GRIT

People often ask me how I achieved my successes and how my artwork has become known. I'm sure they think this has happened overnight in a few months or maybe a year. They always lean in, as if they are going to hear some nugget of inspiration that will suddenly catapult them and their work front and center someplace - quickly. They always seem a bit disappointed when I tell them they have to have passion and to never give up and to give a hand to others - that no one can do it alone. Then they walk away (literally or off into cyber land).

STANDING IN URBAN OUTFITTERS IN COLUMBUS OHIO HAPPILY HOLDING SOME OF MY ARTWORK FOR SALE IN THEIR STORES AND ONLINE.

I've always been an artist, although I did not call myself that until recently. It has always been a passion - a light that burned strong and hot inside my soul. It is how I walk through life. My photography is how I experience this thing called life and this planet we walk on. It was in many ways a necessity that I sell my art. But that is a whole other blog post!

Most people believe that things happen instantly. the mindset of magical thinking. But the things that truly matter and are worth having or being take time and and lots of work. This morning while having my coffee, I was listening to a morning news show and my ears perked up when Angela Duckworth began talking about GRIT. She said that talent alone does not guarantee success (as so many hope). She said in the age of talent shows, talent is really not enough to instantly become a success or star. Her research discovered that something she came to call grit was needed to achieve great things. She described grit as a combination of passion and perseverance for a singularly important goal, and that grit was a hallmark of achievers.

I looked up the definition of grit in the dictionary. GRIT: firmness of character; indomitable spirit; plunk. Synonyms: fortitude, courage

It's been a while since I heard the word plunk (or grit), but I'm really liking them. So next time someone asks me for words of wisdom on how to achieve success, I'll tell them when they lean in.... You need to be a gritty person. You need to have a bit of plunk and indomitable spirit.....

LISTEN

WE HAVE TWO EARS AND ONE MOUTH SO WE CAN LISTEN TWICE AS MUCH AS WE SPEAK. ~ Epictetus (Greek philosopher)

We all have days where we become overwhelmed - by life, by circumstances, by fear........ In those times we often feel alone. We reach out, and feel misunderstood or like we are not being heard. Then we are more overwhelmed.

A friend reached out to me the other day. She was overwhelmed and it was building up and building up. When she called it was like she just popped the cork out & it all came tumbling out..... and out, and out. I caught myself starting to offer input or suggestions, and then realized that all that was needed of me was to listen. Listen! To just be there for her to let it all out. To be a safe and soft place to land for that moment. and so, I shut my one mouth and opened my two ears. That simple act can be such a gift to give to a friend - or anyone. And I found myself in the similar situation of feeling overwhelmed and in came all the suggestions from very well meaning friends! And while I appreciate their caring and love and desire to be helpful, I ended up feeling more overwhelmed. In the future when a friend needs an ear, I'll really pay attention to opening my ears more, and if I open my mouth to offer something, I hope it will be - "How can I help you? What, if anything, can I do? I'm here for you. I care."

So Delighted to be Featured on ARTNOIS! { nature photography } [ fog photographs ] { Ohio fine art photographer }

I was so over the moon to be contacted by ARTNOIS last month about about having my fine art photography featured! They are awesome & I love seeing the artists and musicians they feature and promote. Thank you ARTNOIS for the wonderful spot! Much appreciated~!  See the whole article HERE.

Samsung Galaxy Cases and iPhone Cases - $6 off Today at Society6! { phone accessories } [ holiday gifts ]

Friday the 13th is the last day for the fun week of Sales at Society6. Today take $6 off on all phone cases. There is fabulous work by some amazing artists here so stop by & check it out! To stop by to see my phone cases click HERE.

Still Moments 2 - New Book now available! {Michigan Photographer}

I'm so excited about publishing a new book through Blurb featuring my photography! Stop by and take a look! Available in soft cover, hard cover and pdf download for viewing on Kindle and book readers!

A Still Moment 2 by O. Joy StClaire | Make Your Own Book

Charlane Killough Griffith - RIP Sweet Soul

I am sitting here with a broken heart after hearing of the passing of my sweet friend Charlane. Charlane was not only loved by those who called her family & friend in "real life", but also by those in the online world of bloggers, FB & Flickr. Many hadn't met Char in person, but we knew her well - & she left her mark in may lives. Char had such a gift of weaving words into a beautiful story & added her photographs for a compelling view of life through her eyes. She loved life! She loved being an auntie, Nick Drake, ball jars & flowers... Char was such an inspiration in so many ways to so many people. She left a heartfelt legacy.

I was out of town when Char passed and then became busy with catching up & life - not checking in on FB or blogs. And just like that, she was gone. I had always wanted to buy one of her prints. So, today say "I love" you to those you love, -say it all day until the sun sets. Give hugs liberally. If someone has been an influence in your life or made a difference - make sure you tell them... & not just once. I read all the words/posts left on Char's FB page - so many sentiments of love - & realized we need to be saying those things & showing how we feel right now - today.... because we - or someone we love - might not have tomorrow.

Sorry for the rambling as I'm sitting here with tears. I have "known" Char for years & have enjoyed her friendship, support & inspiration. She will be missed.

I am including some of her photographs below in this post. And I found one of her last blog posts especially poignant.......

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in my other life....


i would live in a house shaped like a triangle on the beach...somewhere warm and happy. where children laugh and adults giggle and the air smells like warm cinnamon cookies baking in the oven. 

 and you would come over for simple lunches. and we would chat for hours while watching the sea and the waves dancing. the salt would make our hair wild and wooly and we would laugh belly laughs that made our sides ache.



then after sunset, we would go to the carnival and ride the merry-go-round until we were dizzy.  we would sup on wonderful foods and eat with our fingers - never spilling a drop or worrying about being messy.  carnivals are know for that kind of thing you know.
 
after the carnival we take a walk on the beach. there we could stare at the stars, wish on shooting stars and solve the world's problems. there would be peace and understanding - and somehow we would figure out how to feed the starving children and make mosquitoes turn into butterflies. because the world definitely needs more butterflies.



then, when we are tired, we would slip into cotton sheets and sleep sweet dreams of happy places and wonderful things.


the life of simple joys, no worries, and plenty of love is for me - the rest is gravy on my potatoes.
 
~charlane killough griffith
 
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And beautiful sweet soul - now you are there.
RIP Char. xxx
 
To see more of Char's photography, words and wonderful view on living & life, STOP BY HERE.
 
 

 
 
 

Eco Chic Green Art Festival! Eco Chic Craftacular! {Columbus Ohio Artist and Photographer}

I'm so excited to be an exhibitor artist at this fabulous juried show in Clintonville this weekend at the Whetstone Park Recreation Center on North High Street. This is Etsy Team Columbus' 3rd Annual Eco Chic Craftacular!! The event is a large 2 day indie craft show, indoors and outdoors, promoting green living, community involvement, handmade art and crafts, buying local to support the economy, and plain old having fun. We have live music, crafts for kids, free swag bags, raffle for AWESOME prizes, live demonstrations and more! Stop by for great food, music and art! There will even be a worm composting demonstration and other great green living demos!

Published in Artful Blogging magazine! {Columbus Ohio Photographer, Northwestern Michigan Photographer}

When Artful Blogging magazine first came out, I was immediately & deeply smitten! There were pages upon pages of beautiful photographs, art and poetic words to get lost in for hours. The magazine was food for my creative soul and the images were so moving and inspiring - such talented artists. So... when I received an email earlier this year from Stampington (who publishes Artful Blogging) saying they were interested in featuring my photography and writing, I was a little incredulous. How did they find me, I wondered. My work is simply the result of how I see and experience the world every single day. Yesterday, my complimentary copy came in the mail, and it was almost surreal to see my photographs and words in print! I was over the moon!! And I am elated and honored that several of my favorite portraits from my portrait photography business were selected by Stampington for the feature! And for those of you who know about my copilot Maggie May - you can imagine my glee that she was also going to be featured! Still pinching myself a little about it all! And feeling very grateful for the gift of how I see the world - as a beautiful, magical place.

Interview by Etsy Team Columbus (ETC)!

I was delighted to be interviewed by members of Etsy Team Columbus - a great group of women artists here in Central Ohio. This post appeared on their Blog, and I decided to cross post here!!

Etsy Team Columbus Blog Interview


1. Tell Us a bit about yourself. (Please include your Etsy Shop name, real name, how long you’ve been a member of the team and whatever you want us to know about you. You may also talk a little bit about your family here.)

Joy StClaire shop: http://www.joystclaire.etsy.com/ Website: http://www.ohjoyphotography.com/

I’ve been a member of ETC for not quite a year & have been active with my shop for a year this January. I live in NE Columbus with my dog Maggie May & 2 kitties. I’m happily single and am fortunate to have wonderful friends to fill in as family (my parents passed 16 years ago).



2. Apart from creating things, What do you do?

I’m a portrait photographer, although I guess I’m still creating there!! My other passion is gardening. When I was little, I turned my Barbie into a Gardener Barbie! I’m very into eco conscious garden design & plantings using native plants. I stay grounded by taking daily walks with Maggie & bird watching along the walk (I am a closet birder!). When I can, I take off to northern Michigan to recharge my creative & spiritual well (& take fine art photos). And foraging in thrift stores makes me happy, especially if I find a great vintage camera!



3. What first made you want to become an Artist?

Now I know I was born that way – seeing things a certain way. But it was about 5 years ago when I enrolled in a workshop at my church called “The Artist’s Way” – based on the book by Julia Cameron. When I was younger, I always thought I was “strange” because I had trouble fitting “in the box”. It was through that workshop I realized what I was calling “strange” was actually being creative. It was that year I started my portrait photography business. Alternating between portrait work and my fine art photography helps keep me fresh creatively.



4. Tell us about your Art/Craft.

I am a fine art photographer 9portraits & landscapes). Many years ago (a LONG time ago!) I shot film & focused on black and white work. I still have my 2 original Ricoh 35mm cameras. About 8 years ago, I switched to digital out of necessity.



5. Please describe your Creative Process.

In my digital work, I process my photographs using Adobe Lightroom and have created specific presets to give my work its signature tones and hues. I also use Photoshop Elements to apply textures to some of my work. Flower photograph and still life works are my favorites. I will often get a subject and look at it for a couple days. Then I try to see it in a very different way – to stretch myself beyond my initial ideas.



6. What Handmade possession(s) do you most cherish?

Gifts from other artists – painted stones, a 2011 calendar, jewelry, photographs. These are all things that remind me of the maker - & that is what holds the value for me. Each time I see the handmade, I think of the artist.



7. What advice would you give to artists that are new to Etsy Team Columbus? If you are a new member within the past year, What are you looking forward to being a new member of the team?

I’m a relatively new member to Etsy and ETC, so I’m not sure I have advice yet! But I’m looking forward to participating with others in ETC in learning and growing as an artist.



8. What are your Favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?

I’m really pleased that we can now search for items among our favorites. I’m still trying to get the hang of circles. I’m liking the activity feed. In some ways I feel Etsy is trying to become a bit like Facebook & I would like to see them focus more on business/selling.



9. How do you promote your work? (You don’t have to go into super detail but please be specific.)

I try to blog as much as I can – when I have a new product or sale I blog about it. My blog is also “networked” on FB so when I post to my blog, it automatically goes to my personal & to my Business FB pages. I also “tweet” (still trying to get the hang of that) about treasuries I’m in, sales, portrait promos and I try to do the Follow Friday on Twitter. I have a fan page on FB and through google analytics, it seems I get quite a bit of traffic to my Etsy through my Facebook business page. I send emails out to friends/aquaintenances about sales or news I’d like to share.



10. Where can we find you on the web? (Please include your Etsy website, a personal site if you have one, your Facebook/MySpace page and/or blog. Only include the sites you want to share with the general public.)

You can find me on the web in these places:

ETSY: http://www.joystclaire.etsy.com/

WEBSITE: http://www.ohjoyphotography.com/

BLOG: http://www.joystclaire.blogspot.com/

FB: http:///www.facebook.com/ohjoyphotography1

Twitter: @joystclaire



11. In ten years where would you like to be artistically and personally.

Wow – this is going to sound like a bio at the end of a book! Lol! But I believe in living with intention – picture it & make it so!

Joy StClaire works out of her studio in a rustic cottage in Northwestern Michigan near the Lake Michigan shoreline. She is thrilled over the recent opening of her natural light portrait & fine art studio, and has begun offering classes in fine art & portrait photography. Visit her at art shows nationwide. She lives with her husband and 3 dogs in the log and stone home they designed together.

Fog {Columbus Ohio Fine Art Photographer}

WE had a very dense and magical fog this November. Upon wakening and seeing the magical world outside the window, I grabbed my camera to capture what I could. I started at the metropark just a mile away, Blendon Woods. This is my usual haunt on foggy days. But the fog was so dense that I wondered if it was still heavy into the city. I traveled to Franklin Park Conservatory in the heart of Columbus, Ohio. The fog was still hanging in the landscape for some moody shots there. These are by far some of my favorite shots. All photographs were processed in Lightroom using Joyful Lightroom Presets (for jpg) & can be found in the sidebar. I thought it only fitting to end the post with foggy poems! Enjoy!

Most of the photographs featured here are available in MY SHOP!

FOG
The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor & city
on silent haunches
& then moves on.
~ Carl Sandburg

DECEMBER'S MYSTIC MOON
Majestic Oaks in silent solitaire
and Midnight's cold December air,
Rolling hills beneath Heaven's hem of grayish blue
Crowns the earth embraced by northern lights, and
gentle winter's mystic moon.
An unclothed scent of cedar's burnt, and
caressing valleys below,
Inspires Nature's misty gown of rising fog.
~ J Gregory PT Evans

It’s a mysterious morning in the wood as the fogs settled in
Fog dances with the wind through the trees twirling
A hazy white blanket diffusing scattering the light
Everything looks so different tricking your sight
The sun rays pours down breaking through the trees canopy
Linear streaks of light highlighting objects we see
Mysterious fog plays with the light as things it conceals
So when you are only near objects magically reappear
Strange shaped shadows jump out from the teasing mist
And twigs and objects appear that at first you did miss
The gloomy cold fog tries hard to hide the light of the new day
But the darkness and mystery it brings is not there to stay
The wind helps the sun to blow the mist from our sight
And wind sun versus the fog start their regular teasing fight
As normal the fog slowly loses, thins to a light haze in the air
Going patchy with little dancing wisps here and there
The light and the wind always it wins afterall
But the fog would just quickly disappear from us all
But look closely he left a present from his newly departed mist
On foliage are water jewel droplets where it gently kissed
~ Unknown

The Gulf Coast Disaster

Images of tar balls on beaches and oil covered birds and wildlife are streaming across our TV screens, computer screens and iPhones. The lives of animals & oil rig workers, & the livelihoods of Gulf Coast residents are being lost. I feel helpless.

A shop on Etsy, Help the Gulf Coast, has been formed uniting Etsy sellers to bring help to the Gulf Coast. Proceeds from sales from this special shop will be split 50/50 between Oxfam America & American Bird Conservancy . This is a great opportunity to purchase art by independent (indie) artists and at the same time have your purchase help OUR Gulf Coast in this disaster. We can do little things to make a difference! Please visit this shop. If you are an artist, please consider making a donation to this shop. I have donated the above image to this cause and will be donating more art in the future.

Tutus!! / Joy St.Claire, Central Ohio Childrens Photographer

This past Sunday was the most beautiful Spring day! The sun was shining & the spring trees were in all their glory. I met a friend at my favorite park - Inniswood Metropark - to do some shooting on my day off. In addition to getting some beautiful shots for my Etsy shop, I met a wonderfully talented mom who started her own business making boutique tutus. Let me tell you - they are just gorgeous! Her attention to detail and workmanship make these little tutus stand out! I'm looking forward to adding some of these gorgeous tutus to my collection and using them in upcoming portrait sessions! Find Janie Girl tutus on Facebook or inquire at janiegirltutus@yahoo.com

Forever Moments - Columbus Ohio Childrens Photographer

“For some moments in life there are no words.”
― David Seltzer

And that is why there are photographers - to capture, convey and preserve that moment/memory for a lifetime!

Drumroll, Please.....

Thanks so much to all of you for stopping by and saying hello! It was great seeing some new people stop by, as well as old friends! Thanks for sharing my happiness and excitement over my Etsy shop opening!

I hopped on the random number generator site and clicked the button twice to get 2 random numbers. The lucky numbers were #13 and #27. I scrolled down to see who filled those spots in the comments.

CONGRATUATIONS to Meg with Tea & Brie Photography and to Amy McGibbon! Yay, girls! You each win a FREE 8x10 of your choice. And.... because ALL of you are truly winners, I'm offering a buy one get one free to all of you. If you see something on my Etsy shop or Flickr that you have to have, you'll get another freebie of your choice. Just specify the title of the Freebie in the comments section when making your purchase. Hugs to all of you!

Happy Monday!