#their art has such delightful texture btw

[kirby-the-gorb]

[keepinventory]

💌 give me words my wi

JACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! jack i love you SO much i am the luckiest person alive EVER because i know you. you're so kind and thoughtful. you always give it your very best to help people when you know what needs doing & i admire that confidence so much. you're so cool and silly at the same time which is a delightful combo. i LOVE spending time with you!!! you're so easy to hang out with my day is made 10000x better when i get the chance to talk to you. like a weight off my shoulders Everything's gonna be OK! type of feeling and i KNOW you've said the same to me before but it's true both ways OK?! i mean it!!!!!

also SO much of your vocabulary has infected my own. and now i make fucking NOISES all the time which like. im not sure if thats your fault but i didnt do that before. and now that i talk to you i do. so what the hell!?!! anyway !!!!!!! your art is suuuuuch an inspiration, it's so dynamic and unconstrained, you could make a guy sitting in a box SO entertaining and interesting. and thats not even getting INTO all the crazy special effects and textures and painting shit you can do. INSANE. and dont even get me STARTED on your mspaint drawings either!!!! OUTRAGEOUS how fun those are! its always such a joyous treat whenever its time for Jack's Mspaint Doodles. they're like the art equivalent of stocking stuffers you know? (i looooved unwrapping stockings at christmastime if this analogy is confusing btw).

JACK IS ALSOOOOO TAKING COMMISSIONS!!!!! and all of my followers should give him money if they want awesome crazy artwork that's so fun to look at.

1 day i will give you a bear hug like no freaking other just you MARK. My words.

[beatriceportinari]

Art evolution

I mentionned a while ago it would be fun for me to look at how my art evolved since I started drawing as a little kid and here it is! With pictures! Under a cut because there’s gonna be a lot

First period: 2001-2003

This was probably my most prolific period lmao. I was between 4 to 7 at that time,  living at my old house without a sibling yet and with a TON of time to draw. Since my parents were also collecting everything it was easy to find some delightful things

I was very fond of drawing things around me, like my house with a corner sun, birds in my grandma’s birdhouse, or the hot air baloon festival happening in the neighboring town.

My two favourites that I discovered where this one that I drew when my brother was born in 2003 that genuinely made me tear up:

And this very fun snail made from shells I found during a trip to the sea.This one’s great because it’s announcing everything from weird material usage to spirals, the sea, animals and fun textures.

Second period: 2004-2010

I was either drawing less or conserving less drawings because I only have things I did in school or during some activities left that are still in my appartment

The frogs and tadpoles were done in 4th grade and it was the first time I did origami! I also kept drawing the sea apparently. Top right is my version of découpage, an paper cutting traditional art from my region, usually depicting alpine scenes. You can see better exmples and an explanation here x

Third period: 2011- 2013

This was middle school to beginning of high school, where I kinda stopped drawing because I hated the art classes there and haven’t kept much from then unfortunately!

Let’s start with middle school, which consists  mostly of anime

I only have this piece left from high school classes, for which the ‘’prompt’’ was to ‘’take a photo of the bottom of our toilet, paint it on an A3 format, draw an aquatic bird over it, and add some text relating to said bird’’. Since I’m only allowed 10 photos per post I think I’m gonna leave you with that to imagine what it looks like.

Fourth and final period: 2015 to now

As soon as high school happenned I started drawing again, and haven’t really stopped since. At that time I was also on tumblr and taking pictures of my art so I have more sources. This is also were patterns become way more apparent!

For example this rose pattern which has survived for at least 2 years as well:

It’s a very goo example of how my art’s evolved as well, from small format simplistic black and white designs, to elaborate carvings on crayon, glitter appliqué, etc

This is where I start using more fun materials as well: nail polish, flitter, pain, gel pens etc. I thought I would have done this when I was a kid as well, but it seems like unless I was encouraged to do so in school I stayed with pens and pencils (both boxes which I still have from those periods btw)

This period is also when I go back to origami though!

And we’re pretty much caught up with the present now! So I’ll leave you with a wip of my best girl, you know who I’m talking about

Thank you for reading all this if you’re still here! this was very fun to do, I recommend even as just a personal thing to see what you’ve done and how it’s changed.

[kinzzatariq]

M A R A H E B •// Food Tasting

Hello foodies!! Now you can add one more destination to your list, as the Dubai’s posh restaurant Maraheb has opened its doors in Karachi’s Bahadurabad area (located right next to Swenson’s Ice-cream parlor).

🌟 Offering a Yemeni/Arabic cuisine, Mahareb’s ambience has also got a touch of prehistoric cultural heritage.

With calligraphy art on the walls, the restaurant gives pure Arabic vibes!

Coming to Food (Actual) part 😛

🌟 Initially we a were served with Rainbow Hummus Mezze served with warm & toasted pita. As the name Rainbow suggests, hummus was in four colorful flavors: Original, beetroot, capsicum and spicy.

🌟 Second appetizer was their Spicy Lebanese Batata: Potato chunks served with shredded chicken loaded with cheese and dynamite sauce. 😋

🌟 Chiller / Drinks: Ordered Pina Colada which was basic and Guava Chiller & Mint Lemonade which i loved. Quite Refreshing!

The starters were followed by the main course which is definitely an addition to the city’s emerging Mandi culture.

🌟 Saltah Fahsa with Muluawa/ Milawa Bread: Loved the huge garlic naan (muluawa) but personally felt that Saltah Fahsa was just basic ‘ghar wala’ salan :p

🌟 Zorbiyan: This is a latest addition to their menu which chicken/mutton (your choice) served over rice in a ‘mitti ka bartan’ 👌🏻 It is garnished with roasted nuts.

  DESSERTS 🍮

🌟 Kunafeh: This oh-so-sweet Turkish delight was a rich treat to the taste buds served with Pistachio gelato. 🍧

🌟 Red Velvet Milk cake: It wasn’t just an ordinary Red Velvet, you guyyss. It was a Tres Leches cake 🤤 The distinct texture made us all drool and not share it AT ALL, it was so yummy bt the picture didn’t do justice 😦

BTW, IT IS THE BEST THING ON THEIR MENU.

RATING:

Ambiance: 5/5 Food: 4.5/5 Service: 4.5/5

– Happy Eating

Which one is your favorite Arabic Food spot? Let me know in the comments below.

MARAHEB •// Food Review M A R A H E B •// Food Tasting Hello foodies!! Now you can add one more destination to your list, as the Dubai’s posh restaurant Maraheb has opened its doors in Karachi’s Bahadurabad area (located right next to Swenson’s Ice-cream parlor).

[pauldeckerus]

Guest Blog: Karen Hutton – Photographer, Purveyor of Awesomeness

Love and awe.

Two of my favorite concepts in all of art and Life itself.

Oh, also pithy. I freakin’ love that word. It means: “a language or style that is concise and forcefully expressive.” Yeah, pithy is cool. And fun to say!

Scott Kelby… thank you for providing a place for all three of my favorite things to thrive in uncountable ways. And I don’t just mean for me – I mean for everyone who loves photography and learning. You are indeed a force of nature for Good.

BTW… I still get such positive comments about this episode of “The Chat” (a show I self-produced a few years ago, just for fun), from all the way back in 2014, I wanted to re-share it here. It was a revelation…

Which brings us in perfect full-circle manner back to Love and Awe; two of the most powerful creative forces in the universe.

Photography is Love Made Visible. That’s a statement, isn’t it? I could also say that “Art” is love made visible. Or creativity, period – if it results in something that is actually visible.

In my opinion, if you want to take a beautiful, defining image that speaks from your soul, you have to fall in love with it. Madly, truly, deeply in love.

A picture is a poem without words. -Horace

People sometimes think I’m a little “woo-woo” about all this. They (mistakenly) think I don’t focus on the technical aspects of photography.

Mais non!

At a certain point in my life, I got busy and focused so MUCH on the technical aspects of my photography that it simply doesn’t lead the show anymore. Sufficiently internalized, technique becomes like muscle memory in photography, just as it does in sports. It’s just there, like a car with a full tank of gas, engine humming, waiting to see where to next. Which, in turn, frees you to focus upon the feeling, vision or the message of your art. I call it: Technique in Service of Vision.

Of course,  if a new technique were to present itself that I really wanted to master, then I’d get busy! I’d practice it, repeat it, over and over, till it was embedded into my nervous system, so that I could speak fluently in its language without thinking about it. Only then could I spontaneously create with it.

Mastering technique so you can go do cool stuff with it was basic to every sport and artistic discipline I’ve done to a high level, whether it was acting, singing, figure skating, equestrian sports, downhill skiing, voiceovers. I’m a great believer in “technique will set you free” in most disciplines. But only if it’s set into its proper place; which is “in service of” performing said discipline in a signature fashion – and not as an end unto itself.

Here’s how I see it… 

The camera and lens(es) you have ought to inspire you with new ideas, not demand that you conform to its way of thinking. For instance: if you hate menu-diving, don’t choose a camera that forces you to do that, no matter how popular it is.

Settings are made to be broken! Learn which settings allow you bend light YOUR way. For instance: love to smooth the water, but prefer a bit of thready texture in it? Learn how many seconds of exposure creates that effect, under which light conditions and with which filters so you can have just the way you want it every time, quickly and without fuss. Task yourself to go out and spend a day around bodies of water (oceans, lakes, rivers, puddles, streams, fountains, etc.) and practice this until you figure it out. Then do drills under as many varying circumstances as you can find until it’s second nature. I had a ski coach once who said “You can call yourself a good skier when you can ski down any part of this mountain anytime, under any conditions. You don’t have to do it fast, you just have to be able to do it – anytime, anywhere.” I approach photography in the same way, because only then will technique sit in the background, ready to be of service and not tug at your attention like a needy kid. Only then will your mind be free to create.

Frame the elements and relationships – no more, no less – that contain the feeling you want to get across in its entirety. I’m talking composition, of course. Keep asking yourself “What is it about this frame do I love so much?” “Why?”  “Where’s the story?” and move around, close in, pull back, push yourself to get so specific until you’ve honed in precisely on what it is that’s filling you with a sense of awe. Only then press the shutter!

Learn your craft, do your homework and pretty soon, you’ll be free to fall in love and feel awestruck about your subject – and create a visual poem about it.

That’s when your images will finally become the story that only you can tell – and that the world is waiting breathlessly to hear.

It’s the ultimate blend of technical, feeling and experiential – all wrapped up into one split-second moment of time where you press the shutter and capture a moment that moves your soul.

I lead a series of retreats and adventures I call “The Artist’s Voice”, that go way into this process. And it IS a process! I’ve been doing it my whole life over several different disciplines and I’m still learning. It’ll never stop. As I change as a person, so do the stories and feelings I want to share.

The Power of Awe As photographers, we all know the feeling Awe. Incredible sunrises, sunsets – and dramatic weather… the perfect moment captured on the streets… a newborn baby… any of these can be absolutely spiritual and awe-inspiring.

Studies have now been done to quantify the utterly transformative power that Awe has on us. We are hard-wired for it and are at our absolute best when we’re infused with wonder and awe – large or small – on a daily basis. Art becomes a transcendent medium when it moves people in that direction.  

Some researchers have described awe as “that sense of wonder we feel in the presence of something vast that transcends our understanding of the world.” In those moments, we lose that tired, boring sense of self-importance. Instead, we tend feel more at peace, kinder, more creative and big-thinking (vs. small-minded).

The cool thing is that you don’t have to seek out ever-larger events like some adrenaline junkie to experience wonder and awe; you can find it in everyday, simple ways. It takes focus, desire, willingness to see it. And practice, practice, practice to capture it.

Learning to look through the lens of wonder and awe is both a technique and a discipline. It’s one that opens you up to so much more. It’s how the voice of your soul can finally be heard. It’s how you unleash the creative flow into your mind’s eye – your camera, and the lens through which you see life itself. It’s how you flip technique around to where it serves you – not the other way around.

I think most photographers forget this.

And it keeps them in bondage to the “Am I doing it right?” monster, which – as many of us know too well – leads to self-doubt, second guessing ourselves and feeling generally not creative and frankly, feeling kinda crappy about ourselves.

It’s time to STOP THE MADNESS!!

Love and awe.

Two of my favorite concepts.

Because they will set you – and the creative force that is your birthright – free.

What’s Your Story? Why does any of this matter, in the grand scheme of things? Because every day, we create our reality selection through the choices we make. How we choose to see things, what we choose to focus upon, the stories we tell ourselves and others about our life experience. Our desires, creations and the way we choose to feel ALL become part of our  “book of life.”

At this point in my own life, I’m much more interested in building a world full of people, feelings and experiences that I love. Ones that make me happy, fill me with awe and think better thoughts. And that I can talk about with pithiness. Did I mention how much I love that word?

Grin.

You know that old saying “Thoughts become things”? I’ve learned for sure that it’s true, every word.

Every day we are giving the opportunity to look through the lens of more beauty, love, joy and happiness into our life. And to notice what some might call “the mundane” in delightful and unusual ways. Talk about seeing photographically!

A Primer for Practice Now then.

Wondering how to put all of this into practice? I thought you’d never ask. I’d suggest experimenting with something like this:

Slow down. Slow your breath, your mind, even your steps. Heck, try putting your camera down for a minute!

Feel. “Feel what?” I hear you ask. Oh – just feel. Feel your breath, the air, the light, your heartbeat. Just feel – both emotionally and physically. What do you feel in your legs? Your gut? Your throat? These are not things photographers normally think about, but they are the beginnings of putting yourself into the present moment. Which is where life (and art) actually happen.

Ask yourself “Why?” A lot.  “Why does this scene move me?” “What could I tell (show) someone about it – specifically – that would let them feel it too?” “What do I love so much about this?” Keep asking yourself these questions – and sense your responses – until you’re moved to pick up your camera. Hint: Don’t pick up that camera until you can’t NOT do it.

Frame the shot by feel. Leave out any element that doesn’t contribute to the story. Then, like a geiger counter, sense when you get an “Aha!” response in your body. It might be a gasp, your heart might leap, you might get butterflies – some physical response will tip you off.

Only then press the shutter. Y’know. When Awe calls.

Other Stuff I lead photography retreats and other photo adventures all about finding your artistic voice in photography and the power of awe. Lake Tahoe is coming up in October, 2018, and I would love for you to join me!

If all this intrigues you, check out my KelbyOne courses (a brand new one is coming out Sept. 2018!).

I love sharing my current obsessions with friends and subscribers. This week it’s this mini washing machine, which rocks the clean in tiny homes and apartments. I’ve been using one, as we’ve been going through a home renovation. It’s awesome! Now I’m trying to figure out how to bring it with me when I hit the road for some extended trips with my truck ‘n travel trailer next year. ;)

Karen Hutton is a Professional Fujifilm X Photographer, International Landscape and Travel Photographer, Voice. Through stunning imagery, humor, thought-provoking ideas and a genuinely positive outlook, she inspires people to discover their artistic voice in photography — while making it all feel like an unforgettable and eye-opening adventure.

She has been featured internationally by Fujifilm, presented at Photographer Talks at Google, created online courses for KelbyOne, has been translated into multiple languages and speaks all over the country about photography and inspiration.

Her adoring fans + customers have called her “Pure JOY, LIGHT & absolute FUN!”, “An inspirational gem” and “Incredibly artistic. Captivatingly genius. World class!”

Guilty pleasures? When she’s not traveling the world, you can find her watching epic movie trailers, crunching popcorn at the latest Marvel Comics blockbuster and sipping Bulletproof coffee, wondering if anyone realizes she’s basically drinking butter.

Discover the soul-vibrancy of your photographic artistic voice at KarenHutton.com and The Artists Voice Adventures, and keep up with her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

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