. If that fails I may just post a picture of my butt and see if that’s copied too. ;) See you tomorrow.

I haven’t been feeling the greatest. Last week I could tell I was fighting something. I bargained with the sickness saying I just had to get through the wedding I shot on Saturday. I guess it listened because I’ve been not feeling well ever since. Yesterday I woke up with the worst sore throat that I’ve had in as long as I can remember. Josh works this weekend so I’m crossing my fingers I wake up feeling much better tomorrow. I have boatloads of work to do at the computer, a trashed house to clean and a rambunctious kid to take care of.

In other news, we carved our pumpkins.

Also, Jasper has been watching Star Trek with Josh lately. He thinks he’s Geordi La Forge.

On October 9th, I learned something new. I learned that you can register with the bone marrow registry to be a possible donor. I didn’t even know this was something I could do until reading about Amit Gupta who is the founder of Photojojo. Amit was diagnosed with Leukemia and now is waiting to find a match for a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately his ethnicity is severely under-represented in the registry. Though I’m not of South Asian descent I knew I wanted to sign up. The opportunity to possibly save someone’s life? Yes.

I received my kit from Be the Match on Friday and immediately went through the process so I could mail it back. I hope you’ll consider joining as well. I’d love to hear if do decide to to join.

Join now by registering here. What do you have to lose but the opportunity to save someone’s life?

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie

I saw this quote recently and have been thinking about how grateful I am. Through the past year of suck, I have been continually reminded what an amazing family and group of friends I have.  You’ve listened to me complain, you’ve been my shoulder to cry on, asked me how I’m doing even when it was hard to know what to say… The older I get the more I realize how lucky I am to have the friends and family I do. To those of you who have been there and supported me (you know who you are), I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I don’t know what I’d do or where I’d be without you.

Speaking of fall and cooler weather clothes…I love scarves. I think it’s because they are such a simple accessory that can pull the outfit together. The first semi-cool day this month I planned my outfit around a scarf. Since then I’ve worn quite a few of my favorites and have many to go which is exciting. I’ve been really into infinity scarves lately. I only have a couple so other ones I just tie the ends together.

I had a couple friends comment that they needed lessons on how to wear scarves. I found this video on YouTube which shows 25 different ways to wear a scarf. It’s fun to try different styles and scarves are a great way to do it.