Category: inspiration

Slow Living Project: Love

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Each month I contemplate (very slowly, very mindfully about) introducing the hashtag #slowliving_blogpost because, well, I’m a little slow to post. Something I’ve come to accept, and even appreciate, about living slowly is that you become the final judge of your pace, not others. At first, it’s hard to feel comfortable in it because others have their expectations, others are whizzing and whirling around you, but ultimately we know the rhythm that is best for us. A slower pace has many benefits, not the least of which is being more connected to the moment.

So, on to love, let’s connect with love. With February’s focus on ‘love’ another beautiful collection of photos has formed as part of the Slow Living Project (read this post if you want to hear about how the project began, how it works and how to join in). Melanie and I wanted to focus on the word ‘love’ and to see what you love and how you capture it. We were both deeply inspired by the beautiful images and the heartfelt words you shared.

The photos and moments that struck me the most are shared below. (For my selections under ‘Wise Words About Love’ I especially encourage you to visit these galleries and read the captions.) You can view all the contributions to the gallery here. As always, thank you to everyone for sharing and inspiring others.

Love: The Basics

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Photo by @mytinytribe

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Photo by @weevintage

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Photo by @ekwetzel

Love in an embrace, a glance, a hand

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Photo by @magdalenadom

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Photo by @ambertia

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Photo by @lulu_pine

Loving the simple things: music, friends, nature, others

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Photo by @chicangelic

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Photo by @jaibess

Handmade love

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Photo by @fareisle

Wise words about love

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Photo by @lillalinaea

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Photo by @hanbullivant

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Photo by @devine_tribe

Melanie’s selections can be found over on her blog www.geoffreyandgrace.com.

Thank you to everyone who participated this month and shared their slow living moments. Everyone, old and new, is welcome, so please join us in March as we explore the theme ‘create’ (for a second time!), using the same hashtag as before #slowliving_create. We hope you will find interesting ways to capture creativity and creation in the everyday. Slow down and notice those moments, create and share them. The last time we focused on ‘create’ the images were not only beautiful, but more importantly captured the spirit of creativity and creation in a slow and intentional way. We saw people bringing creativity to breakfast or a simple moment on the beach, slowly working at a creative project over days and weeks, and bringing slow intentional creativity to their time with children. See the selections post here for inspiration. At the end of the month, Melanie and I will select our favourites to share on Instagram and on our blogs. We can’t wait to see what you create! As always, please feel free to interpret this word broadly and in a way that resonates with you.

As a reminder, in December we started using the hashtag #slowliving_ for all our images in the project. Feel free to use it yourself, especially for any photos you love but don’t feel quite fit the theme of the month.

You can see previous month’s themes and selections ‘create’ here, ‘explore’ here, ‘bloom and harvest’ here, ‘raise’ here, ‘gather’ here, ‘renew’ here.

  • Our Pinterest board ‘Slow Living Moments’ includes all photo selections from the project, you can visit it here.

Thank you to everyone who shares photos and inspires us to live slowly, wholeheartedly, with gratitude. Best wishes for a beautiful and creative month! xo, Danielle

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Slow Living Selections: Bloom and Harvest

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Another month of the Slow Living Project, and another set of inspiring images has been collected — this time under the hashtag #slowliving_bloomandharvest. This past month, Melanie and I wanted to focus our slow living on the season’s changes: the harvest in the northern hemisphere and the blooms of spring in the southern hemisphere. Thank you for sharing your moments of beauty, contemplation, stillness, and connection. We were very inspired, and had a hard time choosing a small selection to share with you, so please visit the hashtag to enjoy all that was offered this month.

What I was most inspired by were the surprises in the gallery, those of you who cleverly combined blooms and harvest: reflecting on the dying bloom, harvesting flowers to create blooms in a new context, capturing the bloom of the harvest, and thinking about bloom in a broader sense: the blooming child, the blooming mind. I curated my selections for the month around notions of play, contemplation and exchange between bloom and harvest.

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Geraldine @devine_tribe

Melanie’s selections can be found over on her blog www.geoffreyandgrace.com.

Thank you to everyone who participated this month, please join us in November as we explore the theme ‘raise’ in the context of slow living. Raise can be played with and interpreted broadly. As a parent ‘raise’ strikes a particular meaning for me, as I try to guide my children through early life. But raise can also mean to grow, to increase, to create, to give voice to, to bring to maturity, to give rise to, to awaken. Whatever it connotes for you, we’re excited to see how you are inspired to capture ‘raise’. Please share your images with the hashtag #slowliving_raise so others can be inspired.

Finally, I wanted to give an extra special thank you to Kate from A Playful Day who interviewed Melanie and I for her “15 Minutes With…” series — check it out here.

 

You can see other month’s themes and selections ‘create’ here, ‘explore’ here, ‘bloom and harvest’ here, ‘raise’ here,‘renew’ here, ‘love’ here.

Our Pinterest board ‘Slow Living Moments’ includes all photo selections from the project visit it here.

Thank you to everyone who shares photos and inspires us to live slowly, wholeheartedly, with gratitude. Best wishes and happy new year! xo, Danielle

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Inspiring Mother Josie: @josie.hendrick

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I have had this post ready to go for about three weeks now, but each time I thought of posting it, I hesitated. Something told me I hadn’t captured Josie just right. It is hard to describe Josie and do her justice. There are the obvious things, like the elegance of her gallery — full of sandy beaches and blue skies, the smiles of her sweet daughter, and everyday scenes captured beautifully. Less obvious is the gentle mama and friend wisdom she passes on in her understated captions. Josie comes across as that no drama friend, who always seems to know just what to say, without being preachy or a know-it-all, and probably without knowing just how wise she is. The kind of person we all need in our life. Josie’s effect is cumulative. If you don’t instantly love her, you certainly will over time. She’s a keeper.

Side note: Josie should be a tourism ambassador for the UK, I mean who knew there were gorgeous beaches like this?!

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What part of the world do you live in?

We live in Bournemouth, Dorset which is on the south west coast of England and apparently is one of the sunniest spots in the country, something I definitely appreciate whether it’s actually true or not! It’s the most beautiful spot to raise a family, with miles of sandy beaches and forests and open countryside within easy reach. For someone who loves being outside it’s a perfect place to live, I’m very glad we moved from London.

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How many children do you have and how would you describe them?

We have one daughter, Amelie, she’s nearly three and if I had to describe her in three words I would probably say: affectionate, passionate and chatty! She talks constantly to herself, to us, to random passers by. It’s definitely one of the reasons why this age is my favourite so far, she’s such a joy to be around and her natural curiosity and wonder at the world is rather awe inspiring to watch, and helps when I try to be patient with the thousandth ‘why?’ of the hour 😉

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What are your core family values?

Be kind and compassionate. For me that’s the root of everything. That doesn’t mean you float around never getting irritated and being happy all the time, just that you approach everything you do and everyone you meet with an open heart. I know that sounds a bit cheesy, it just seems that in this modern life there’s a tendency for people to be anxious, defensive and closed off. Even if we all want to connect to others and be happy, the frantic pace of things seems to get in the way and create a tension that we don’t always know how to ease. I, like all parents, want my child to be happy and while I think you never can know what life will throw at you, if you can be compassionate to yourself and other people you will generally be more contented and find life’s ups and downs easier to handle.

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How do you spend most of your days?

We potter at home a lot, Amelie likes playing by herself and I’m working on doing up this big, old somewhat dilapidated house of ours on a budget, so we’re quite busy working alongside each other on our own little creative projects. We also spend as much time as we can at the beach or the park and in the garden. Compared to London where we just had a tiny concrete garden, there’s so much accessible open space and sand in Bournemouth we take advantage of it a lot!

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What is your favourite thing to do as a family?

We like little trips to pretty local spots but we also just spend a lot of time at the beach together. The good thing about this age is that she’s not easily bored and is happy with a bucket and spade and some sand.  We’re also big fans of finding a nice pub after breathing in some fresh sea air, and relaxing with a good glass of wine.

What are you passionate about?

A lot! I’m quite a passionate, emotional person so it doesn’t take much to have me talking animatedly.  It’s funny how since becoming a mother I’ve had both so little time to think about myself and yet so much. I’ve never thought more about what matters to me, and what’s irrelevant to the bigger picture than in the past 3 years or so. In essence I’d say I’m passionate about trying to live as authentic a life as possible. Living according to my values and bringing up my daughter to be a good, kind person who follows her heart and trusts her own instincts. And enjoying all that life has to offer in all its glory. There is always fun to be had and I like enjoying life. Although, I think it can be so hard sometimes to live a good life. It’s like we’re all a bit worried it might pass us by and we want to make sure we’re living it well, or at least seeming to so that we keep up with the Joneses. I feel like being authentic is the real ticket to living well and it’s through that we can see what we want to change in our own lives and the lives of others.

What inspires you?

In essence I’d say, photography, the sea, my daughter, and noticing the little things, the silver linings that are so easy to miss but make life all the more vivid and beautiful.

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Thank you Josie for sharing your wise words and beautiful photos. Readers please visit Josie on Instagram @josie.hendrick.

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Inspiring Mother Sara: @me_and_orla

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Themes are starting to emerge across my inspiring mothers series. Slow, connected living. Time spent with family and friends outdoors and being creative. Minimalism and simplicity — which I don’t consider to be the same, but both imply figuring out what is important in life and focusing our energy there. Today’s inspiring mother, Sara Tasker, is someone who exemplifies simplicity.

When I first encountered Sara her world seemed totally foreign to me. Foreign in the best kind of way. Sara lives with her partner and their daughter in the countryside, on a continent across the ocean from my own. The town they live in and their pace of life seems idyllic, and contrasts sharply with my own fast-paced life as an urbanite living in the downtown of my country’s capital city. The bubbling busyness of a big city can be invigorating, but when you feel as though you can’t escape the fast-pace, rather than it energizing you, it can become a drain. No matter our circumstance I think most of us need opportunities for respite. Looking at Sara’s life in photos is definitely visual therapy — the view out her window onto a rolling hill, light and shadow falling across a table — it is my respite.

Over time, I got to reading Sara’s blog, getting to know her a little better and found that we share more than I had expected. We are foreigners geographically, but not as people. Sara, too, is seeking a life of greater simplicity. Wait…what? I thought she had already arrived at destination Simplicity? Looking at her pace of life and her simple home, how can things be simpler? And yet, I learned that Sara was focused on finding ways to simplify her life. I thought about my own life and my own home — people have suggested to me that I have found simplicity (as if it is something you can find…). People have said, for example, that my home is “so sparse” and expressed astonishment that Ro only takes one class outside of formal school. These sorts of comments never fail to surprise me, because from my perspective our home is cluttered and I still wonder if ballet twice a week leaves Ro with enough down time. Like many things, simplicity is relative. And, like many pursuits, the path is long, and most likely the destination is never reached.

Sara still exemplifies simplicity to me, but she also reminds me that we are each on a path, that we are always arriving, and yet, never arrive, and that is exactly where I should be.

What part of the world do you live in?

We live in a little village in West Yorkshire, England, tucked away in a valley between steep green hills. It has a pub, a post box and no shops – unless you count the man who sells his eggs with an honesty box! We moved here last summer from the city, & it’s a dream come true.

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How many children do you have and how would you describe them?

So far, we have one daughter, Orla, who is 2. She is fierce and independent and sharp, but also the most naturally sweet and thoughtful person I know. She’s sunshine and thunder clouds, all at once, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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What are your core family values?

Respect is a big one – my partner, Rory and I both work with young people with learning disabilities, so for us it’s unthinkable to dismiss someone’s wants or needs simply because they are less able to understand. I try my best to never say or do anything to Orla that I wouldn’t to Rory – not treating her like an adult, but treating her as an equal.

We’re also working hard as a family to live more simply, and keep clutter and materialism at bay; investing in memories instead of ‘stuff’.

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How do you spend most of your days?

Three days a week I work, driving a fairly long commute with Orla, and arriving home in the evening with just enough time for dinner and bedtime. I’m getting increasingly busy with Instagram & blog related work, too, which is wonderful, but often means my evenings are spent working at the computer alone. The rest of the time I try to make up for this by living slowly – baking, walking, cooking, playing with Orla. We spend a lot of time in bed, even in the day!

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What is your favourite thing to do as a family?

Nothing. Not literally nothing, of course, but just to have no plans or agenda. We might walk down to the stream and throw in stones, or collect firewood in the forest. We’ve recently got really into baking sourdough bread, which is a great family activity! It’s such a luxury to be just the three of us, living life in our lovely home.

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What are you passionate about?

Great design, living well. Motherhood. Feminism. Raising girls to know they’re worth so much more than they’re told.

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What inspires you?

Everything! The landscape where we live, the seasons. My friends, my daughter, and, of course, the wonderful community I’ve found through Instagram. I love starting my day looking through my feed, and seeing what people are doing in Japan, how people are living the good life with what they’ve got in America or Australia or Korea. I suppose it sounds like a total paradox, but connecting with other mamas and creatives through the internet really helps me to live more simply, and disengage from the modern world.

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Thank you Sara for sharing pieces of your world. Readers: you can visit Sara Tasker on Instagram @me_and_orla or on her blog.

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My Favourite Photos from 2014

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Other people’s photos are a great source of inspiration for me. There is such a broad range of experiences and points of view to discover through photography. When thinking back on the last year, there are a handful of photos that really stood out for me. Yes, I saw thousands of beautiful photos of gorgeous children and stunning landscapes, but most did not stick in my mind. A few did, they seemed to leave an imprint on my mind, because they told stories.

I should explain a little more. I tend to place photographs into three basic categories. The first category is documentary photos — these photos are simply a record of something you don’t want to forget, like your child’s first winter concert at school. The second category is beautiful photos — in these photos the subject or the composition is visually pleasing; maybe the model is undeniably beautiful, or the subject is a gorgeous delicate bouquet of flowers. The third category is narrative photos — these photos tell a story or seem like excerpts from one. News photos are a typical example of this category, imagine a photograph of protesters facing off with police officers. By far, my favourite photos are those that tell a story, because the images are rich and deep in meaning, conveying a message that goes beyond being an aide–mémoire or an object of beauty.

I’ve collected four of my favourite photographs from the past year from people I follow on Instagram. They are beautiful photos, but they also seem to tell a story. When photos combine technical skill, great composition, beauty and storytelling, they can be truly remarkable, as these ones are.

The Saxophone Player

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Photo credit: Nicole Bianchi

The first photo is by Nicole who lives in New Jersey and is known as @nicolebianchi_ on Instagram. When I saw this photo for the first time I was enchanted. It seemed to me like the cover of a fantastic book of adventure. I asked Nicole to tell me how this photo came to be and the types of portraits she seeks to capture of her children. Here’s what she had to say:

“I strongly believe that being surrounded by nature allows children to be creative, curious and explorative.  Nature instills a sense of beauty and respect for all living things and gives the children a special love for our Earth and the environment.  Imagination comes into play as children create special hide outs (such as teepees, forts, tree houses) and use natures’ findings (sticks, roots, tree trunks, leaves, pinecones, acorns, etc) to make toys and create their own stories.  

When we were hiking at Harriman State Park in upstate NY, my son Tyler (age 8) and I were photographing a beaver dam and a tree trunk that the beaver had eaten, when Ava (age 6), was off exploring in the woods.  Ava came running over so excited to show us what she had found.  In her hand was this beautifully detailed root which wasn’t a root to her at all.  Ava said, “Mommy, I have found the most perfect saxophone!”  And there she went dancing to her own beat, playing her saxophone through the woods.  Everything our children need is right in front of their magical eyes.  They just need the freedom to explore and the patience to observe all of nature.  I love that both my children are inspired by the outdoors and do not need a ton of materialistic things to be happy.  

When I take photos of Tyler and Ava,  I want to capture the joy of being a child, getting dirty, exploring and being free.  I want my children to have this beautiful storybook for when they get older and share their adventures and memories of their childhood with the ones they love.”

The Forest Fairy

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Photo credit: Michelle Housel

The second photo is by Michelle, the artist and doll maker behind @danceypantsdisco. Michelle lives 30 miles out to sea on the tiny island of Nantucket. When I saw this photo for the first time it looked like a still from a fantasy film. Odin, her little boy, looks like a forest fairy, wise beyond his years, who will soon be called upon to save the forest from destruction. I asked Michelle to tell me how this photo came to be and the types of portraits she seeks to capture of her son.

“Many of the photos I take are sightly planned, based on weather or season. On a very foggy morning I might want to head to a large field to play and bring my camera along. On a cloudy day, we tend to head to the woods. On a brighter day we may go to the water, whether it be beach or pond. This is the way we plan our days activities anyway and it always seems to set a magical environment for photos all on its own.

This particular photo was brought about much more casually, I didn’t even bring along my DSLR. We had a friend visiting and after a late night, I thought it would be nice to take a walk around our neighborhood with Odin to allow our friend some extra time to sleep in (Odin loves this friend very much and tends to want to wake him straight away with kisses, bright and early). It was warm and foggy and we rushed out the door so Odin was only wearing his pyjama pants and no shoes. I like to keep my hands busy almost constantly so I picked some ivy from our yard and wove a crown while we walked. Near our house is a dirt road rarely traveled, Odin was instantly drawn to it and turned as we passed. I followed watching him walk and stop every so often to pick tiny flowers that were growing along the edges of the road. He heard a bird singing her morning song and stopped in the middle of the path to listen, which is when I snapped the photo on my phone! I see a lot of magic in him and I think he allows me to see a lot of magic in the world and I’m always so grateful for that insight.”

The Bird Whisperer

Photo credit: Leah Deighton

The third photo is by Leah @sangthebird, who lives on a rural rainforested property in Northern NSW, Australia. When I saw this photo for the first time it was so heartwarming. It seemed to me like a snapshot from a beautiful story of friendship. I asked Leah to tell me a bit about how this photo came to be and the types of portraits she seeks to capture of her children.

“We live surrounded by nature, wildlife and our 31 chickens. I spend most of my days at home being a mama and working on my new business Oh Sunday. I am so grateful that I get to live and work in such a beautiful place. I love spending time with my family and noticing the ‘little things’.This photo is the result of a little serendipity. My daughter is 8 years old and has always had an affinity with nature and animals, being outside with the chickens is her happy place. This li’l chick, Lavender, has always loved sitting on her shoulder as we go about our outside chores. This one Saturday morning in winter we were collecting the eggs when I heard giggling. She was giggling because Lavender had flown up onto her head and it was tickling. It was only 30 seconds or so and they became quiet and still, they both looked so natural and comfortable together. I took a quick shot of the moment and continued collecting. That evening as I edited the photo I realised they were both looking in the same direction… I never found out what they were looking at, but that doesn’t really matter, this photo will always make me smile.

I love taking portraits of my kids. I think that they are so used to me photographing them that they don’t ever feel the need to pose and (fake) smile; sometimes they don’t even seem to realise I am photographing them. I try to capture photos of my children doing everyday things, and the things that they love. Mostly that is being in nature, adventuring and making and playing. It is in those little moments where they are engaged and I am just silently watching them that I am able to capture their true nature. I also love those precious moments when you see the love between siblings, even a blurred shot can hold a beautiful memory.”

The Sleeping Beauty

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Photo credit: Dieny @dibonjo

The fourth photo is by Dieny, known as @dibonjo on Instagram. Dieny lives in Scotland, she is a “mother, homemaker, lover and friend.” When I saw this photo for the first time I was stunned by its beauty. It seemed to me like the cover of enchanting story I had to read. I asked Dieny to tell me about how this photo came to be and the types of portraits she seeks to capture of her son. Here’s what she said:

“I am never so full of awe as when I watch him sleep.  All of the beauty of his wakeful hours crashing to the fore.  He is a true treasure.  As they all are.

What you saw in this image is very much in tune with my feeling at the time. My son, as I was, is a great lover of fairy tales. In fact, tales of any sort. The folktales of my childhood, told from memory and mostly faded from my own, were joy-filled, enchanting and oftentimes foreboding. Their little warnings rang in our ears as we roamed free and far. My son isn’t able to enjoy the physical range to explore as frequently as I did but his imagination is far reaching and I hope I encourage this. When he woke from his nap, I told him his dreams sprang up around him as he slept. “I was dreaming of flowers Mama”, he beamed.”

Thank you Nicole, Michelle, Leah and Dieny for sharing your photos and words.