#AskEmilytheArtist: Questions from May 11th, 2016 - 5/18/16

Good Morning & Happy Wednesday!

Last week I started #AskEmilytheArtist where you ask me questions with this hashtag on Twitter & SnapChat (ylimesotrab). You can ask me questions anytime, of course, but to make Wednesdays fun I started this idea in order to talk more about art in social media, and to interact more with followers or people who just have questions about anything creative or art-related.

@ylime_sotrab What inspires you? #askemilytheartist

— Jena Richter (@JenaRichter) May 11, 2016

Thanks @JenaRichter for your question! This is a hard one to answer because so many things do, and I could go on and on for a while. I could do many series of blog posts about this, and just point at my 67 Pinterest boards. Some are easy: I love weird things that may/may not exist in this world, hence my interest in monsters; nature and the outdoors; the idea of traveling the world; everything from the golden Hollywood area: old Hollywood films, vintage stylings, pinups; the arts in all forms--particularly illustration, design, and photography; the challenge of finding the beauty in the banal everyday; and of course bright colors and most things fantastical (unicorns)!
I would have to say though, my biggest inspiration is found through empowering people, particularly women with boudoir. As a woman, I've had my own issues with self-confidence, self-love, and self-worth. These are still things I struggle with, and I'm just going to say it so I don't get misunderstood--men and women are equal, and both can have these issues, and if I can have a role in helping both genders, I'm all for it. Naturally, I am more in-tune with my own gender identity and I find my interests and style to generally work better for women. After all, I'm attempting to incorporate unicorns in all my branding. I know I have a talent and means to make people look and feel beautiful, and getting to know my clients and how amazing they are....they're the ones that truly inspire me. I can find the beauty inside and out, and help them remember or realize it and get a boost of self-confidence. I remember how it felt to find my own, and the idea of doing this for others makes me want to stop at nothing to create things that work with this idea.

.@ylime_sotrab If you could collaborate with any artist living or dead (or even undead, I guess) who would it be and why? #AskEmilyTheArtist

— bashattack (@bashattack) May 11, 2016

This is such a fun question, @bashattack! This is tricky too, because I love so many artists...but I would have to say, Vincent Van Gogh. He worked so hard his entire life and made so many amazing paintings with a style that was his own, and to this day, there is no one else with the originality he used with his brushstrokes. You can't touch it. Of course, the Dr. Who episode Vincent and the Doctor is my favorite, and had a chance to show what a magical human being he was and how much sadness and emotion there was. I love how he painted everyday scenes but made them twisted, colorful, and anything but ordinary. I try and do that with my work. To collaborate with this master would be a dream come true!

Being that today is Wednesday, and the day is young, I am taking questions again today! Please ask me questions on Twitter and SnapChat (links and usernames above) with the hashtag:

#AskEmilyTheArtist

Questions can be about anything having to do with art, creative things, photography, design, drawing, working as a freelance artist...the possibilities are near-endless! I want to connect with all of you and create an art community where we can bring it to a greater population--through my brand, yours if you have one, and ourselves as individuals! Examples of questions include:

• Where are the best places to shop for art supplies online?
• What type of camera and equipment do you use?
• What is your process in developing a brand?
• Where do you shoot boudoir photography if you don't have a studio?
• Where are awesome places to see art in my town?

 The possibilities of questions are endless, and I invite you to ask me! I will write about all the questions that I receive on a Wednesday the following week. We just got started, and I want to make this fun for everyone!

I hope you all have a great day! Work hard, treat others well, and take time for yourself and find some inspiration in your day! <3

xx emily

Mo and the Magnolias - 4/21/16

she woke up every morning with the option of being anyone she wished. how beautiful it was that she always chose herself. ~ tyler kent white 

I keep seeing all these pretty canopies of floral clouds everywhere I walk now. It's great to see the earth finally blooming after what seemed like a forever winter (and how it teased us!).

The magnolias are always my favorite. Their blooms are so full and soft, each fine petal a gradient of rose to ivory and they reach and cascade down to our level to greet us and scatter us with their delicate, lush confetti. I always want to dance through their showers.

Mo was perfect for a first spring photo shoot. If she couldn't reach the blossoms, she brought them to us and made some magic happen, shaking the glitter from their branches.

Wintry Picnic Point Hike - 1/23/16

Now that the temperature is finally not as frigid, Toby, myself, and Bullett the dog decided it would be a good idea to do something outside today. A popular, nearby choice location is Picnic Point.

Picnic point is owned by the University of Wisconsin and is a part of their Lakeshore Nature Preserve, and in its prime over the summer you can spend your days roasting marshmallows or hiking. The cold has seemingly not kept anyone off the trails, since they were iced over from all the snow being trampled by many sets of feet. I had to tread very carefully so as to not slip. Even Bullett, who has much better footing for these conditions occasionally had to regain his balance.

We ventured to the trails a little after 3pm to enjoy our little hike as the sun was setting. There was a population of ice fishermen, ice skaters, and college students enjoying the frozen, placid surface of Lake Mendota. I was able to recognize an engagement session taking place from my experience in photographing weddings (at Picnic Point), and could even tell when the groom-to-be had to run back to the car to get the engagement ring so it could be photographed in the snow. Bullett was having the time of his life; Toby holding the leash, and I holding my camera.

We hope to return to Picnic Point this summer to investigate potential paranormal activity. Rumor has it a red ghost light floats over the lake from the point over to the Capitol. Until then, enjoy the wintry images from our miniature adventure not too far from home.

 

 

A Walk to the Lake (1/16/16)

Today was one of those days where we tried to do too much in one day, and things didn't go as planned. It happens. I personally am notorious for this, but I have found that it is better to go with the flow than to fight it.

I wont tell you one of those "you just had to be there" stories, so I will just say that my boyfriend and I spent an hour driving (round-trip) to spend only fifteen minutes at Indian Lake County Park just outside of Madison, Wisconsin where we live.

We were dressed in many layers, and I personally had on three pairs of socks. The sun had gone down by the time we arrived at the park, and the lake was like glass.The trail was bumpy and iced over from the former footsteps of others before us. I was carrying my solid aluminum tripod, and the cold metal was transferring to my fingertips despite my attempt at keeping my fingertips warm. Bullett the dog was ecstatic to be there, his thick winter coat shielding him from the nipping air. Naturally, practically-hairless humans cannot withstand the biting winter cold the way a Pointer mix can. We decided to call it, our hands practically numb and the icy wind licking our faces raw.

We can laugh about our silly little trip, warm up with a glass of mead, and I can say that I at least took one picture.

Cheers.

Spontaneous Portraits (Summer 2015)

Sometimes you just need to ask to take pictures of people to stay inspired. It helps when your friends are these people. Here's a look back to that impromptu photoshoot from Late July.

Of course, we ended our day with pizza.

Favorites from Summer 2015

Not everyone values photography with the same intensity as a person in the field may.  Regardless, I discover the importance of capturing memories in this manner when it's an icy, rainy, gray November day and I'm huddled in my sweatshirt nasty and congested. I think back to summer, taking my camera everywhere from sun-up to sun-down, capturing whatever caught my eye. I miss that presence of sunshine that goes away so early this time of year.

Here are just a few of my favorites I took from this summer.

Forest Hill Cemetery (11/6/15)

There is a large cemetery just down the road a ways from where I live. I've walked by it hundreds of times and acknowledged its presence, but I overlooked it as a simple landscape with rows of granite slabs.

The city of Madison purchased the land for Forest Hill Cemetery in 1857 around the time of the Civil War. Given the fact that this occured during the Civil War, the cemetery is rich with civil war history--including a Union soldier plot, a Confederate plot (held prisoner at Camp Randall), and there are several Native American burial mounds on the land as well.

There are tales of ghosts being present here. We did not see any that day, if you are curious...but the trip provided interesting history, a splendid fall hike, as well as an opportunity to photograph some hauntingly beautiful and  interesting subject matter.