Friday, July 20, 2012

That's Me!

My current direction of professional self-improvement is working on hand-lettering. So I did some, and oh look! it says Vanderwel, that's me. :D So I made a quick iphone background that I know the other half of these Vanderwels is going to love.


Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Going to the Ocean!

Next week, I'm going to the ocean! My hubby and I are travelling down the Oregon coast  to go to prison. No really, our final destination is Alcatraz in San Francisco, the only place Dwayne REALLY wanted to go. In all honesty, I'm not super stoked to go into a dark creepy prison, but I get it. It was the show (badly done as it was...) that got him hooked. It was also probably the show that gave me that creepy feeling I get when I think about visiting there...!

We compromised by him agreeing we could end our trip at the Seattle Zoo (hmm, who could have requested that one?) Although now that I think about it, I'm not sure we'll have time. Either way though, spending a week travelling beside the ocean will be wonderful enough!! 

On monday I was gripped by the need to finally make something of the canvas I have had sitting in the spare room for a few months. I went home and started with some of my favourite colours and some paintings I was inspired by, and ended up with this! Something tells me I'm more excited than I realized about travelling to the ocean!



Friday, July 13, 2012

Catch The Sun

My life as a Nikon owner (bought my D7000 yesterday!) started with an end:






I've been asked a few times why I chose Nikon over Canon. To me, the debate is so "Mac vs PC." The reasons I have for choosing Nikon over Canon are not as significant as the reasons that I chose to buy a new camera. My experience with Canon vs Nikon isn't fair to compare: a low end Canon vs. a mid-range Nikon. My Rebel was so not cutting it anymore, and I found myself more inclined to leave it at home than return with photos I wasn't happy with. My experience was too advanced for my tools! I was ready for a new camera and Nikon had what I was looking for. (if budget was no issue I'd buy a D4 and spend every waking minute snapping photos, but it kinda is an issue so I went for a mid-range camera body)

I'm not "pro" with thousands of dollars worth of gear and experience with all kinds of lenses and camera bodies! And even those guys say "its a matter of preference!" Yes, there are a few things that Nikon does better than Canon (and vice versa I'm sure), including off-camera flash co-ordination, which is something I love and have really enjoyed learning about. So when I save up some more, I'm excited to be able to dive in deeper. Thats the only concrete reason I have for choosing Nikon. 

Other than that...it kinda feels like I finally found the perfect pair of pants. It just fits!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Simple.


some people are really good at being succinct. I am not. But I will try, because really, its simple. 

Recently everything changed for me when I realized, like really UNDERSTOOD, that life is much much richer when you think about others rather than yourself. We're all much more selfish than we realize. The next time you feel unworthy, awkward, ugly, or like a failure, just STOP, and find someone to serve. Nothing makes you feel worse about yourself than dwelling on the fact that you feel bad about yourself. The truth is: you are NOT any of those things. You are incredibly valued and loved by your creator! The only way you will understand that in your heart, in the midst of feeling the complete opposite, is to start living like you're worth it so you can see the proof. Focus on others, and eventually you'll look back and see the sunrise.

...was that ok to say?