Hello and thank you so much for visiting me here at my website, Capture Your Magic.

Each one of us has something unique to share with others. When we believe in ourselves, we have a much greater ability to make an impact on the world. Through our creativity and trusting in ourselves and our own abilities, we can inspire others.

It’s taken me a while to believe in myself. I used to question my creativity and it’s importance in my life. Now I know that it is essential for my well being. I hope that I can help you follow your heart and encourage you to bring those creative projects to life!

Asilomar

 

 

swing on the hill

it was the perfect day for a hike. and we had a mission. we had heard about a swing on a hill with a beautiful view of the city.

we couldn’t see it from where we started. so we started off on the path to explore. and then luckily, we ran into someone we knew who gave us directions to go through three gates and then take a left. as we walked through two gates, we took a left. we had doubted ourselves. was it two gates they said? or three? we soon realized we had been too antsy and should have continued, following the directions. needing to get back on track, we crossed over to the right path with a few zig zags, and switchbacks. and then we saw it, up on a hill, a teeny, tiny swing, in motion.

it was one of those days that even though we were moving forward, it seemed that we weren’t getting closer to the swing. but we kept taking step after step, and stopping when we needed to. finally, the hill appeared closer, and we saw two people on their way down. we stopped them. was it worth it, we asked? this treacherous hike? to get to that swing, and to see the view? absolutely, they said. so we continued. we persevered. and we made it to the top. to see this view. and not only was there one swing, there were two!

There seem to be a lot of ways to interpret our experience of this hike, our mini quest, and so much of what we are after in life.  a few steps forward, and some zigging and zagging, and some steps back, too.  but then we start again. step by step. and we get there!

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One of the things I love most about traveling is connecting with people even when we have no common spoken or written language. I remember these two boys well and how I wanted to capture their openness. Even though I couldn’t technically ask them if I could take their photo, I paused, showed my camera and with a gesture, I inquired if it was okay. This was long before cell phones, email, the internet, and selfies. Without carrying along a polaroid, there was no way to take a photo and share it like we do now with our mobile phones.

I love that I have numerous photos like these from my travels when I was able to connect with people non-verbally and capture these moments on 35 mm film. In many ways, this trip feels like a lifetime ago, but seeing this photo, it brings me right back to that moment.

 

00000562photo I took during a trip to India and Pakistan.

Nightly walks we took together,
in many countries we visited–
Zimbabwe , Botswana, India, Brazil
times we shared,
father and daughter.

he hoped I would see things
as he did.
a glass of water–
half-full
rather than
half-empty

My father took me outside my comfortable realm
teaching life lessons that cannot be learned inside
one’s comfort zone

In South Africa we visited Soweto,
In Zimbabwe he took us to a
leper colony,
I must have been only ten at the time
in Chicago,
when he held my hand to
cross the street
to give a homeless man some change

Be generous, compassionate, and open-minded
his stories showed
look out for your fellow neighbor, friend, or traveller
know your good fortunes
and help however you can

hands_upclose

I’m in the midst of a wonderful 9 month program with the wonderful Kate Courageous and this week’s topic is ‘trusting yourself.’ We have been reflecting on how we feel when we *do* trust ourselves, and how we feel when we *don’t* trust ourselves? What feelings, thoughts or actions come up when we trust ourselves? What ripple does that create in areas of our lives?

I took the above photo during a class with Vivienne McMaster. It remains a favorite of mine mostly because it expresses the feelings of being in touch with yourself, knowing yourself, listening to your self.

Let intuition be your guide. Believe that you have all the answers to go forward. Trust that you are meant to share your story, you are meant to follow your creative pursuits. You are meant to be of service to others. Trust in that. And do what you can to remind yourself of that daily.