A Shot of Inspiration

When I grow up, I want to be an artist. At least I'm 98% sure I do... sometimes it's so hard for me to even imagine owning a studio and selling work for a living. I have a full-time job, and by the time I get home, get my run in and eat dinner, I don't feel like doing anything other than sitting on my butt and watching TV.

And then I read the blog of photographer Kirsty Mitchell. How incredibly inspiring! She and I are alike in many ways, and reading about her transition from full-time fashion designer working the grind in the city to full-time artist working her own crazy hours and building her dreams really inspired me to get working on my own portfolio. Maybe some day I'll be able to grow some guts and venture out into the art world too.

Kirsty's elaborate costumes, incredible props and meticulous installations are so detailed, I get sucked into each and every photo as my eyes try to take in every last bit of hand-crafted beauty. See what I mean? Wow... not a touch of Photoshop- honestly. Everything in the pictures was on the set.





While I have yet to hire models and go to the great lengths for photo shoots that Kirsty and her team do, I too prefer to shoot in natural light outdoors in beautiful, colorful locations. I also tend to create a lot of props for my photography. I love to incorporate textiles into my work too, mainly knit and crotchet, and while I can't put "fashion designer" on my resume, I like to think I can navigate my way around some costumes. 

I'm almost embarrassed to post these after looking at Kirsty's work, but here are a few of my favorite photos I made in undergrad. I made all the knitted objects, and the subject of the final image is a huge knitted piece I made out of recycling twine, knit on sharpened one inch dowels and dip-dyed to represent the change of seasons, then secured it to the trees as if they themselves were knitting the fabric of life on earth.

Earthwears #1, 2012
Earthwears #2, 2012
Earthwears #3, 2012
Self Portrait, 2012
The Gift of Change, 2012
Anyways... reading Kirsty's blog got me so excited about a project I thought out quite some time ago. I've been slowly working on a couple series of self-portraits (which I hate- but if I can do it, it would really mean a lot more to me than using someone else), and one of them is centered around a theme of yarn addiction. It's a real thing! I swear! :) Here's a sneak peek... I don't want to get into details right now, but I'll try to keep updated as I make progress.

Sneak peek... this may take a while!
 I even cleaned up my craft room for a fresh start! I'll give you two guesses what my favorite colors are! :)

Spud is enjoying the clean rug and open space.
A fresh, blank idea board ready to collect inspiration!
Finally got a bookshelf.

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