Natural Ways of The Soul

Maryland Freckles

"This showed me, once again, that I was happier when I accepted my own real likes and dislikes, instead of trying to decide what I ought to like; I was happier when I stopped squelching the inclinations toward note taking and bookmaking that I'd had since childhood and instead embraced them. As Michael de Montaigne observed, 'The least strained and most natural ways of the soul are the most beautiful; the best occupations are the least forced.'" - Gretchen Rubin


"Natural ways of the soul"
It's rather a lovely phrase, in all of it's simplicity.
Reading this passage from The Happiness Project last week gave me a somewhat obvious mini epiphany.

It's okay that I don't like cooking.
Maybe I will one day, but I really don't right now.
Sometimes I do. When I have extra time, when it's something relatively easy, or when I'm doing it with someone.
But for the most part I do not enjoy it.
And that's okay.

It's okay that I don't like gardening, or doing anything excessively dirty outside.
I love being outside.
 I love camping, I love sailing, I love riding bikes and picnics and reading in the grass, and going to the river and the beach and I don't mind getting dirty. Sometimes I even like getting dirty, It can be kind of satisfying in a way. But generally when it comes to working outside, with bugs and the heat, and heavy lifting and labor and hard work... I am not a fan.
And somehow gardening/anything plant related (with the exception of succulents. When I can keep them alive...) has always encompassed those things for me and I never really enjoy it.

It's also okay that I'm not good at math.
Other people are.
And there's always a calculator.

It's okay that I do not enjoy talking on the phone.
I honestly would just rather just see you in person, or if it's just something quick, send me an email or a text.  Or even a letter in the mail.
I don't know what it is, but with the exception of my long distance relationships (and even then it's hard to reach me. Sorry Maddie...) I really just don't like talking on the phone.
(Ironically I do like voicemails though...? I don't know. I don't make sense sometimes.)

It's okay that I don't like seafood.
I try it. I try it a lot. And I've always felt bad for not liking it. I want to like it. But I just don't.
I'll keep trying it. And maybe I'll like it one day... but in the meantime I won't feel bad about it.

It's okay that I'm really bad at multitasking.
(With the exception of when knitting is involved.)
It's apparently not as productive as I thought it was anyway.

It's okay that I would rather pay for certain things to be done then learn to do them myself.
I know time is money and all, but I feel like sometimes it's not.
And I really would rather just have the time.

It's okay that I'm not the most technological savvy person.
Even though I'm from the generation that's supposed to be.
(Like, what is Tinder? Does anyone even use Google+? I still have an iPhone 4s, is that okay? And how do I get iCloud to work... help me.)

It's okay that I don't like flip flops.

It's okay that I don't own a hair dryer.
Or know how to properly apply foundation or blush (neither of which I have...)
Or that I'm still not able to use a curling iron very well.
Or know what the heck mousse is even for.
Or that I've pretty much had the same makeup routine for the past 5 years.
Or that I've only ever gotten a manicure twice in my life.
I'm still a lady.
(Just not a well manicured, beautifully blushing, fluffy haired one.)

It's okay that I don't like watching sports.
Even a little bit.

It's also okay that I don't like playing sports.
Even something as simple as cornhole.
I really would just rather not.
//////

There are, of course, exceptions to all of these.
For instance: I love playing basketball with my brothers, I kind of sort of like calamari (if I don't think about it), I love cooking with my Aunt because there's always stories and illustrations involved (and plus she usually does most of the work and then I get to eat the delicious creation afterwards), some of the best conversations I've had have been on the phone, and of course there are some things I need to learn how to do rather than pay for them to be done so that I can counteract my occasional penchant for laziness.
But overall, these things do not come naturally to me.
And that's okay.
I'm really great at other things. My soul is full of all kinds of beautiful and natural ways.
And so is yours.
So don't beat yourself up for the ones that aren't there.

I Don’t Mind Sentimental Girls At Times

How lucky I feel to have such marvelous people in my life. 

Especially ones to take fun in-the-middle-of-the-week-road-trips with. 

My RVA: September First Friday

I hadn't been to a

First Friday

in

ages

.

I always seem to be out of town when they come around, so I was stoked when I realized I could attend this one. It's one of my favorite things to do in

Richmond

.

There's always so much beautiful and insanely creative art to look at, interesting people to meet, thrift stores to shop in (

Books Bikes And Beyond

*cough cough*), ridiculously cute puppies to pet, street musicians playing your favorite Beirut song (thanks guys!), and of course heaps of restaurants and food trucks to eat from.

And of course if I get to do all of that in the company of a lovely friend it's twice as enjoyable. 

(Hey there Laura) 

P.s. Check out the window display in the first few photos at the oh so gorgeous 

Verdalina

. 

Isn't it just so perfect? Knitting obsession personified. I met the lovely woman, Marty, who designed the whole thing and told her so myself. 

Also: I could pretty much live in that store. It's so beautiful and put together oh so perfectly. 

Their whole aesthetic and design is so spot on. 

Go check it out if you haven't yet!

Places Pictured

Verdalina

1708 Gallery

Quirk Gallery

For more info about RVA First Friday's check out their site

here

.

Goals | September

Photo cred: Meagan Abell

Well hey howdy hey.
Look who's back with sharing her goals!
I haven't done this since April.
I have to admit that that was sort of intentional and sort of not...
I fully intended to share my May goals and then, well, the month got away from me...
And then I decided I wanted to keep my summer month goals to myself since they were more of a personal nature.
But September is here (which I honestly cannot believe) and I want to get back to sharing them with you guys! So here we go.


This month I've decided I want to pursue a passion of mine.
I had a hard time deciding at first what I wanted it to be. I have so many passions. In fact, when
I was reading The Happiness Project, Gretchen talks about the way to find your passion is to think about what you did as a ten-year-old, or what you would choose to do on a free saturday afternoon.
I literally had like ten things pop into my head all at once.
There are so many things I'm passionate about, reading, knitting (along with about 78 other forms of creating and making art), my faith, exploring new places, traveling, eating good food, spending time with family, music, making lists, going anywhere that involves dressing up, vintage/thrift shopping, making new friends and meeting new people, adding to my various little collections that I have, watching british tv series... I mean the list goes on and on.
But I finally decided to choose photography.
Namely because while, yes, I do it for work and as a means to make a living, it is also very much a part of me and something I really am passionate about.
That being said, because I do it for work and on an almost daily basis, I've found myself over the last few months neglecting it as a whole when it's not work related (with the exception of my travels).
The ever present threat when you do something you love for a living. Your play turns into work and the fun can be taken away from it and you can get burned out.

 In The Happiness Project Gretchen also talked about how periods of deprivation sharpen the enjoyment and pleasure of things we love.
It's the whole "absence makes the heart grow fonder" spiel.
And I realized that that's what had happened with my photography. While, yes, I've still been shooting and working on photos almost constantly (I currently have fifteen folders of unedited photos on my desk top...) I haven't gone out to shoot just to shoot.
I used to bring my camera with me everywhere, just because, for no particular reason, because I was always excited at the prospect of capturing something new.
But I was thinking about it recently and I couldn't really remember the last time I did that. Or the last time I took a walk around my neighborhood with my camera. Or the last time I took pictures of anything that wasn't for a paid job.
And this thing in my head, of how I always see things as a photograph and having a mind like a lens, well it'd sort of faded and wasn't very present all the time.
And sometimes it was hardly even there at all.
Of course I keep up with Instagram, I'm always taking photos with my phone, but that's not really the same thing. And I often find myself just using my phone to capture something more so out of laziness than anything. Which is ridiculous.
So.
All of that being said, I am going to pursue my photography this month. Because it's something I love, something I'm passionate about, and a skill I want to not only maintain, but develop and grow in.

September| Pursue A Passion

Inspiration

• The satisfaction gained from the achievement of a large undertaking is one of the most substantial that life affords. 
• Life is way too short NOT to follow your passion.
• An atmosphere of growth brings great happiness, but at the same time, happiness sometimes also comes when you're free from the pressure to see much growth. Often, the opposite of a great truth is also true. So in that vein, don't think so much about the pressures of making something perfect. Just enjoy the art of shooting. This isn't for anyone else. It's for you. But also challenge yourself and make an effort to grow in what you're doing. 
• Go catch up on some favorite photography blogs. Get inspired. 

Try New Things

• Make a purchase that will further your goals (Buy a new lens and update photo editing software) 
• Gretchen's passion that she chose to focus on was reading, and she also resolved to write a novel. Find some sort of photographic equivalent. Perhaps a specific photo project?
•  Try a new photography method I've never tried before (suggestions/inspiration welcome!)

Make Time

• Take a walk at least once a week with my camera and look for new things I've never noticed before. 
• Be intentional about making time for it. Find ways to integrate my passion into my ordinary days, and stop measuring myself against some irrelevant standard of efficiency.
• Treat it as a real priority instead of an 'extra' to be fitted into a free moment (because let's be honest... free moments?? What are those...)
• If I see something I would normally take a photo of for Instagram, use my camera to take a photo of it instead. 

Quotes

• "A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know." - Diane Arbus
• "If you aren't making any mistakes, it's a sure sign you're playing it too safe." -John Maxwell
• "To desire is to obtain, to aspire is to achieve."- James Allen
• "It turns out, you become a photographer when you decide you have a voice. One that only you can have. Our wish for you is that you continue to create art that we can be privileged enough to see through your eyes. You are the only person with this very exact view of the world. Be brave in making it yours."- Artifact Uprising
• "By believing passionately in something that does not yet exist, we create it."-Nikos Kazantzakis 
• "One thing that makes a passion enjoyable is that you don't have to worry about results. You can strive for triumph, or you can potter around, tinker, explore, without worrying about efficiency or outcomes."-Gretchen Rubin

Words I Like

Because words are fun.

And because it's late.

And because I need to get back on my blogging game.

Words I like...

Rucksack

Tangible

Whimsical

Flustered

Superfluous

Reacclimate

Wild

Reckless

Wander

Nevertheless

Observatory

Platonic

Feisty

Mapped

Clutter

///// 

What are some words you like?

Actively Waiting

Waiting
| Follow me on Instagram at @agirlnamedleney | 

There have been a lot of reoccurring lessons for me lately.

One of them being: 

Waiting is an active thing, not a passive thing.

That and that I need to be engaged.

Engaged in my life, in my circumstances, in my relationships, especially my relationship with God. 

These things take effort, are worth effort. Just being, and letting them go along without attention on my part, is definitely something I could do, but that's not how I can get the best out of these things.

God wants us to always be engaged in our circumstances, in our lives.

After all, as the cliche goes, we only get one.

But back to the waiting. 

I feel like there's a lot of waiting for the "not yet". 

Or, at least, I've been tempted to notice all of that stuff more so as of late, the "not yet" stuff, than what's here and now.

However, I realized that if I'm sitting around waiting for the next thing all the time, I'm never going to be content with what I have now and where I am at this moment. 

There's always going to be a next thing to wait for. 

It's okay to wait for things, to be excited and anticipate something different then what I currently have. 

But not to the point where I lose sight of the right now and what's here in front of me.

Because so very often what's right now, and here in front of us, used to be a "not yet" thing. Something we were waiting for. Anticipating, wanting, hoping for, praying for, crossing our fingers for, working our butts off for.

 But now it's arrived, and it's in our possession and so in it becoming our "right now", it's no longer an anticipated "not yet".

We let it lose it's value. 

So don't let things lose their value.

Remember your "right now" used to be a "not yet" and you were once really really anxious for it to get here.

So now that it's here, enjoy it. 

To the absolute possible most fullest.

Side note:

Additionally I'm learning that waiting for the "not yet" is not a solitary thing. 

I'm not alone in the waiting. 

He's here, right here, where I am. 

And He's not going anywhere either. 

He's going to wait with me as long as there is something to wait for. 

But while I'm waiting, I have to be active. 

And now I'm just repeating myself, so... end note.

Shop Sale!

Sale sale sale!

But just until midnight tonight.

I'm trying out a new platform for the shop, and so in honor of that, and testing new things out, I'm offering 15% off all orders from now until midnight tonight!

Just use the code: WEEKENDSALE2014 at checkout.

Only A Page

 In Flight
| Follow me on Instagram at @agirlnamedleney | 

"I've always agreed with Saint Augustine when he said 'The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.'...traveling is the motivation for me to grow as an artist." | Caleb Jordan Lee 

More travel plans are in the works.
(Which is, let's be honest, always the case over here)
Still planning on sharing heaps and heaps of photos soon soon soon.
Promise.
Meanwhile, I hope you're having a lovely Wednesday.
Make it great, okay?

The Desire

Photo Cred: Meagan Abell

"Artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide" | D.W. Winnicott 

The desire to hide.

I think it's a feeling we've all experienced from time to time. 

No matter how confident and outgoing we may be. We are all on occasion going to be out of our comfort zone, whether it's in a new social setting or in facing an unfamiliar challenge.

I've recently come out of a season like that.
And I think it's a good thing, to be there, in that place of wanting to hide.
Because you're being challenged.
And it's in being challenged that you (or at least I) often discover the things that make your life the most beautiful and the things that are the most important.
Which you can so easily forget when you're in a state of comfort and sameness.
So it's a good thing.
That desire.

So I'm grateful for those seasons of discomfort, of challenge, of wanting to hide.
(Not always of course, especially in the midst of it, but it's always easier to be grateful in hindsight isn't it?)
But I'm also grateful for the others.
The ones where I know I'm exactly where I need to be, where I feel fully alive and able to completely communicate my ideas and passions and express fully who I am and what I want to do and be.
But isn't that the key to it all?
To be content in whichever season you're in.
Something I feel like I'm always striving for.
Which is actually kind of an oxymoron if you think about it. Because striving, defined in and of itself, goes against the feeling of being content.

Hmm... I'll have to think more about that one.

Adventures | Tangier Island

Tangier Island is a tiny little place in the Chesapeake Bay.

The population is less than a thousand and the true natives speak in a unique english like accent that is pretty unmistakeable and something thats super neat to hear. They also primarily drive golf carts, or scooters as there's no real need for cars on such a small piece of land. 

Milton (as seen in the last photo) is the keeper of the Marina and has quite a lot of cool stories to tell if you happen to run into him and have time to chat for a bit. He was on the island before they had electricity and was among the first graduating class of the local high school. 

(Quite an accomplishment to be sure)

It's definitely a cool place to wander around and explore, which you can do in less than an hour or so since the whole island is only about a mile long!

P.s. There are also

a lot

of cats.

So there's that too.