My first November in Portland was a little more rough that I would have wanted. I seem to never enjoy the month that my birthday is in which is always a little disheartening. Ususally I tend to be working in retail which means that the busy season is coming to its worst point and I am having to be at work more often than not. This season was no different. Trying to balance a strenuois work life with your real life is always hard and something that has never been easy for me as an artist. But I am blessed to be where I am in my life and I hope that I can start moving towards all of my goals. This month was busy and I was saddened that I couldn't find much free time to go out and take photographs, something that I plan to work on in the next coming month. I'm ready to start shooting Portland even more!
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October was a month of change. This month was spent mostly stressing about my upcoming move into a new house on the other side of town. I was anxious to get out of a place that had been giving me some grief and move into Portland. The weather was also changing. Green into orange and yellow and red. I've never seen a more beautiful autumn. So I did my best to get out and try and capture some fall scenes! Moving into a new house has been a slight adjustment but I've felt more content than ever. I've enjoyed setting up every part of my new space. I made my first trip to Sauvie Island this month and it was as wonderful as everyone has said. I explored the pumpkin patch and enjoyed the view. Living in Portland has been so very wonderful. Being close to things that I enjoy doing is such a blessing and getting out to explore every area possible has become my new goal. I can't wait to see where the rest of my journey here will take me. Every day has been an adventure.
What to say about September. All of my favorite people have their birthdays' in this month. I feel like I await September all year just so I can tell my father Happy Birthday. Although, there are other reasons that I enjoy September. The weather can never seem to make up it's mind, if it still wants to be Summer or turn into Autumn. This was a good month for hiking, for wandering town, for standing outside and waiting for a concert, all things that I do as often as I can. While mostly focusing my energy on moving houses soon, I still attempted to pull a little of my concentration from stress and focus on doing the things that make me happy. There was a few weeks where I hadn't done much but neatly putting all my belongings in boxes and going to work when I was done. After noticing that I was neglecting my adventurous side, I made it a point to get out more often and not let myself fall into the trap of lethargy again. This month, I finally got to see one of my favorite bands that I've been patiently waiting to see live for a few years. Warpaint! They were more than outstanding and I enjoyed being able to see them in such an intimate setting. Here are some photographs from that show!
August went quickly. I unfortunately spent most of the month trying to get used to my new position at work. I was grateful to get to see some of my friends from Denver when they came through and get to see their wonderful band, Ancient Elk play in Portland! They are so talented. I spent my days off songwriting and even a wonderful day surrounded by the forest at Forest Park. One night i happily went to go see Julien Baker play once again and was lucky to see Lucy Dacus open for her. Theres nothing like music. One of my favorite things to shoot is musicians. I've been living in a suburb called Tualatin since I moved away from Wyoming. This month I finalized plans to move into a house in Portland, which I'm very thrilled about. I'm ready for a new adventure. Leaves have started to fall and I'm awaiting Autumn.
July, July. It was a good month. A busy one as well. For the beginning of the month I took a trip a few states over to visit my sister in Denver. It was nice being back in a familiar city with new eyes to see it with. After a few days of spending much needed time with my twin sister and friends and going to museums and shows, I headed back up to Wyoming for a bit. It was nice to see family and my friends, although being back where I came from was unsettling and I was very uncomfortable most of the time. It confirmed for me that Oregon is my home. I thought about it constantly while on vacation. The town was quiet and desolate as usual, but it seemed more so since I've been living somewhere larger. I missed Portland. After a few days at home, I hoped on another flight and met my aunt in Los Angeles! It was a fun trip. We spent a day downtown at the Broad museum where I got to see some of my favorite artists like Barbra Kruger! We had lunch in Manhattan Beach and Pasadena. We went to the beach in Santa Monica. We spent an entire day at Universal Studios at Harry Potter which was the highlight of the trip. I enjoyed staying in LA with a view of the San Fernando valley from my hotel room. My sister and I drank butterbeer and did magic in the park until we had no energy left. I was so happy to return home and I've been cherishing it ever since I've been back. I wonder what the next month will hold for me.
This month was one that made me feel very appreciative and content. Everyone around me and my surroundings made me feel this way. I felt at home. Besides working and trying to stay focused on all my artistic ventures, I didn't get around to photographing or exploring too much. This was the first month that I didn't go see a band! I was very happy to be able to photograph one of my best friends weddings and spend most of her day with her. I got to see more parts of town that I hadn't before and I was happy. I got to attend my very first Pride and it was absolutely heartwarming. I smiled the whole time. I met new friends. After a very enjoyable couple of weeks I was plaqued with heartbreak which left me feeling quite the opposite than before. I made my way through and was glad to finally leave for vacation. I left for Colorado, Wyoming and California.. Which is why this post is so late! I apologize!
It was difficult choosing a photograph for this month! I did my best to get out of the house more in between working more hours and ended up attending more shows than I expected, which of course means more photos! I felt like I blinked and the month was ending already. The weather has started to be very hot, and for the first time in my life, I wasn't ready for summer. I went and saw Savages, which was maybe the most energetic and tiring concert that I've ever been too. I've never experienced anything like that energy, Jehnny Beth's stage presence and the entire band's incredible talent. I went and saw PVRIS which was a fun time, I enjoyed listening to Lynn Gunn sing finally and dancing with the other girls. I went and saw Phoebe Bridgers and we ended up talking for a long time and having a really nice time together, and of course her set was enchanting. I love that I live in a city that brings me so many opportunities to enjoy music! I did my best to spend more time walking around in places that I haven't been before and will be doing the same this month. I love riding the light rail and looking out the window, passing trees and fields, I love the shining buildings and people eating outdoors. I love walking the streets at night after a show. I love it here and I can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings.
If you want to see more of my photgraphs from this month, you can follow me on Tumblr, like my Facebook page, or follow me on Instagram. Hey all. This was a busy month for me, or at least it felt that way. The first months of the year always race by, which is rather disappointing. My photograph this month is a self portrait. I decided last year that I would take one around this time every year until someday I have a substantial collection. A very gradual project but I think it will be interesting to view my own growth in the future. So this is me, at 22, in 2016. This is my third or forth month living in Oregon and everyday I'm happier, when I'm not worried about money. The trees get fuller and more green every single day, more than I've seen in my entire life and it's mesmerizing. I'm so grateful. It's also been very warm and sunny with a few rainy days, which back at home it's still been snowing, something that I'm also glad to be away from. It's wonderful to be able to experience Spring for what feels like the first time. This month I didn't get to explore as much sadly, but I did get to photograph my friend Rachel for her blog quite a bit which allows me to explore parts of Portland that I haven't seen yet! Will I ever see the whole city? I didn't get to do much shooting outside of that which is never my favorite, but I did get to see Courtney Barnett at the Crystal Ballroom! This was my first time getting to attend a concert at this grand venue with strange and lovely architecture and it was spectacular. I met friends and everyone danced while the floor shook. A band called Alvvays opened for them, which was also a treat since I had been wanting to see them live for awhile too, they are so fun. I'm ready for May, ready for roses, ready to get out and explore more, ready to see more shows and meet more people.
Here are some photographs that I took this month! Another beautiful month in Portland! Days wandering this expanse of the city until my feet ache, getting up early to sounds of the rain and enjoying the more frequent sunny and warm days. This month was special for me, since I'm used to getting snow until early April back home, I very much appreciated and was in awe of all of the huge flowers starting to bloom and all the trees. It's strange to me to see such large flowers, to see blossoms filing up every inch on the top. I've never gotten to see such a full Spring and I'm so grateful. These little things really warm my heart. One day I watched the sunset across the river, behind the city. Another, I drove only two hours to the ocean, which was so wonderful. I climbed rocky hills down to the beach, I watched the waves, tried to see the details of a far off lighthouse, hiked through the forest in only a tee shirt with sunlight filtering through the branches. I can't believe all the beauty that I am surrounded by. I saw some amazing bands that I really wanted to see too. If this is any indication of what my life is going to be like here, then I'm very ready. I hope everyone had a wonderful March.. Here are a few photographs that I took this month. If you want to see more, I post frequently on my Tumblr and Facebook.
What a month. My second month of living in Oregon has been an example of the life that I've always dreamed of. Although there are still things that come with stress, such as struggling to find that perfect job and getting things paid, I've never been happier. This month was spent exploring as usual. I took some hikes in some new places, one day figuring out that my jacket is indeed not waterproof as previously assumed. I walked in new parts of the city and met some more people. I enjoyed strolls in the neighborhoods, admiring all of the houses. I walked by the river and enjoyed the reflections of the buildings as the sun went down behind them. I couldn't believe when all the trees started blooming already. I attended a show at Mississippi Studios to see Quasi, a band that my favorite drummer is a part of aside from her other band, which happens to be my favorite. I got to meet her and talk to her and the show was energetic which was wonderful. A week later I went and saw another show at the same venue. The opener was Haley Heyndrickx, a girl and her band from Portland which I was very blown away by. I hope to see them at their next show! The headliner was Julien Baker, a sweet girl that I admire greatly. I was grateful that she talked to me before and after her set and also signed my cd. Her music is haunting and heartbreaking but maybe the most beautiful you'll ever hear from a one woman band. It filled me with life and I bet it will be in the best concerts that I see this year. This month was short but beautiful and I hope the rest of the year is just like it.
You can see more of my photos of Julien Baker and Haley Heyndrickx in my Digital Photography as well as more images that I took this month. |
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Each month I will be posting a Photo of the Month! Also I'll try to work in any requested posts or things I find interesting to post! Enjoy! Archives
October 2018
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