On today’s DIY list, we’re making wire sculptures! I’m demonstrating how I do this on a large scale, but you can try the same thing for tiny sculptures, too!

I started making wire sculptural pieces for a photo series, so my plan to use this wire is ultimately to be photographed. The next part of the DIY will go through how to finish the piece and photograph it.

MATERIALS LIST:
Chicken Wire
Gardening Gloves
Wire Cutters
Pliers

I use chicken wire because it is malleable but strong. It can be cumbersome to work with but once you get the hang of it, it molds into shape.

Step 1: Separate the edges of the wire from the roll.

Step 2: Bend the sharp edges inward for safe handling using either your gloved hands or pliers.

Step 3: Roll out the wire. As you go, bend it backward so that it doesn’t curl in on itself.

Step 4: Cut the wire away from the roll when it reaches your desired length.

Step 5: Bend the newly sharp edges inward for safety.

Step 6: Start bending the wire into the shape you want, hooking the wire to itself via the cut edges to hold it in place.

Step 7: Finalize the shape and admire your handy work!

My sculpture doesn’t look like much, but that is because it is only half finished and is meant to be extremely abstract. Remember, you can sculpt anything from abstract creations to little animals and more!

In the next blog about wire sculpting, I will show you how you can coat your sculpture to finish it. Here are two options:

Paper mache is a great choice for coating your wire sculpture. It can be done with newspaper and glue, or you can get the heavy duty stuff for things like body casting. Either way, this technique can be done simply and is great to utilize if you plan on painting it.

Because of the nature of my sculpture, I’ll probably opt for using spray foam. My final sculpture will be covered in mushrooms, and I want to keep the organic flow of it alive.

I hope this was helpful, and I can’t wait to see what wire sculptures you make!

Please share below if you have an idea,
tips for wire sculpting, or if you finish a piece!

I’ll be back soon with Part 2 of “How to Make a Wire Sculpture”!

When it comes to creating a strong portfolio, confidence is key. The more you can stand behind your work, the better received the work will be. This is true of anything we do in life. Our own confidence inspires confidence in others.

How do we gain that confidence, and how do we project it? That’s what this outline is for. These are my methods for creating a strong portfolio that I can feel good about.

I’ve been an artist for 11 years with a successful business for 10 of them. Five years ago I began attending portfolio reviews, and my work has only improved since then. In fact, it was a review that got me to create my first award-winning series. After that, it was a review that got me a book deal. I’ve had harsh criticism and soft, been praised and hugged and ignored. The gamut has been run!

I want you to go into crafting a portfolio with a good sense of what images to choose, how to print them, how to present them, and how to stand behind your decisions. Portfolios are useful for so many things. It’s your business card as an artist and the way you introduce the world to your work. You can create a portfolio in print, on social media, on your website, or any other way you choose!

Here is an outline I made to help with the portfolio process. I hope this helps, and if it does, let me know! In fact, leave a link to your portfolio in the comments!

Choosing images for your portfolio

• Think like a gallery owner (or whomever you’re going to show your portfolio to!)
  • Galleries, magazines, clients, etc., mostly want cohesion. They want someone who is known for something, who will deliver that thing excellently, and who will give them direction. All of this comes from understanding your niche.
• Multiple styles
  • If you have multiple styles, keep them well separated or only show the style that most pertains to the person you’re showing your portfolio to. Don’t mix them.
• Choose your strongest images
  • Don’t know which are strongest? Ask a diverse group of people, and then ask them why. Ask people who do what you do, who have no idea what you do, and in between. The people who know how to create can look technically. The people who have no idea how you do what you do can look conceptually and emotionally. And anyone else is a bonus.
  • Part of having an awesome portfolio is understanding intuitively and intellectually which images are strong. You should not rely on others to choose for you, and if you do, you have a lot of work to do in understanding your craft.
    • Start by looking at which images speak to you the most and that you were most excited to create.
    • Narrow that down by then asking which are technically strongest – that matters A LOT.
    • Finally, choose 2-3 images that are both emotionally strong and technically strong. Use those as your flagship images.
  • If you feel overwhelmed in choosing your strongest images, try studying your medium. Look into classic examples of well-received and critically acclaimed art. Dissect that like you’re in a classroom and ask yourself why they were applauded for their work. Chances are there are books about these people or at the least, blogs, that go into detail about their merit.
• How many images should you choose?
  • In my experience, choosing anywhere from 10-30 images for a printed portfolio is great. Any less, and you won’t seem experienced enough. Any more, and you won’t feel curated. I go for the higher number because my portfolio is massive.

Printing your portfolio – sizes, paper, order

• When you print a portfolio, you must consider how you’re printing it. Or, if you’re printing it at all! Are you presenting digitally or physically?
  • When presenting a digital portfolio, make sure you arrange them in an order that makes sense and keeps the viewer’s attention all the way through. I have reviewed a LOT of digital portfolios, and the biggest issue is that the sender puts too many images in. I lose interest and can clearly tell that as I keep moving through the portfolio, the work is getting older and older. There are glaring technical errors and the concepts aren’t as thought through. Limit yourself.
  • If you’re printing a physical portfolio, choose the paper that you would present your work on professionally. For example, I print my images on Elegance Velvet Fine Art Paper from Breathing Color. Therefore, when I show my portfolio, I make sure the images are printed on that paper. That way, if a gallery sees it and likes it, they know exactly the standard, quality, paper, ink, etc., that they would receive to hang in their gallery. There are no questions because it’s right there in front of them.
  • I recommend printing two different sizes to show people. I print at 10×10 inches and 20×20 inches. The 20 inch size is rather large for a portfolio review, but it always wows them.
• What order should you put them in?
  • Order matters a lot when creating a portfolio. Here are some ways you might choose to order your prints:
    • Color – by creating a through-line of color, you create natural visual cohesion and flow. You may go from cool tones to warm, desaturated to colorful, or you may even alternate color palettes.
    • Theme – Sometimes it’s great to combine like themes together. This is especially great if you are presenting a series (which would naturally go together) or if you are a concept based artist. This method has another bonus: it gives you more to discuss as you flip through.
    • Date – you may choose to order your portfolio chronologically, but I warn against this if your work continues to get less polished as you go.
  • Order matters because it shows you understand the work you are presenting. A sloppily laid portfolio will reflect that you aren’t sure how to curate your prints.

How to present your portfolio – questions to ask, type of case

• What case should you use?
  • The case is the least important part of a review. You’ll likely immediately take the prints out and then not bring the case back until the last minute. That said, cases are hard to come by. There are very limited options, and the awesome ones are so expensive it is often prohibitive. I got mine at a local craft store. It’s just a big zippered case where the prints sit lose inside. For this reason, I keep the different sizes sandwiched between cardboard. Don’t overthink it! The prints are the star.
• Questions to ask. This is vital to a successful portfolio review. If you have nothing to ask, your reviewer might be annoyed and it will reflect that you didn’t put enough time into preparing.
  • I would come up with a list of 10 questions to ask the reviewer. They can be generic, but slip in some specific questions as well. This lets them know you have done your research and you are looking for their specific expertise. Here are some sample questions:
    • Do you think I am technically ready to submit to X (galleries, magazines, clients, etc.)?
    • Do you think I am conceptually ready to submit to X (galleries, magazines, clients, etc.)?
    • What do you feel is the best niche for my work?
    • What stands out as most unique in my portfolio?
    • What stands out as most generic in my portfolio?
    • Do you feel my work is sellable?
    • How do my images make you feel?
    • Can you recommend any resources for me to look at after our review?
    • Does my work fit in to the industry on a professional level?
    • What do you feel would be a good next step for me?
  • When asking questions, remember to ask for detail. Don’t be afraid to ask: Why? How? Can you help me further? Ask them to be specific. You paid for a good 20 minutes and some reviewers will fall short – very short – of giving a proper review. Pull it from them.
• Finally, leave a leave-behind.
  • A leave behind is a piece of paper that they can keep with them. It could be as simple as a business card, or you could go my route:
    • My leave behind is on the paper that I print on for exhibitions, at the size of 8×8 inches. It has multiple images represented on it, plus my name, phone number, and website. This allows the reviewer to remember me, remember my paper and printing quality, and to follow up if they want to work with me.
    • Many reviewers are looking for artists to work with, so this is not far fetched! Like I mentioned, I’ve gotten shows and other good opportunities from reviews, so always be prepared.
      • There are reviews that have gone terribly for me, so I use my best judgment in giving someone a leave-behind. When in doubt, do it! They’ll politely take it whether they want to work with you or not.

I hope this outline has been helpful for you in growing your craft, business, and confidence! Take all these steps and you’ll be sure to present a more polished portfolio that you can feel good about.

Share a link to your portfolio here if you’d like!

The creative process. Is it usually the same for you each time you create, or is it different? Maybe even drastically different? Do you know what to expect or is it a surprise?

I work from routine best, so my shoots usually go to plan, or at least follow very similar steps. Here are most common steps for my shooting process, as you’ll see from start to finish in this in-depth video:

1. Brainstorm
2. Sketch
3. Write
4. Costume/Props
5. Set the camera
6. Test shot
7. Shoot
8. Cull images
9. Edit image
10. Share!

I often wish I was different so that I could embody more of a traditional artist spirit. For example possessing any of the following traits would be kind of great: wanderlust, spontaneity, or fits of inspiration.

Well, that third one does happen sometimes. But in general, I am predictable and even-keeled. That doesn’t mean that I don’t surprise myself, that I am not wildly inspired, or that I don’t enjoy a big adventure. Simply, that I don’t thrive under those conditions all the time. I love to work with a list, an itinerary, and a closely monitored clock.

I actually attribute these characteristics in myself to success. Because of my frighteningly equal split of Type A and Type B personalities, I can focus, understand my tasks, and get work done efficiently. But, because I am naturally creative, I have lofty dreams, big ambitions, and a wild imagination. They work in really good unison and harmony to create steadfast creativity.

Steadfast creativity. What is it?

It is the knowledge that creativity will always be there.

It means not relying on inspiration to strike like lightning.

It’s cultivating what inspires you to draw upon that any time.

I don’t like uncertainty. But I especially don’t like it when it comes to my imagination. I want to know that it is a muscle I have worked so much that it remembers what to do in a pinch.

I think that is why I’ve taken such a step by step approach to photography. It helps me to understand my job, which frees up my mind to focus on more creative tasks. If I’m confused by my process, I can’t focus on my creativity. Plain and simple.

So, that’s my creative process! What is yours? How do you work best?

I think that we have an innate desire to put our stamp on things, whether that is as a person, as an artist, or something else. In my years of teaching photography, I’ve never once conducted a workshop in which no one asked how to build a recognizable style. I’ve asked myself that question plenty of times.

It is a beautiful thing to look at someone’s work and know, without looking at the name, who made it. Those are my favorite artists. Their essence is in their art. It feels like a natural shine.

As an artist, I have thought about this topic for years. What makes someone stand out as being original? What makes someone’s work recognizable? What makes mine?

Here’s the truest answer. More true than any technique in Photoshop or lens choice.

If you don’t like that answer, you’re not going to find what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a certain technique to set you apart, stop.

Yes, they help tremendously. Yes, they can make you stand out. Yes, they are the medium that us visual artists exist in.

BUT, and I believe this firmly, there isn’t a successful artist out there who doesn’t have their art in their bones.

If you gave your favorite artist a guitar instead of a camera, it’s very likely that their original music would match their original images.

What we want our art to look like is in us from the beginning. From Day 0.

My art is not just what it looks like or feels like. It is the culmination of who I am – visually, emotionally, experiences and reactions and decisions combined. It is my expression of myself.

That is not to say that finding a style is instant. Why? Because we hardly know ourselves. The more we understand who we are, the more fluidly our style can evolve.

At least that’s what I believe. And I really, really believe it.

There are certain visual ways that my style has evolved. I used to create very monochromatic images, almost always indoors. I shifted from that to incorporating more color in my wardrobe and visiting new locations outdoors. I then started to get into more complicated composites, more detailed sets, more props. I evolved. And I am evolving.

If I had to choose 3 visual cues to my signature style, I would say:

Square Format
Yellow highlights/blue shadows
Painterly

There are more:

Feminine
Dark
Cinematic

It’s hard to define a style with just a few words, and not entirely productive, either. We shouldn’t feel trapped by a style, but able and willing to move in and out of it.

I used to fear my style. I felt stuck in it. But now I recognize that my style is mine because that is what naturally comes out of me. No matter what I pursue, it will be mine.

I hope you enjoy this video detailing how I found my style and a few different tricks in the editing room to achieve a polish to my work.

How do you describe your style?
How do you hope to evolve?

My friends, I struggle a lot with sharing technical information. Not because I want to keep it a secret, but because I prefer the focus be put on creativity over tools, on imagination over technology. However, I also love Love LOVE to share as much as I can with others, technical or otherwise, so that we can all be elevated.

This week I answered a swelling call I’ve been receiving to go into a little more depth about editing. This video is a juicy ten minutes of Photoshop explanation, philosophy, and the editing of a new image.

I am self taught in Photoshop with the aid of my husband for the extra-technical bits.

This is how I believe I was able to teach myself Photoshop:

I only researched exactly what I needed. I never went to workshops or watched classes because that was information overload for me. Instead, I put an image in Photoshop. Then, I decided the one most important thing that the image needed, and I searched for that one tool. Little by little I was able to learn Photoshop, and here I am today.

If you are just starting out – with anything – remember to take small steps. They add up to a sum greater than we think possible. Nothing is beyond our reach. I have to believe that because my life is based on it. Little by little, our reach grows; we are expansive.

In the video you will see me use all of my favorite Photoshop tools, like curves, lasso, and feather. They will help me to…

Composite extra hands into my picture
Expand my frame
Add fog to the background
Change the light and color

…and more.

If you want to learn how I edit in depth, I encourage you to check out my online classes.

I get a lot of requests to put full-length editing tutorials online. While I totally understand the request, for now I’m pointing you to my online tutorials.

Why? Because I put months and months of my heart/soul/energy/time/money into them to make them as comprehensive and perfect as I could for you, and in turn, it allows me to be supported in my art. I thank you so much for buying them and showing me that my weird vision is worthwhile.

What is your favorite tool to create with?
How often do you actively seek to learn something new?

Model: Steph Perez

I have always loved photographing bandages because of how timeless they are while being sad and a signifier of pain at the same time. Old and sad are my favorites. I have been using these bandages since I started taking pictures. I had a vision of a group of girls standing in a circle, abandoned, scared to look out from the bandages that have kept them in the dark.

To me, bravery looks like the person who would peer out from behind the mask they wear to show the world who they are, despite what anyone might say about it. It is the one in the group who looks first, not knowing what they will see, and then encourages others to open their eyes. At some point in our lives, we could all use the encouragement to open our eyes when darkness is much more comforting.

I hope that no matter what you are going through you find the courage to look out at your world with your very own unique eyes and cast your gaze upon it’s wonders. You are sure to change the landscape just by being open to seeing it.

P.S. Very soon I’m releasing a brand new PAY WHAT YOU CAN challenge that I’m so excited for. You’ve got a 50 page e-book coming, daily emails, and all the guidance you could need to take on a CONTENT CREATION challenge. WAHOO!

I’ve shared a very heartfelt message in my video today, so I hope you’ll have a good watch. Which leaves me free to share with you the real title of this blog post: “Why NOT to Snooze”.

This morning I had my alarm set for 4:10am. The alarm went off, and I was very tired, so I did something that I never, ever do: I hit my snooze button. I am usually bolting out of bed right when the first sound goes off, so it was very odd that I didn’t get right out of bed today. Instead, I opted for five more minutes. I already know that five minutes doesn’t do anything or make me feel any better, but there it was. I did it. And now, I regret it.

In those five minutes (technically four, because I woke up one minute before my next alarm), I had a dream. A nightmare, more accurately. I have them all the time, almost every night, so it wasn’t unusual. Just ill-timed.

Cue wake-up.

Cue me frantically re-thinking my shooting location.

Cue me saying “drats” and getting in the car and going anyway.

I got there and had an awful sense of foreboding. In the span of one minute I was certain I was going to a) get arrested, b) find a dead body, or c) somehow drown in the 3 feet of water I was in and never be heard from again.

And then I remembered my camera sitting there and felt the rock hard, well, rocks, under my knees and I was drawn back to reality. I shot for only about two minutes before I got out of there, lest any of my premonitions come true. My dress kept sinking in the back and hitting my leg and I was certain it was a dead hand coming to grab me.

I blame this one two things: one is my dream. The other is the book series I’m currently reading about Necromancers. Either way, it was unpleasant. I was only able to giggle at myself when I got into my car, turned on A Fine Frenzy to make me feel calm and connected again, and I was driving away from my shooting space.

And then, I turned and saw a rainbow. Funny how these things work out.

Day 22, you scoundrel.

I’m off to work on some very special content for you that I can’t wait to share. Saturday brings diligent planning and homemade pizza and reading. Aside from that extra five minutes of “sleep”, it has been a pretty amazing one.

I’m in the midst of creating a new video series, so while I process those thoughts and do some shooting for it, I thought I would share this little speed edit video! I recorded my editing process on a whim last week. It was a fun one to edit, and if you look closely you can see a couple of instances where I tried something and doubled back when it didn’t work. I love exploring through editing; trying one piece here or there and moving it around until it fits. That is the greatest thing about compositing – being able to explore visually while trying to create your most authentic vision.

Music: “Halation” by Evolv, licensed from SongFreedom

Since I didn’t shoot this underwater (I have yet to master the underwater self-portrait), it didn’t quite matter where I shot it so I opted for my usual blank wall outside. The natural light emulated the natural conditions in the world of the image, and the coloring was neutral enough that I could blend with it.

There are always many layers to think about with a composite like this. The most important one right away is making sure the focal points match as well as the lighting. Both of those things can be shifted slightly, which I did do in this edit, but for the most part they matched. Another consideration is color and making sure everything looks like it was in the same world.

The main tools I used in this edit were the background eraser tool, replace color, and toggling of blending modes. This video is about 2 hours of editing sped up to a couple of minutes, with roughly another 45 minutes that I cut out totally. All in all, it was about a 3 hour edit. I hope you enjoy!

“Let It Go”
Self-portrait
March 2017

Is there a part of my process you would like to see featured in a video? Just let me know!

…

If you want to learn some of these techniques in person, plus a whole lot more, take a look at my upcoming events!

Last week I was in Chicago where I taught a class about storytelling and gave a lecture about “permission” and it was an absolute pleasure to be there with that group. I left feeling energized and inspired and ready to take on the world! Since I’ve been back, I really have! I’ve been making more connections with charity organizations, setting to-do lists and marking everything off, and feeling generally productive yet calm. What a way to feel. Sometimes I forget that all of that good feeling is harnessable and that sometimes it takes a mental shift. Hooray!

While in Chicago I photographed this image! I have certainly seen large key images before. I recognize the key to be a universal symbol as well as one that is easy to grab onto and create with. After all, it is timeless and beautiful and textured. What photographer wouldn’t love that?! Well, I can think of a lot, but this one does! I’ve created large key images before, but this one was special because of who I created it with.

My friend Jane Love came and modeled and she is always an inspiration, so I dedicate the finished image to her. Not to mention to all of the people I connected with. I felt like we were all unlocking things within ourselves that I hope will only go deeper as time goes on.

I wanted to share how this image was put together since it was shot for a class. This isn’t a portfolio piece, but it sure was a blast to create, and with really minimal elements, too! I created two GIFs because it was a two step process. Originally I was going to try and keep the subject on the same background she was photographed on, but decided the ground wasn’t dynamic enough (I have a thing with mowed grass) and so I moved her to a more wild looking New Zealand field.

What have you done recently that made you feel connected, inspired, or motivated?

Is there anything more validating than being able to use whatever you have at your disposal to create? That has been the single most rewarding thing about my passion/career so far. I wanted to take pictures and so I did, despite not having a studio, lights, expensive equipment, etc. I started out with a tripod (pieced together with different brands) from a thrift store, a lens that was gifted to me and thus completely inappropriate for my tiny little space I was shooting in, and I had absolutely no concept of what it meant to be a photographer. I only knew that I had passion, and so I created in any way that I could.

That is what White Wall Wednesdays are all about. It means that we stop making excuses about why we can’t create and we find ways to make it happen. It might not always turn out like the image of your dreams, but if I’ve learned anything it is that there is just about always a way. Things get done because we have the inspiration and motivation to try.

When I see a blank wall, I see an opportunity.

This week we are focusing on the editing process that has gone in to the image we shot last week. I hope that you pick up some tips that help in your own process and that you enjoy the video!

Please share any images you’ve created in your blank space, and/or a before/after if you want to show people where it came from!