Growing

My beans are growing. My kids are growing. Our business is growing. I am growing. It is exciting to see things develop.


It seems like when we had that prolonged cool weather, that our lives were reflecting that. I felt dormant. Yes, we were getting a lot of landscaping preparation done. That was a blessing to do minus the heat and mosquitoes. We did the major push for our "Just As I Am" project, which we're actually still accepting people for this week-end, and it was nice to have a quiet period in our business in order to focus on that. But my optimism, my physical energy, and my purpose were all very weak.


Now, it feels like we've regrouped our energies, and we're ready to branch out again. Stretching, expanding, reaching out, going deeper...and we anticipate a surge of growth that will bring our business to the next level. I believe this will happen as we do some inner work, find ways to feed our souls, and as we gather with supportive people.


These last two weeks have been interesting. I've been looking at energy in a number of different ways: learning about the fascinating way the body functions, taking more seriously how different things drain my energy, and looking for ways to boost my energy. One step I'm taking is using money to hire people to do things for me that aren't getting done easily and are dragging me down. It's a scary step, as I need to believe that more money will come when I do this to compensate (even abundantly more). But I am now willing to take the step and see it where it leads me. That, for me, is growth.


How are you growing?


(If anyone has a cleaning person or a bookkeeper they want to recommend, I'd love to hear it).

Faith, Fun and the Circus!

I’m tired and it seems there aren’t enough hours in the day. On the bright side the sun has come out a few times in the last two days and it has been a real mood booster to say the least to see that beautiful piece of fiery goodness.

This weekend we had a family outing on Saturday, we went to the circus together and then worked on some landscaping as a family. The circus, what a feeling of electricity I felt from our kids as we walked into the big tent in the Grant Park mall parking lot. We bought “Circus” Cotton Candy, and “Circus” Popcorn , a “Circus” Balloon and a “Circus” hotdog and mini doughnuts. What was so special about the “Circus” Food, to us it was simply really really expensive but to our children it was magical. It seems I have something on my forehead that says “Pick me” because in the whole tent full of people the clown picked me to come up on stage, be an idiot and ultimately get shot backstage (My kids were more than a little concerned about that) before ultimately emerging from behind the curtain to new life and a new lease on life.

Speaking of that I have had a number of people ask me about my faith, views on faith and all the rest of that mumbo jumbo so I will take a moment to let you into the deepest part of my being and share with you where I am at.

Firstly, I’m not a terribly religious person in that I define religion as a list of rules to follow to appease the gods or God. I do however have a deep faith and here it is:

I believe that God loves me (and you) and has a plan for my (and your) life.
I believe that I (and you) have missed the mark that God has set out for us, and are therefore sinful and separated from God.
I believe that God sent his very own son Jesus die on the cross 2000 years ago to bridge the separation between us and God.
I believe that God gives us the opportunity to either accept or reject the gift of his son and thereby accept or reject the opportunity of having a relationship with him (although God is not a boy or a girl, history has generally given God the Masculine words like he, him, his) should we choose.

To put it another way, Dad just wrote us a check for a million but the money isn’t actually ours until we decide to deposit the check or cash it.

As a Christian I don’t somehow feel as though I’m any better than anyone else because I’m not, I have simply chosen to ask for forgiveness for my many imperfections. I have also been asked how as a Christian I can do the type of work I do at Eve Studios or the types of projects I do such as Just As I Am. The answer is a simple one, when I look at the universe around us and the world in which we dwell I see such incredible beauty everywhere I look and I feel as though God is the ultimate artist. I also look at the body that God created and marvel at the beauty and complexity of it and quite frankly feel as though it is the ultimate slap in the face to God to not appreciate and capture the beauty of the human body and spirit.

I know this is sort of the readers digest version that I’ve just given you but when it comes right down to it faith is not nearly as complex as many make it, God’s biggest command is “to love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind and all your strength; and to love your neighbour as yourself." I feel as though if we all lived even a little bit like this the world would be a much better place.

I hope this answers some questions, if not, call me up and set up a time to bring me a beloved Pepsi and we can sit down and discuss anything that’s on your mind.

Love you all,

Rodney

Not dead yet!!

No I’m not dead or if I am heaven is a lot different then I imagined it to be. I’m so sorry about the time between blogs; I’ve been in Saskatchewan for a week and then trying to dig out of the aftermath of a week away from home and studio.

Firstly I must say to Jan and Sarah, congratulations on your newfound fame, I hear you were simply superb in your interview on CBC Radio. CBC wanted to do a story on the whole Just As I Am project but apparently I wasn’t handsome enough to be part of it; odd isn’t it since it was a radio interview. No offence taken though and Jan and Sarah were interviewed from the perspective of someone wanting to be a part of this project as a model. Unfortunately I missed it but we are hoping to get an MP3 that you can all link to.

I also want to send out a huge congratulations to Leila Marston, She was the feature actress this last weekend in a play that Sonya and I had the pleasure of taking in at the Ellice café and theatre. Leila was playing the role of a mermaid who was searching for an eternal soul, you were amazing Leila!!

Well as I mentioned I spent a week in Regina for a convention and have come back very inspired, I have so many things that I have learned that I want to try. Anyway, landscaping at the house is calling me and when it uses Sonya to call it’s best to listen and obey, I’ll talk to you all soon.

Blessings.

Rodney

Time to Move Outdoors

I'm guessing many of you are looking at my title and laughing in disbelief. It's been a cold month. We've been working on our yard a bit though, dreaming of flowers and vegetables, and looking forward to inviting friends over for BBQ's. And enjoying the absence of mosquitoes. Our eldest son keeps both of us fairly busy playing soccer as well.

But more than for enjoying our backyards, the time is coming for sessions to move outdoors. It may not be beach weather yet, but already there are places you can use for location sessions. The exchange district is the first to come to mind, but there are lots of options. Things will really be greening up and eventually the water will be warm enough for the beach.

Urban on-location shooting can be a lot of fun--you can focus on fashion, get funky, or feel like a movie star on set. More natural on-location shooting (parks, beaches, backyards, cottages) can personalize a shoot (if you do it somewhere that is meaningful to you), give a down-to-earth feel, and make use of that "sweet light" if you time it well.

Location shoots are $300. We're still doing studio work, but if you want to create something new and different in the next couple of months, give Rodney a call at 221-8413 and do a little dreaming. He'd love to hear from you.

Add-on as of June 5th:

We are having a special promotion for the month of June. All location shoots are 50% off...a savings of $150 (yes, the math is obvious, sorry).

Rodney is itching to get out and use all the ideas and techniques he's picked up since convention, so give him a call today at 221-8413! Or send him an email.

(Even if you have just the seed of an idea you'd like to try this summer, don't hesitate to contact him right away. You don't have to have it all figured out first.)

In the News

Our art project, Just As I Am, made it into the Free Press this week. Just thought I'd pass on the link.

Just As I Am Project

Well it seems to me that the job of artists in society tends to be to shed light on issues that we face on a daily basis; and given the description that I just gave I would propose to you that Jerry and the cast of Seinfeld were in fact the artists of the century for the 20th century. I draw a lot of inspiration from the light-hearted jokesters in that they seemed to fearlessly bring into the open things that we all thought and were afraid to say while making us laugh about it. As I develop as an artist I have found that it is in fact very difficult to do what Jerry did, it is hard when you feel the judgment of those around you to stand up and do what it is that you think is right or to say what needs to be said.

Just over two years ago I received a phone call from a friend, one of the best and most influential friends I will ever have. Tim is an art teacher in a Christian school in BC and on this particular week he had taken his grade 10-12 art students on a trip to the local art gallery as he was prone to do a couple of times a year. Tim described the experience as they went through the upper floor of the gallery and saw some wonderfully inspiring “Christian” art, that is beautiful water colors and landscapes but then to his horror as they went down into the lower gallery they were hit straight on by a cartoon character in full frontal nudity doing something very derogatory. Tim decided it was too late to turn back and proceeded through the gallery with his students electing to spend some time with them afterwards discussing what they had seen and their thoughts on it.

“Why was there nobody who looked like me in there” was one girl’s response, “They were all perfect bodies.”
“Why are there no Christians doing nudes in art” asked another girl.
“I didn’t feel uplifted in any way from what I saw” stated another.

Art has the power to change our lives, as long as we as artists come at it not as “how can I shock the viewer” but rather “how can I open up my soul or the soul of my subject in such a way as to touch the soul of the viewer.” I have never had the pleasure of going to Europe, but those that I have talked to who have seen the David or the paintings within The Sistine Chapel both of which were created by Michelangelo say that seeing these works literally takes your breathe away. What is it about beauty and the body that is so inspiring??

David the Israelite king whose appearance Michelangelo was trying to capture said in Psalm 139 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,” I don’t know about most people, but growing up I didn’t feel wonderfully made; I was a skinny awkward kid who never felt comfortable in my own skin. The terms “Bone rack” and “beanpole” will probably haunt me all of my life, and now as an adult I feel as though most of the time I am a beanpole with a big lump in the middle where my thundering abs should be, my chest too small an undefined, shoulders too droopy and arms too spindly; again I feel more fearfully than wonderfully made.

For the past two years I have been thinking about the project of photographing art nudes of anyone who would come in to stand in front of my camera and be photographed “Just as they are” but as is often the case I have spent the last two years in fear of how a project like this would be viewed and so put off doing it. This past year has been a great and hard year for me as Sonya and I have been working on Eve Studios a studio which focuses on building self esteem in women through photography. I have been deeply hurt by the stories I have heard from some clients as they struggle through the question of “Am I beautiful”, and hearing the stories of hurt and pain that many of our clients have held on to for years and decades for some. On the flip side I have had a number of clients who have come in fully confident that they are beautiful and very comfortable with their appearance, and in these cases I have felt immense joy. I have seen incredible beauty in clients of all ages and shapes and can honestly say that they are Fearfully, Wonderfully and Beautifully made.

Just As I Am is a project where anyone from 18 – 118 can come and have 10 mins of photography time to bare their souls as well as their bodies and come to the place of saying this is me, Just As I Am. I ask only a few things of those who wish to be involved, Please bring ID that proves your age, please either write a sentence or two or come with a phrase or two that you feel describes who you are. I welcome men or women to come alone, but also encourage them co come as a couple if they want, or to come as a group; but if you want to be a part of touching the lives of others and in fact be touched with the beauty of who you are please sign up for a timeslot and be part of the healing process.

Rodney

Fashion Shows and Art Projects

Well, the creative energy of spring must be flowing!

I was just at the Women Business Owner's "Tulips & Tea" Fashion Show and Fundraiser for Osborne House. I had the privilege of sitting with some wonderfully diverse women who all seemed to have a zest for life! I really enjoyed myself once the event got going.

I was deeply touched by the young woman who shared her story of how she finally escaped an oppressive relationship and has found a new life "One Year Later". I loved the passion of the Tina Turner impressionist, who also shared the message she gave troubled girls at Marymound...in a nutshell, "You have value and others better treat you good". I found the fashion show to be a refreshing look at what's out there in Winnipeg. My favorite line of clothing was from Glyfada Dress Design. I have never seen anything like it. Loved some of the other stores on Academy: 9 Boutique, Sue's, and Emile et Etiene. If you're coming to our blog after being at the show, what were your favorite parts of the event?

The other spring thing going on, coming up next week (from the 27th to the 2nd), is an exciting and important art project Rodney and I are undertaking. It's called "Just As I Am" and is going to showcase the beauty of the human body, create awareness of what "normal" bodies look like, and give people the experience of being vulnerable and naked before a camera and how that perhaps changes them in some way. For more information and to sign-up, please visit www.JustAsIAm.ca And if it resonates with you, please...tell others. We want as much diversity in age, cultural background, shape and size that we can possibly get. Come with a group or a friend or spouse and make it more fun!

wishing for purgatory

It's that time again, twice a year I redo the studio floors which amounts to sanding down the floors by hand, adding wood filler to the floors to get the bumps out (again by hand) and then sanding them again. Unfortunately by this time I'm not done yet, I still have the painting, scuffing and painting to go.

Well, I'm half way done or so and I have found out something that is probably very important, I now know beyond the Shadow of a doubt that I'm not a Catholic. What an interesting time to find that out you say, and however did you come to that conclusion, well very simply put last night and this morning I was acutely aware of the fact that I seemed to have scooted right past purgatory and slipped into the raging fire; that is every part of me was begging for mercy and wishing for a chance to buy or pray myself out of this hell that was in my muscles.

Well, gotta go, this was all the break time i could afford to take, until next time, bon voyage!!

Rodney

Why Every Woman should do an Eve Session

I had the privilege of speaking to a small group of women business owners and estheticians last Wednesday about our studio (which is probably why I missed blogging last week!) I wanted to share with them what an Eve Session is, what some of the benefits of a session are, and why they should consider doing an Eve Session. As I spoke, I could tell that what I was saying was going deep in many of them, and it was a real affirmation of what we do and of our need to spread the word of what we do.

So, I thought I'd include some of what I said there on our blog. Ideally, I would like to video this presentation live and put it on YouTube, but for now, I'll settle for the written version.

I. What is an Eve Session?

The purpose of every Eve Session is to celebrate the true beauty of a woman and build her self-esteem.

We do that by spending two hours of time focusing on capturing who she is in a wholistic manner...not just her sexuality (as in the glamour/boudoir days) or even just her outward appearance, but her personality, her passions, her "presence". Sometimes, this may involve artistic nudes...it all depends on her purpose for the shoot and her comfort with that kind of vulnerability.

The photographer, my husband Rodney (who was named Manitoba's photographer of the year in 2008) is not only excellent in what he does, but his creativity, sensitivity, and professionalism, make the experience every bit as memorable as the actual images themselves.

II. What are the benefits of an Eve Session?

The benefits are many and varied from person to person. One of the primary benefits I see is the ability of a session like this to answer a woman's most basic question, "Am I beautiful?" You see this question emerge from very early as a little girl twirl in her dress for all to see, just waiting for someone to notice her loveliness. And that question never goes away, although experiences in life may serve to push it down or answer it in a way that wounds us.

Another benefit I've noticed is how a session uncovers a woman's true beauty...her true self. We all carry around images of ourselves that don't necessarily reflect accurately who we are. These are formed from impressions from our youth when we went through awkward years of bad perms, ugly glasses, acne and insecurity...all captured for us in the school photo (which is an injustice in itself).

Other ways we gather false pictures of ourselves is (ironically) from the mirror. We may think this a true picture...how can it lie? But the mirror shows us our flaws close-up and out of context...all we see of our face is this and that zit, these large pores, that stray eye-brow, those dark circles (do you get what I mean?) And the full-length mirror might give a fuller picture, but it's all in bad overhead lighting while we're just standing there trying to decide if we look okay.

And then, of course, we form way too many opinions of ourselves from the judgments of others. If we're fortunate, we have a lot of affirming people in our lives, but we all know it's the negative judgments that tend to stick.

But what we don't have firmly in our minds, is the way we look when we are truly shining: we don't get to see the way we look when we are loving on our kids, serving a customer with genuine concern and friendliness, caught up in the moment during a beautiful sunset, laughing out loud, presenting confidently and intelligently in the boardroom or classroom, being immersed in something we love doing...those moments when we are truly alive and truly ourselves.

And that's what an Eve Session can offer...to capture us in those moments when we are truly alive and truly ourselves...in a way we can hold on to and cherish for the days and years to come. And that can be life-changing!

III. Why should I do an Eve Session?

I always like to make it a little personal near the end. Because I can't actually answer that question for anyone, what I like to do is ask more questions. We all have to do our own thinking and choosing. Sometimes we just need a little guidance. So, here are three more questions to as yourself:

1. What do I need?
- more confidence?
- feel better about my body?
- feel comfortable in my own skin?
- feel sexy (again)?
- be good to myself?
- recover from emotional trauma? (this has been a big step in healing for some people)

2. What's holding me back?
- feel too fat (this is a big one)
- scared (of being vulnerable, of pictures not turning out, of the unknown)
- too busy
- my ____________ (fill in the blank): stretch marks, cellulite, sags/breasts, butt, belly (we all have perceived flaws...one thing Rodney will ask at a consultation is: what do you want to show off/what do you want to hide?)

3. What is the next step?
- call Rodney at 221-8413 or send in an email enquiry from our website to set up a consultation (which is basically a chance to see our studio, meet Rodney, and talk about possibilities for your session...but there is no obligation to book at any time)
- book a session time (this can be for the following day (if you're lucky), the following week, or several months away
- do your session and feel amazing!
- book your show time, where you get to see your images and pick the ones you want for your album or wall


Oscar Wilde once said,

"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance".

Why not start today?

Waiting

You've probably been waiting for us to update this blog. We're all waiting for spring to arrive (or stay). If you've been driving in this weather, you've probably done your share of waiting in traffic. And if you're like several in our family, you're waiting for a persistent cough to clear up.

Waiting. Most of us aren't that crazy about waiting. Or good at it. My kids are notoriously impatient. I think they come by it honestly. Where am I going with this? I'm not even sure. That's what I like about the creative process. You never know where it might lead. It's like a great novel or an exciting adventure.

My friend is doing a lot of waiting these days. She broke her ankle in three places. Now she waits for it to heal. And waits for others to do things for her, when normally she is the one making things happen (and a lot of things happen at once, I might add).

I have experienced the waiting that comes with pregnancy three times. With the first came lots of reflection and anticipation...and a little trepidation. The second and third went by much faster, with less time to savour the experience.

With our business, we've done a lot of waiting...waiting for the breakthrough...where everything we've done starts to come together in synergy and our business takes off. Well, I think the waiting is over. It feels a little surreal at times, to see our dream becoming a reality, but I think it's slowly sinking in. It's been a long time coming.

I think the waiting has enlarged us (like being pregnant). I think it has expanded our capacity for hope. I think it has increased our ability to trust. I think it has opened up our hearts to be more grateful. I hope so.

Rodney and I often find it difficult to find the balance between "doing the stuff"and trusting. Sometimes it comes down to receiving the wisdom to do the "right stuff at the right time" and sometimes it is simply receiving a gift we could never have orchestrated ourselves. Those gifts "out of the blue" remind us of the vastness of God, so that we don't over-inflate (or over-work) our limited selves.

What are you waiting for? Have you been feeling desperate? Have you nearly given up hope? Do you wonder if you are foolish to believe it will happen? Are you afraid of disappointment?

The one who created us waits for us to turn to him. He knows our hearts. He knows what we need. He is fully capable of meeting those needs. Our part is to wait...in expectation (and with a bit more "stillness" than my children!)



Well, I think I got to where I needed to go. I hope the path was scenic enough.

I'm waiting to hear from you!