The Art Lab new semester starts TODAY, but it’s not too late to join! Zooms start next week!

Cyanotypes: Blue & Beyond workshop has only four spots left! Guided seats sold out within minutes 😱

Self-Portraits for Growth workshop is filling up and starts October 19!

Feel Free To Judge My Parenting

(but at least hear me out first)

My eldest got an Apple watch when he entered middle school three years ago. His dad and I agreed that the boys could have watches to keep in contact with us, but we wanted to wait to get them actual smartphones until high school. We had differing reasons for this decision: his to avoid social media, while mine was more focused on limiting screen time in general.

As hard as it is for me to regulate my own screen time, I know my boys have a much harder time, so I often impose (what they view as draconian) limits.

They know the refrain “I’m bored” only gets met with a resounding “GOOD!” from me. Boredom is legitimately good for us. It teaches us to sit in the discomfort and it gives our brains space to innovate.

It’s out of boredom that my kids have created games involving chess mixed with Space Escape (a cooperative board game we only played the way it was designed once, yet the pieces live on in all sorts of inventive iterations.)

It’s out of boredom that my kids creating an involved game using only a single child’s block. Their talk during the game is more akin to a secret language, where I have no idea what the words and actions mean, and where hilarity ensues over things I cannot discern.

It’s out of boredom that boxes are turned into forts, pick-up games are played, Lego cities are made, and shenanigans ensue.

And it’s out of boredom and a new smartwatch that three years ago my elder two children tapped into a pastime I thought long gone.

They admitted to me they had engaged in ye olde antic of the prank phone call.

On the watch they figured out how to find the number for our local Dominoes and they called asking to order a Big Mac. I guess the worker (I imagine him as a “he” and most likely resembling a Simpson’s character…see below) just hung right up on them, which made my boys howl with delight.

You know what I did? I didn’t scold them or tell them to stop. In fact,

I laughed and told them that was hilarious.

Maybe this subtle encouragement of prank phone calls isn’t my best parenting move, and trust me, I see the arguments against my response, but let me tell you why I just laughed along with them:

Something that felt like a rite of passage in my youth, I have to assume not many kids engage in nowadays. I honestly didn’t know they could figure out how to look up a number and have the guts to call and talk on the phone with a stranger. (Do kids even talk on the phone these days? Do adults? Do I???? <no>). They learned into the boredom, figured out a way to entertain themselves, and took the steps to do it. They asked “what would happen if….” and they found out the answer.

All on their own.

This is the kind of inquisitive and confident child I want to raise.

And this curiosity and experimentation is lost when we expect to be entertained 24/7.

Tell a kid to get bored and we’re all lucky enough if they engage in some minor tomfoolery.

When I let my kids go on screens, my house is quieter, cleaner, and less chaotic.

Noise, mess, and chaos are part of the process of actually living and instead of viewing them as things to avoid at all costs, I want to embrace them.

This is the mindset I had when I started Experimental Summer, a totally arbitrary moniker I placed on this season just so it would give me the permission to play. It gave me the permission to ask questions and find out the answers.

It gave me the permission to say “I just gotta pop out and shoot a roll of film for Experimental Summer”. It even gave me the permission to purchase new film, something I haven’t done in yearrrrrrs, because I have a stash I’ve been working through so I haven’t needed to buy any. But I really wanted to find out what happened when I shot a NEW film stock, Harman Switch Azure on both sides, so I HAD to buy a few rolls to test it out (it was clearly a need and not a want. Because…Experimental Summer, duh.)

I’ve been in the creative education space long enough to know how to set myself and others up for success. A loooooong time ago I taught high school math, and although I’ve left traditional education, I’ve been doing film education since 2017 and I’ve been hosting creative subscription communities since April 2021.

My time with subscription communities means I have a lot of knowledge on how to create rhythms of creativity that extend beyond a couple week workshop. I understand the systems and structures that will keep people inspired, creating, and accountable.

With my children, I know boredom and creative tools at hand are the recipe for play.

With adults, I know education, community, and deadlines are the recipe to keep creating.

Striking the right balance of structure and freedom allows us to experiment and push the boundaries, while knowing that we are safely contained while doing so.

So yes, you can feel free to judge my parenting, but I still think you gotta admit my goals were achieved (with minimal tomfoolery at work. With three boys, that’s kind of a miracle.) ;)

Connection is at the heart of everything we do in The Art Lab.

We connect with The Greats, but we also connect with each other.

Internet friendships turn real.

People fly across the country to meet up.

People bump into one another on the street and suddenly there’s a friendly face in the crowd (true story).

But this doesn’t just happen out of nowhere.

The international community is fostered intentionally.

Different schedules and time zones means I stay cognizant of varying times to accommodate people.

We zoom toward the beginning of the month to start brainstorming, and you all determine our times by voting. I usually do 2 (or more!) zooms times to increase the probability group members can join.

We do the same at the end of the month.

Then I meet with people individually throughout the month. I offer time slots from morning until evening just so I can ensure all of you have a chance to touch base with a guide who cares and understands this piece of you.

With all these Zooms and our Facebook group throughout the month, you have a community that you truly plug into. People who know facets of you that not everyone else gets to see. A safe space to be yourself and tap into your inner artist.

The new semester starts today, and it’s not too late to join. Come on in and have your voice heard before we schedule our first of many zooms. We can’t wait to actually see you.

connect with us

WORKSHOPS! WORKSHOPS! WORKSHOPS!

Film Lab 135, The Art Lab, a podcast, and workshops…maybe I do too much, but I love it all!

My TWO workshops with Illuminate Classes are both running this fall and honestly, they’re both bangers.

Self-Portraits for Growth ISN’T JUST ABOUT SELF-PORTRAITS. Yes, it is, but it’s about so much more. It’s about re-aligning with your vision and values. It’s about storytelling in a single frame. It’s about thinking metaphorically and pushing your limits. I recommend this class for everyone. Even, and especially if, self-portraits are uncomfortable for you. All artists benefit from this practice, and there’s a reason why so many of The Greats engage in them!

Expand Yourself

Cyanotypes: Blue & Beyond is just really stinking fun. It’s an intensive three week workshop that will guide you from the very beginning up into the most advanced techniques I know of. We will play with calming toning to vibrant duo and trichromes and learn how to make animations. It’s my favorite way to take my images from a screen and hold them in my hand. It’s a process that is meditative and invites play. And there are only 4 seats left, so snag yours!

Let's play!

Don’t forget to check out the latest episode of Post-Processing where we do a deep dive into Hannah Höch, this month’s artist in The Art Lab! Listen in on what Hannah teaches us about social and political critique, maintaining your voice, and deconstruction.

Listen here!

A little tomfoolery might be good for you,

Amy

• The Art Lab is open for registration for next semester!

• I am teaching two classes with Illuminate this fall and registration opens August 26! (Self-Portraits for Growth and Cyanotypes: Blue & Beyond)

• Listen to the latest Post-Processing: Brainstorm Buddies episode!

Letting Go Of Control

What do peak athletes, musicians, and improvisors have in common with those of us who thrive on a deadline? We know the importance of letting go of control.

Welcome to In Defense of Deadlines Part II, because I am truly passionate about a deadline. In the last article I talked about WHY deadlines are important, which is really more about how to live well for the brief time we’re on this earth. Things are beautiful precisely because they end. Memento mori. If you missed the last one, you can read it here, but it’s not necessary to read before digging into Part II: https://itsamyliz.substack.com/p/a-rodent-taught-me-a-life-lesson?r=3chxg0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

This time I address HOW deadlines affect us, which really tells us more about human psychology and how our brains work. (I like talking about art and creativity precisely because I like talking philosophically, and these topics really are inseparable.)

Deadlines are a major part of the work we do in The Art Lab, and I want everyone to become as passionate about them as I am (or maybe half as passionate, because that really would be more than enough )

So let’s get to it.

Truth be told, I often don’t start my monthly project for The Art Lab until a few days before the due date. (Sometimes people say they create their project 30 minutes before it’s due, which I love.) And honestly, there’s a reason why I tend to get started so close to the deadline, and that’s okay.

Why do I wait to get started? Because I tend to spend the first ⅔ to ¾ of the month OVERTHINKING. I weigh all my options. I get in the weeds of the logistics. I get into analysis paralysis. Basically my prefrontal cortex is in overdrive in hopes that I can take control of the situation, when what I really need to do is let go.

In life, we are always looking for the balance of too little control and too much control, and the goal is to live somewhere in the middle. But the middle doesn’t look so much like a happy medium as it does a balancing of knowing when to seek control and when to let go. I think of these two things like people on a teeter totter, each taking their turn to make for a fun ride. If someone just gets on and sinks down while the other person is stuck feet-in-the-air, the ride is over. The game is done. And now it’s just two people sitting on a plank of wood.

The way our society tends to value things like hyper-productivity, leaves us tending to tip the teeter totter toward “too much control,” just sitting there, forgetting that losing control is needed for a more fruitful and creative life.

The message to our kids tends to be “get yourself under control” because kids enter the world without having that skill. And of course there are times we absolutely need to get control of ourselves, our bodies, and our activities. But no one sends us the message as children to “let go of all control” because that’s more or less just their default. Whereas adults tend to default to “too much control” and they DO need the message to let go.

We all need to learn to live into the push and pull of the teeter totter so we can keep playing the game well.

In working with adults, one of my goals is to get them to let go of control for a bit, lose their self-awareness, and enter the flow. When we let go, we open ourselves up to play, connection, and creativity…all things we value in The Art Lab, and things our society needs more of.

But we don’t just “let go of control” for the sake of letting go of control. We also don’t do it with things we know nothing about. We have to do it strategically with things we’ve trained for. Athletes do just this. They train for hours on end. They hone their skills. They scrimmage. They watch recordings to learn from their mistakes.

But then game day, they have to let it all go and just let their training do its thing. If they don’t, we say they might be suffering from performance anxiety where they are stuck in that overthinking mode and freeze up. They do the training to then let go and let their trained network take over and lead the way.

This tells us that 1. All the effort we put into our artistry isn’t wasted. It’s training a network that can work on its own and 2. When we let go, this part gets to take over and shine.

This is what happens to me when “Deadline panic” sets in. And I swear it can be magic. Sometimes I feel like Chandler in Friends making a last-minute gift for Monica

but oftentimes it looks more like leaning into an idea I have and seeing where it will take me.

Letting go of control allows our prefrontal cortex to become less active, which makes us more present and able to play. This is where creativity happens.

The deadline helps me let go, because I would rather create SOMETHING than NOTHING, so I get to a spot where I stop overthinking and dig in and let my “training” do the work. The training is all the years I have spent with cameras, making arts and crafts, inspiration I’ve gathered on social meda, and all the artists I’ve learned about over the years in The Art Lab. I trust that those seeds are growing something within me and I get out of my own way so it can bear fruit.

Just another reason why I love a deadline.

Post-Script

Why am I so unapologetic about being passionate about weird things? Because we need more passion in this world. We need people to be excited about things and share that excitement with others. I watch my 10 year old share his passion for dinosaurs, and adults and children alike get such joy from it. This task isn’t just for 10 year olds, but for all of us. So be passionate about things. Get excited about the weird stuff. And share it with others. That’s the kind of positive energy we need more of.

The Art Lab Is Your Cheat Code For Creativity

The Art Lab is open for registration! Next semester runs September 1-December 31, 2026 and we would LOVE to have you.

The Art Lab is your cheat code for creativity because it uses methods proven to work. Community, education, deadlines, jumping off points…these are all things to help us make the space to create, get inspiration, and give us the parameters we need.

An Art Lab member drove through town the other day and we got to briefly meet up. While we were chatting she said “The Art Lab has changed my life”.

The Art Lab has definitely changed MY life; it has shifted my own paradigms, freed me to create in ways that feel more authentic to me, given me vast knowledge to continually draw upon, and also connected me to like-minded people. But to hear it has changed someone else’s life? That will NEVER cease to deeply move me.

The Art Lab is so much bigger than me. It’s a force that extends beyond a single person, precisely because we are all SOOOO in it together.

Good and true community does that. It takes on a life of its own and has the power to make lasting change and impact.

If you feel any sort of tug to reconnect with your work, continue your education, and align with others who are doing the same, I just know The Art Lab will be your soft spot to land.

We can’t wait to have you.

Grab Your Spot

I don’t think I would have ever solarized film if it weren’t for The Art Lab. Just one of the many things I tried because The Art Lab system works.

Making The Space To Create

Whether you’re struggling with finding physical space, carving out time, or mustering the energy to create, listen in as Cami and Amy talk about these totally normal struggles and give you tools to get back on track!

Listen Here!

TWO Workshops!

It’s official! I have expanded my workshop offerings with Illuminate Classes, and am now teaching TWO workshops!

One is Self-Portraits for Growth, the workshop for people wanting to dig deeper into their artistry, reconnect with their purpose, and learn new tools for storytelling in their art.

It’s about self-portraits, but it’s also about so much more. We will use tools to help you bridge the gap between the work you’re making and the work you long to make.

We will work through some of the common creative roadblocks, to free you up.

We will also practice acceptance of where we are and who we are in order to confidently move forward.

The second (NEW) workshop is Cyanotypes: Blue and Beyond, a three week bootcamp to guide you all the way from the basics to advanced techniques. We will cover getting started with cyanotypes, photograms, creating digital negatives, bleaching, toning, splitting channels to create multiple negatives for duo and trichromes/tricolor cyanotypes, all the way to animations (and more).

We are going to cover IT ALL and I will be there every step of the way to guide you and help troubleshoot.

Here’s yet another example of my loves combined: a cyanotype self-portrait created for one of the months in The Art Lab.

I’m so excited to be in creative community with you

Amy

Today I am 44.

Because I am a Leo, I like to celebrate my birthday and announce it to the world, so here I am on The Socials: the bulletin board we have at our fingertips for just such announcements.

As I was pondering the creation I wanted to make to celebrate the day, I remembered I never finished my 30 Days of Self project from April, where the last prompt is “Exposed and Accepted”. An idea had come to me, but I just never buckled down to figure it out, so sometime back in May I had given myself the deadline of my birthday (and forgot about it, but luckily remembered, and thank goodness I did, because a deadline is the best way to actually get something done.)

The Art Lab members know that there is no “late”, and sometimes being late with our projects means doing them at just the right time. This project feels just that way.

I think of “exposed and accepted” and how on my 40th birthday I wrote to you about being just a few months out of my almost 18 year marriage, I was starting a new chapter, I was lost in the wilderness, but I was knowing that the first 40 years were preparation for what was ahead.

On my 41st birthday I was in the midst of selling the house my children had grown up in, and moving out on my own for the very first time. I had decided to go all-in on my business after years as primarily a homemaker, and I was just crossing my fingers I could support myself and my three children. I wrote about stepping out in faith and how to believe in bravery, we have to DO it and experience the reward for ourselves.

On my 42nd birthday I wrote about how 42 really is the answer to the ultimate question of life. The fact that we have found myriad meaning in the completely arbitrary answer of 42 is precisely the beauty of humanity’s ability to find meaning in it all. We have meaning because we bestow it upon ourselves.

Apparently I missed writing something for 43, which feels appropriate because I was finishing up writing my Self-Portrait workshop for @illuminateclasses and I was getting ready to move, yet again. I was barely staying afloat, and feeling tossed at sea for the umpteenth time. But the instability was in hopes that I was moving toward a more stable life, and there was hope.

Now 44. Exposed and accepted. So many of you have watched and cheered me on as I navigated divorce, family betrayal, doing the audacious thing of betting on myself and leaning into my business ventures with no safety net and the real need to provide for my young children.

But my vulnerability wasn’t just met with your encouragement, but things like The Art Lab, Self-Portraits for Growth, and 30 Days of Self afforded me the chance to get to know so many other amazing humans and encourage YOU as you grow into the artist and person you want to become. I’ve seen you add beauty and goodness into the world, find successes, navigate “failure”, and dust yourself off to keep on going.

Vulnerability begets vulnerability, and our efforts to be open are just what the world needs. I have cracked myself wide open and felt accepted, and I hope I have made some of you feel that same way.

So here’s to these last 4 years setting the stage for what’s to come.

The future is so bright we’re gonna need shades.

There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.

Always forward, always through.

And to those of you wondering if it gets better–it does. Just take your faith the size of a mustard seed, trust yourself, and crack your heart wide open to know what it is to be exposed and accepted.

Some notes:

The Art Lab opens up for next semester registration mid-August. Get on the waitlist to be the first to know when it does. (Next semester runs September 1-December 31, 2026)

Registration for Self-Portraits For Growth and my NEW Cyanotypes workshop with Illuminate Classes opens up August 26. Mark your calendars!

You too can participate in my 30 Days of Self project, simply download the free PDF on my website! Last April we undertook the project as a group, but it can be done at any time.

But for real: always forward, always through

Xo,

Amy

Some housekeeping

• The Art Lab registration opens in August! Get on the waitlist!

• Registration for my workshops at Illuminate opens August 26!

• Tune into Post-Processing podcast for the latest conversations.

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  A Rodent Taught Me A Life Lesson: In Defense Of Deadlines pt 1

As a deadline apologist, I am writing a two part series about deadlines, which maybe sounds super boring, but as with everything I write, it’s not about this, it’s really about that. And this time the “that” is living a beautiful life with intention, so let’s get to it.

It’s no secret that I love a deadline. I love it so much that it’s an essential part of The Art Lab, the online community I run. And because I talk so much about deadlines, I started to wonder at the origin of that word. I mean, the compounding of the words ‘dead’ and ‘line’ feels very serious, and although I figured it was more of a hyperbolic smashing of words together, turns out it was actually very, very grave.

The word dates back to the American Civil War prisoner camps, where there was a literal line drawn, and if prisoners crossed that line, they would be shot dead by enemy guards. So it was an actual line of death. In the early 1900’s, the word somehow made its way to the publishing world, where journalists were given a deadline–the very latest moment copy could be submitted in order for the newspaper to keep on schedule.

In the publishing world, a deadline makes sense for logistical reasons. Getting copy finished is just one of many steps that need to take place in order for a paper to get distributed. And when it’s for your job, the motivation is clear: do the work, complete the work, get paid.

So why do we love it so much for a totally optional group like The Art Lab? I was pondering this question and relating the word ‘deadline’ and thinking about death, which obviously led me to think of the phrase ‘memento mori’.

The same day I was batting this phrase around in my head, one of my sons and I were on a walk with our dog when we happened to run across a dead chipmunk on the trail next to the creek (as seen in the photo). My son exclaimed how weird the memorial was, whereas I just had a lot of questions:

Who had these flowers? Were they walking with the flowers along the creek when they stumbled upon the dead chipmunk, or did they see the rodent and then go back home to get the flowers? Did they memorialize it because their dog accidentally killed it, or did they find it that way? Were they too thinking of memento mori when they ran across this sight?

As I was marveling at the synchronicity of my thoughts on death and this tiny rodent memorial, my son asked the most basic question that cut straight to the heart of it: why would someone do this?

I’m sure he probably asked this question tentatively, because he knows most questions lead me down a trail of spouting off some life lesson that’s been on my mind lately. (One time he even said, “mom, sometimes things just aren’t that deep.” to which I replied “things are ALWAYS that deep.” My poor children.)

But I was grateful for his question, because it gave me the chance to start externally processing all of the thoughts I had been having internally all day. The microcosm of this moment was just too good.

I told him that the person honored the chipmunk, because they value life. Memorializing this animal reminds us of our own death, and because we die, that’s what makes life so special. If we lived forever we would take every day for granted the same way that we already take so much in life for granted. Every once in a while we’re snapped out of the autopilot that we tend to live in and are reminded to be grateful for life, for the way light hits the lake and shimmers, for the pet who comes up and rubs her body on our leg for attention, for the back scratches I give you before bed each night. None of it will last forever, but it’s the inevitable ending of things that makes them so beautiful.

Then he asked if we could talk about something different, and I obliged.

What does that have to do with deadlines? A deadline is often the thing that snaps us out of autopilot and gives us the impetus to move forward, because it reminds us that time is limited.

Think of a project you don’t have a deadline for. Maybe it’s that book you want to write, or that bathroom you want to refinish. How long has the project been on your mental to-do list? Probably a while. Until you get a deadline.

I mean, I can have “mop the floor” on my mental list for weeks, but tell me someone is stopping by and suddenly I’ll get that and more done in the span of 15 minutes.

But with art and creativity, those of us out of the world of formal education don’t often have the occasion for a true deadline. Or if we do work with a deadline, it’s usually for our day jobs, but what about personal projects? Who will give us a deadline for those? (Enter Amy. The same person who would make her friends play school as a child and assign them actual homework.)

But why? Why do we want to create something rather than nothing?

Because we too will die. Memento mori. And our time is limited to add beauty and connection to an increasingly disconnected world.

I think of the Art Lab member who, on more than one occasion, had her monthly project sitting out and it sparked deep, connective conversations with guests who saw her work and commented on it.

I think of the members who have looped in their kids to their projects, and turned their art into a joining activity, leaving their children feeling empowered, seen, and having created some core memories.

I think of the lifelong friendships people have made that have met in the group.

Ultimately, I imagine each member as a little, lit match, going out into the world, adding light and beauty into the darkness, and helping other matches come alive.

These reasons are just a tiny drop in the bucket of the long list of reasons why we long to create something rather than nothing. And a deadline is one such event that snaps us out of autopilot, where the temptation is to put the thing off ‘until tomorrow’ (ad nauseum). It reminds us everything is temporary, which makes it even more beautiful and sacred and urgent. So let’s appreciate the beauty, bask in it, add to it, and take up a good deadline to propel us forward in our efforts.

Want Me To Give You A Deadline?

I do just that over in the online community The Art Lab! Along with a deadline we also get a conversation starter, which is just as important. Everything we do is in conversation with something else, and creating out of thin air is a myth.

Get on the waitlist!

Each month we learn about a new artist, gather together over zoom and the Facebook group to brainstorm and share ideas and findings, I give information along with optional assignments throughout the month meant to help you get to a singular project that’s due at the end of the month.

Our goal is to create something rather than nothing, experiment, try new things, play, create shitty art, meet new people, learn in community, and come away with more (and having added more to the world) than when we started.

I am so proud of this online community and how loving, warm, welcoming, and encouraging everyone is. It’s a space that has helped me grow in my own artistry and I am forever grateful for it.

The biggest complaint I hear from people: I wish I would have joined earlier.

There are so many people looking from the outside in, just waiting for the “right time” to join. But the “right time” is the moment you realize you want to join, because a paradigm shift in how you work and create is too important to put off.

So consider this your personal invitation, your deadline, your call to action: join us Fall semester. Registration opens August.

More info and waitlist here

Want to peruse people’s past projects for The Art Lab? Visit the highlights on our Instagram! (@the.arists.collab)

Illuminate Workshops

This fall I am teaching TWO three week intensive workshops over at Illuminate and I am so, so excited about both of them.

The first is the one I have been teaching for almost a year: Self-Portraits for Growth. It’s about self-portraits, but it’s also about so much more.

In that class we do self-reflection and examination, draw closer to our purpose, find our story, and learn tools for telling our story and expressing ourselves that extend to all of our art.

It’s a workshop that gets people thinking about themselves and their art in new ways, and I’ve seen people unlock something in their artistry because of it.

The second is a NEW WORKSHOP that I am super excited for: Cyanotypes: Blue and Beyond. This is a great complement to the Self-Portraits workshop because I love teaching people how to dig deep and get introspective to discover themselves and then techniques to help bring their visions to life. Cyanotypes are an easy, accessible printmaking process that will help you take your art from a digital format and turn it into something that you created with your own hands and can experience in the lived world.

We will cover a lot of ground starting with the basics of how to mix up chemicals to creating digital negatives to duo and trichromes to creating animations. It’s all there, with no stone left unturned.

Mark your calendars, because registration opens August 26 at 6pm EDT/5pm CDT

Let urgency move you to action,

Amy

__The Art Lab new semester starts May 1! Registration is open; grab your spot!

__Love 30 Days of Self? Then you’ll really, really love Self-Portraits for Growth. Get on the waitlist for fall!

Maybe I’ve Peaked

Sometimes I’m afraid I’ve peaked.

My very first piece for The Art Lab (register for next semester now!), when it started back in January 2023, still remains one of my favorite pieces. It was inspired by the quote “humankind cannot bear very much reality” from TS Eliot’s poem “Burnt Norton”, the first of his Four Quartets.

Surprisingly, it was while talking about art and the nascence of The Art Lab over coffee with a guy who had recently slid into my Instagram DMs that proved to be just the brainstorming session I needed. (A reminder even short term connections can make an impact.)

As we were talking about photography, I ended up linking the TS Eliot quote to some images I had shot of extreme multiple exposures. (For extreme multiple exposures, I take a bunch of images on a single frame by walking around a subject to capture it at differing angles.)

My fascination with extreme multiples is that they are odd to the eye, but they are actually more truth than what we can experience from our limited perspective. These images represent what we would see if we could see multiple angles at once.

But we are far more finite than that.

We only have our own perspective, and we have to humbly carry that into every interaction and relationship we have. Our relationships can only thrive if we hold in tension that our perspective is our personal truth, but is never the whole picture.

From there he and I naturally got to talking about cubism, which is a technique in painting that captures multiple perspectives of the subject in a single 2-dimensional canvas, rendering the subject as fragmented and abstracted. The artist’s multiple-perspective-rendering of the subject is odd to our eyes, as if humankind cannot bear very much reality, so we only get slivers at a time.

Thus was the inspiration for my cubism piece I created for January 2023.

I was just getting into cyanotypes, and since I wanted to play with prints by cutting them up and making a cubism piece, I ran with it.

And honestly, it’s one of my favorite things I’ve made.

Enter April 2026. This month in The Art Lab we studied Anna Atkins, the creator of the first photography book with her cyanotyped algae. When thinking of a way to respond to Anna’s work, I was paralyzed.

Cyanotypes are kinda my thing. And I already created one of my very favorite cyanotype pieces in January 2023. So I guess all I have to do is top it?

No pressure. All my best ideas come when I’m feeling the need to “top” something else.

(Please note the sentence is dripping with sarcasm. Also note that my favorite piece is the first one I created for The Art Lab, when I just had the freedom to do whatever, because nothing had come before it to “top”. Which is also why I normally give myself the permission to just create. ‘Bigger and better’ reaches a point of diminishing returns, and puts undue pressure on everything, which also sucks the joy out of it.)

I was floundering all month. And also kind of avoiding the project (which, in all fairness, 30 Days of Self has been consuming my month, so my creativity is feeling a little tapped out.)

In an effort to figure something out, I was brainstorming with Chris and I was relaying things about Anna I find inspiring, and one of those things was her passion for sharing her passion. She didn’t create her photo books in an effort to become famous or have people remember her as the first; she quietly labored away because she had a desire to illustrate algae and share with others.

So duh, why don’t I create a cyanotype book walking through the cyanotype process? A labor of love to share my love with others.

I will admit it’s been fun to create (and I will also admit I am writing this as my pages are soaking under a UV light on a Monday, while the project is due Tuesday, so there’s that.)

But I couldn’t help but realize that my project is about teaching. And yes, that’s the role I find myself in, but once upon a time I had a tandem goal of seeing my work on walls somewhere. Somewhere along the way from my first Art Lab project until now, that dream slowly eroded until it became a figment of my imagination.

How could I have ever had that goal? Did I really? It’s such a silly dream, and it’s just too much time, too much effort and money, too many unknowns and mysteries, and I’ve probably peaked anyway.

And honestly, maybe I don’t have that same dream anymore, but I know for sure that “effort” and a “fear of peaking” aren’t great reasons to let a goal become a wisp of smoke.

So although I don’t have answers for you today, I have a question: what goal have you forgotten about? What goal eroded due to the wearing sands of time? What goal was pushed to the side one too many times because of “real life”, other obligations, and maybe even a nagging voice that you aren’t good enough?

I’m not asking you to take that goal back up, but maybe approach the goal with curiosity and ask why you gave it up. Maybe you have new goals that took its place (that’s great! Celebrate any new goals you have!), but maybe it just fell by the wayside due to fear and excuses, and it’s time to revisit it.

Because maybe I have peaked. But maybe that’s just an excuse. Humankind cannot bear very much reality, but we ought to make the most of the sliver of it we’re living.

Do It Scared

Do you like learning? Do you like creating? Do you like sharing information? You will truly love The Art Lab.

Join Us!

As stated before, it started January 2023 and has grown and evolved in ways I am incredibly grateful for. It’s the group that’s given me the tools, ideas, permission, and accountability to create my most favorite pieces.

And trust me when I say: if any part of you is wanting to join, give yourself the gift of taking the leap.

Any excuses you’re making are just that…excuses. And often they are indicators we are really wanting to do the thing, but we are scared.

Being scared is great! I love when people are scared! Because it means they’re being brave and pushing themselves out of their comfort zone by joining the group.

So if you’ve been waiting until you’re “ready” or know more or have created more, etc, then you’ll be waiting forever. You will become more capable and create more by being part of us, not the other way around.

Any questions? Please reach out! Can’t wait to have you for Summer Semester (May 1-August 31, 2026).

In Your Ears

It still weirds me out (in the best way) to think of my voice being in people’s ears. What a rad thing to be able to share information over the internet with a bunch of fellow creatives!

Haven’t tuned in yet?

Try one of these two recent episodes:

1. Tune into a history lesson on Anna Atkins and how she inspires us to create in the present day here.

2. Or listen as I chat with artist, Summer Murdock about the process of coming back after burnout and finding yourself again.

Find the entire zine below and get out there and create

xo,

Amy

~This is NOT a drill! THE ART LAB IS OPEN FOR SUMMER SEMESTER REGISTRATION!

~Get on the Waitlist for Self-Portraits For Growth

It’s A Way Of Living

Circa 2006 I had the good fortune of living in Princeton, New Jersey. It’s the cutest town that afforded me lots of opportunities to get into New York City, go to the Jersey Shore (which is lovely in spite of its reality TV namesake), and maybe most importantly, be in a book club with a crew of women also living in married student housing for the seminary there.

I am not sure any book club could ever compare to this one. My bestie and fellow high school teacher started a “Ladies Lit Circle” (LLC) and it was magic. Imagine a self-selecting group of deep thinkers meeting on a regular basis to tackle books ranging from contemporary fiction to Russian literature. (We even had a member from Russia who gave us an insider perspective.) Nowadays we’d probably have called it a coven or something, because we knew we were part of something powerful.

We met weekly for the social aspect (we were all temporary transplants from around the country) but also for accountability (some books you can’t save until the last minute) and also also to help us shape our readings as we went. We would glean knowledge from one another that could give real insight into the books as we read and I was so grateful to gather wisdom while managing some real doozies.

One of the books we read was Anna Karenina and I loved it so much that it prompted me to buy War and Peace. The years passed and we started to move away. I know the group existed in various iterations past my departure, but I’m not really sure how long it went on for.

Is it still going? I sure hope it is, because it was a place for those of us cut from the same cloth to commune. But we weren’t carbon copies of one another; we all had extremely unique experiences and areas of expertise that helped us become something greater than the sum of our parts.

But guess what’s still sitting on one of my book shelves, largely untouched, and yet having lived with me in three states, three time zones, and has sat on my shelves at no fewer than 6 homes I’ve lived in? War and Peace.

It’s just so….long. And heavy. And the type is so small! How did I ever get the motivation…nay….LONGING DESIRE….to read books like Anna Karenina and The Brothers Karamazov all those years ago?

We know what did it. It was the community. It was the accountability. It was the ability to gather with others and brainstorm and bring our life lessons to the table to creatively talk about these books.

It’s just not something I could do on my own and enjoy nearly so much. As much as I want to, I will never be able to replicate the experience I had in that sweet town two decades ago.

But one thing is for sure, it played a role in my creation of The Art Lab. Many experiences from my past played a role in my creation of the group, but this book club was no doubt one of them. And the feeling of being part of something greater than ourselves is alive and well in the group.

The desire to tackle the proverbial Anna Karenina is alive and well. The desire to continue to learn, commune, and share our lives for the service of creativity is alive and well.

It’s more than a workshop; it’s a way of living.

Doors are open for summer semester, which runs May 1-August 31, 2026 (my apologies to people in the southern hemisphere who are on different seasons. Just know you’re also welcome.)

Only 2 Full Tuition slots remain, so grab it before it’s gone! We can’t wait to have you. In fact, we aren’t the same without you.

Come On In

Insufficient But Essential

30 Days of Self is well underway, but it’s never too late to hop in and do some prompts. Will doing a couple prompts change your life? Probably not. Will doing 30 days in a row build a habit? Unlikely. But it still matters.

I talk with my kids about things that are insufficient but essential.

A lot of times we know the “insufficient” piece, but we forget the “essential” part of it.

For example: they were talking about learning names of state capitals and how they memorize them just to forget them again.

(Narrator’s note: Admittedly, this might be a bad example, because it’s not like as an adult our fate is determined by randomly being able to answer the question ‘what’s the capital of Delaware?’ but my point remains, no matter the topic. And I’m using this example because it really happened and was my first time using this phrase that I’ve since adopted.)

I said, “yeah, most likely you will forget them, but in order to remember them forever, you have to learn them a first time. A first time is insufficient for remembering them, but it’s also essential for remembering them.”

It was a saying that flew out of my mouth, and I had no idea where it came from, but I honestly was a little pleased with myself. Because so much in life is “insufficient but essential”. And not in a discouraging way, but in an encouraging way.

Making your first dollar is insufficient for building up for retirement, but it’s also essential for it.

Running that first time is insufficient for building an exercise habit, but it’s also essential for it.

I was so struck by this saying, because it gave weight to all my first efforts. The efforts that I gloss over, or tell myself don’t really matter are actually essential for my long term goals.

Our goals take time, experience, and patience, but I think naming the tiny steps we take to get there as ‘essential’ allows us to celebrate those little wins.

So 30 Days of Self. Maybe you want to see yourself better. Maybe you want to add to your creativity tool belt. Maybe you just want to have the ability to use yourself as a model to try new photographic ideas, but are scared to step in front of the camera. Whatever it is, choosing one prompt from the PDF might be insufficient to accomplish those goals, but it’s an essential step nevertheless.

download it now!

Here’s to taking those small, essential steps toward your long term goals. Let’s celebrate each and every win 🥂

xo,

Amy

Join me in April for 30 Days of Self!

The Art Lab will open up for summer semester registration SO SOON. Get first dibs on the waitlist!

Self—Portraits for Growth runs again in the fall. Get on the waitlist here.

Arts and Crafts (nonderogatory)

David Bowie. It might be ‘frequency illusion’, but I swear he is EVERYWHERE right now. (I am sure it doesn’t help that as soon as you say words out loud, Instagram shifts your algorithm to reflect it.)

As soon as March hit and he became our artist for the month in The Art Lab, he haunted us (in a good way) in grocery stores, magazine covers, he starred in collage art, people referenced his quotes, and put their own Instagram posts to his songs.

I admit David Bowie isn’t my favorite singer, but I have mad respect for him, his artistry, and his continuing desire to figure out who he was and express it. His artistic philosophy, constant drive, and utter inventiveness are nothing short of inspirational.

So inspirational, in fact, that I kept reminding members of The Art Lab that it might be an overwhelming month. When studying David Bowie, which medium do you choose from, which facet of self do you explore, which era do you cling to? There’s just so much that he offers, with the sweeping scope of his life providing limited constraints (and constraints can help us focus in and create.)

There was a point mid-month (tbh there often is, so this is more of a skill issue) when I was like “I’M NEVER GOING TO THINK OF ANYTHING FOR THIS MONTH!!!!!” I think I often have to get to a bit of panic before I find my idea; I’m sure there’s a healthier way to navigate this process, but this way works for me. It’s usually despair and allowing myself the option of giving up that gives me the space to just allow the ideas to wash over me. It’s like I have to let go a bit to everything I’ve been clinging too tightly (a life lesson to be sure.)

Toward the end of the month, I announced that 30 Days of Self would be running as a group project again in April, and it is then that I knew I had to step out of my comfort zone for my David Bowie project. And you know what makes me uncomfortable? LOOKING INTO THE CAMERA. I’m a self-portrait artist who finds it terribly vulnerable to just look straight into the camera and take a regular shot. No moving, no multiples, just a regular picture. And it terrifies me.

download the free guide

So I took a cue from David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane and looked straight into the lens.

(and let’s all recognize I could have taken a cue from the Aladdin Sane album cover photo where he’s looking down. But instead I really did decide to push out of my comfort zone. If I’m asking you to do it, I always want to ask it of myself as well. If you’re wanting to push out of your comfort zone, please join me in the April 30 Days of Self project! Download the free PDF here.)

And in an effort to lower the bar/set myself up for success, I just used my phone camera (which I will do for most, if not all, of the 30 Days. I will note I also ended up taking a partial roll of film inspired by Aladdin Sane that I developed after I finished my main project. You can find these “extras” embedded within this post.)

I was also inspired by his ‘cut ups’ technique to write songs (watch him here). I think I had a sort of “Mad Libs” ish idea to insert random words into sentences to create something non-sensical (and therefore hilarious.) I’d like to explore the idea more, but I landed on a much more sensical sentence structure, where you can slide the words through to change up what’s being communicated.

Some of the sentences are spitting straight wisdom and others are silly, but it’s fun to slide them around and see what comes of it. (As an aside, I wanted to do word wheels to spin, but didn’t because of the sheer fact that I didn’t have any paper fasteners on hand. A room full of crafts and no paper fasteners? Seems like something I should remedy ASAP.)

I wanted to work on a larger scale so I printed out the image of myself on four regular sheets of paper and stuck them to some poster board I had on hand (which is one of my craft room necessities.) I colored on David’s famous lighting bold, shaded my eyes as a nod to his injured pupil, and strung the words through.

I had my double-sided tape, poster board, paint pens, coloring pencils, scissors, and printer paper out and holy moly did I feel like it was arts and crafts time. How in the world am I supposed to submit something comprised of a bunch of school supplies for my ACTUAL ADULT ART PROJECT?

And then I stopped myself, because one of my hobby horses as of late is uplifting arts and crafts to the station it deserves. Because you know what we often think of when that phrase is thrown around? A woman working on a project with her knitting needles, or embroidery thread, or stamp collection. Do we ever tell a guy that his wood carvings or leatherworkings fall into this category? NEVER. We never deem any male hobbies as “arts and crafts”. We say “look at that craftsmanship!” or “look at that artistry!”.

If art is something to elevate and craft is something to elevate why in the world would “arts AND crafts” be any different?

Instead of trying to change the verbiage, I’m a big fan of altering the meaning. Arts and crafts means someone took their supplies and created something beautiful that didn’t exist before. If someone knits you a hat, they have the skills and loving patience to do it. They most likely thought of you while they did it, and then they relinquished something they spent hours working on so that you could enjoy it. What a wonderful marker of humanity!

And I have to think in this AI world, we are going to only increasingly value things that are so obviously made by loving hands.

Okay, so now that we have “arts and crafts” covered, let’s talk about another thing haunting me as I created this. It felt so….amateur.

Which is honestly fitting, because amateur comes from the latin word amator, which means “lover” or “one who loves”. And I really do want the art I create to come out of the joy of doing the thing. I do it for the love of creating and rearranging materials into new ways. I do it as an act of meditation and reconnecting with myself.

You know who doesn’t make art for the love of it? AI.

AI cannot love. AI cannot find joy. AI cannot create with its hands. AI doesn’t think fondly of you as it’s knitting its words or images together that it trolled off the internet.

Because of this, I am fly embracing my arts and crafts era. I am loving my amateur era. As I craft things with love, I place bits of my humanity onto the page. I leave behind literal DNA. I write things by hand in a way only I write. I make imperfect cuts. Place things slightly off-register. Use too much scotch tape (how much scotch tape is too much to still be considered fine art?). And I think my art is better for it.

The above is my final piece for the month in The Art Lab (just in case it wasn’t obvious)

30 Days of Self: I’m so fr right now.

This is a free PDF that lives on my website for you to download and walk through 30 days of self-portraits in a way meant to bring you from wading in the water to diving deep.

download it here

Two years ago, I launched the PDF and invited others to take on the project with me for the 30 days of April. People were changed. People found community. People found themselves. It was truly far more powerful than I could have predicted.

I knew I would do it again, and here we are, two years later. The time is right. I can feel it in the air. If even the littlest thing is tugging at you to take a peek, please listen to it.

Can’t participate in all 30 days? That’s fine. Even taking a few a week will be enough to make small movements within. But I do encourage you to try all 30 days.

It will push you outside your comfort zone in so many ways. At first, it will be uncomfortable to see yourself in pictures (that’s the point. We’re doing some exposure therapy here.)

By the end, you will be like “THIS AGAIN?” As you realize you have 10 or 7 or 5 days left. This is also the point. The sheer duration will also push you outside your comfort zone. But I often find this last part of any project is also what pushes my capacity in a unique way. It’s like the last two miles of a marathon where you just want to give up. These last two miles where you’re pushing your limits in serious ways makes crossing the finish line THAT much sweeter.

Expansion is always an uncomfortable process. But it’s necessary to birth something new.

So what are your options here?

1. Download the free PDF and follow along. Tag me so I can feature some images from our community every day in my Stories. You will find community in what’s happening and you will be inspired and you will feel the power of taking on this group project (especially now. We need things to bind us as humans going through a shared human experience, especially now.)

2. Join the private Facebook community. I will share inspiration photos and talk about the prompts on video every single day. I will be there to cheer you on and you will encourage one another. Smaller, intentional communities always hold more power and hold us more accountable.

Our Facebook group is already making intros and I have given an ‘intention setting’ assignment, so come on in. You’re not too late!

No need to be a photographer or artist. Just a human with an open heart and a camera phone.

Can’t wait to see you there in the way you’re able. It’s going to be good.

The Art Lab

UGH. I love this group so much. It keeps me creating, it provides me with inspiration, it’s helped me make so many connections and friendships among like-minded people, and I am so incredibly grateful.

It was a huge leap of faith to start it and put myself out there back in January 2023. It’s AUDACIOUS and really freaking vulnerable to be like “hey. I’m starting a group. Come join!”

And it keeps being vulnerable to put it out there and tell people it’s a group I believe in.

I worry sometimes “what if everyone hates it?” “what if everyone hates me?” “what if it’s all stupid and I’m making a fool of myself?”

But then someone comes along during a 1:1 tea time or group zoom and tells me it’s a group that has literally changed them and that they’re SO grateful for it, and I’m like, oh yeah, that’s right. I created this group not because of me, but FOR me and others. I created it because I knew I needed accountability and I craved community and I am really a life-long learner who wants to keep taking in more.

It’s not about ego. It’s about service. Service to self and others and believing its power is far greater than anything I could create on my own.

This is why I believe so strongly in the group. In the need for a group like this, at this time. In the way the group has changed me and so many of its members.

I know it’s a vulnerable thing to join this group. It’s a vulnerable thing to promote it. But if any of this resonates with you and you’re like “I’m a life-long learner who craves inspiration, needs accountability, and wants to make like-minded friends in creative spaces!” Then I encourage you to check out next semester, which runs May 1-August 31, 2026.

It’s going to be a really good one and we would love to have you.

Get on the waitlist and be among the first to snag a spot when they open in mid-April. Full Tuition spaces are limited and sold out to the waitlist last semester.

Get on the waitlist

~Some housekeeping~

Join 30 Days of Self during April 2026! Read more below!

Get on the waitlist for The Art Lab for early dibs on registration for summer semester (which runs May 1-August 31. Registration opens in April!)

Keep up with our Art Lab artist of the month over at the Post-Processing podcast! Also encounter interviews, like my latest with Summer Murdock, the mastermind behind the epic Magic of Light class.

People Were Changed (literally)

“A work of art is not an end point in itself.

It’s a station on a journey.

A chapter in our lives.

We acknowledge these transitions

by documenting each of them.” -Rick Rubin, The Creative Act

I believe this quote to be true, because I feel it in my bones. It’s also why you can often find me saying “the process is the point.” Although art can deeply affect others, it’s the process of creating it that changes us. How powerful, then, to play a role on both sides of the camera when documenting a station on a journey. What gift do we give ourselves when we step out of our comfort zone and in front of the lens?

I often liken self-portraits to diary entries. They tell a story of a particular time by documenting who I am at that time. I look back on each of them fondly because, as hard as it is to look at an image of yourself that you just took, it’s very difficult to look at a past version of yourself and be as judgmental. I have compassion for past versions of myself, as I step into her shoes and remember her triumphs and struggles and how little she could have prepared for what was on the horizon.

These images remind me how far I’ve come, and that I can make it through infinitely more than I realize.

These images hold glimpses of panic attacks, divine femininity, body shame, efforts to rewild, what it is to be a: complex person in a high religious role, a mother, an artist mother, a lover, a friend, and so much more.

I peruse them like diary pages, knowing a picture is worth 1000 words and possibly more. (I assume a picture is also worth 100 emotions, and I’m lobbying hard to make it an adage.)

I believe in the power of self-portraits so much so that I created a free 30 day guide to walk people through the process of taking them. I launched this guide April 2024 and with it I invited people into a communal challenge: work through this 30 day guide with me and others all through April, and post your images to Instagram.

It was powerful. People were changed (literally). I knew I believed in self-portraits, but this project gave me data points that even blew me out of the water.

I look back on my own pictures during that 30 day project, and see how so much of my life has changed. I am thankful for each day I documented, and grateful that I continued to document even on days when it was a real struggle to do so.

Did I miss a few days? Yup. Does that make my set of images less meaningful and powerful? Nope. We don’t have to be perfect, we just have to show up as best we can.

I planned on running my 30 Days of Self guide as a communal project again, and two years later, it’s time. (More than time.)

This is your personal invite to join me and a whole community around the world in undertaking 30 days of seeing yourself more clearly, prioritizing your creativity, and creating a habit of doing a little each day. This doesn’t have to be a big undertaking, I (and many others) mainly just used my phone. We don’t need to overcomplicate things to reap the benefits of doing the task.

FAQ

Q: How do I participate?

A: Download the free guide here. Read through, do the daily prompts with Day 01 starting April 1, and post to Instagram (if you want!) by tagging me (@itsamyliz and #30days_itsamyliz. The problem with hashtags is they don’t work like they did even two years ago, so be sure to tag my account so I see it!)

Q: Will you be offering a group setting?

A: Yes! Last time I offered a group on Instagram, and after much consternation I have decided to do it on Facebook this time. I will post an inspiration image and a video every day along with other tidbits and encouragements. But on Facebook, we will have the ability to get in dialogue, share our images, and bond in a more communal way. If you just want to undertake the project on your own, the free guide will be great! If you know you want connection, accountability, inspiration, and guidance, the group is going to be a wonderful safe space for that.

Q: What equipment do I need?

A: Just your phone and an open heart. A tripod isn’t a bad idea either. But seriously, don’t overcomplicate this. Just create daily with whatever you have on hand! All images in this post were taken during my last 30 Days of Self group project, and all of these were on an iphone.

Q: Do I have to be a photographer to participate?

A: NO!!!!!!!!!! Last time I literally had former roommates, math students, and school classmates participate. This project is literally for everybody. (So invite a friend)

Q: When does it start?

A: We will be working through the project starting April 1 and ending April 30, 2026. But opt into the group before then for some group intros and get access to an assignment about setting your intentions before the month begins.

Any other questions? Drop me an email.

I’m excited for April and know you won’t regret taking the leap to join in on the project. There’s so much to gain by pushing out of your comfort zone in this way. <3

Here’s what others had to say in April 2024:

Lemme Talk To Ya

It’s sort of a strange thing to think of my voice being pumped directly into people’s ears, but it’s also wonderful. I love that I get to talk to you through the mystery of a series of tubes via my Post-Processing Podcast!

Keep up-to-date on the artists we are studying in The Art Lab, listen in on Q+A, and enjoy conversations with artists! The latest episode features Summer Murdock, founder of Illuminate Classes, and the mastermind behind The Magic of Light class!

Catch it here!

Tune into a little portion by watching this video :)

Self-Portraits For Growth!

My own three week workshop with Illuminate Classes has almost completed its second round. Although I don’t run this class again until fall, you can get on the waitlist now.

More here!

I believe in this class so hard and the art people are creating, the ways they are connecting with themselves and others, and the vulnerability people are leaning into is simply AMAZING.

Here are a couple examples from the final assignment in my class. If these don’t get you excited to create art and self-portraits, I don’t know what will.

Treat yourself to the gift of showing up and seeing yourself

xo,

Amy

Quick housekeeping!

Self-Portraits for Growth starts March 2

Get on the waitlist for summer semester in The Art Lab

30 Days of Self-Portraits is running again as a group in April!

A Peek Behind The Curtain

Some months in The Art Lab might seem a bit circuitous, but you use what you have to get where you need to go.

For February 2026, our artist of the month was the late, great Martin Parr. If you’re not familiar, Martin Parr was a British street photographer and he was one of the earliest adopters of color film. His images feel more like stills from filming sets of mockumentaries as his images are composed with about 30% drama, 70% humor, and 110% whimsy. He recently passed away in December 2025 and this month was in memoriam to him, his commitment to uplifting other photographers, and his groundbreaking work.

His work was bold, vibrant, and irreverent. It is eye candy, but with a hidden message for those willing to take a peek behind the curtain.

I don’t often engage in street photography, but January 2026 here in Minneapolis brought people to the streets in spite of its double-digit-below-zero-even-in-Fehrenheit weather. I was able to attend a few of these protests and took a point and shoot camera to capture my little view in the sea of 50,000 people. Twice.

Although this could have been my submission for February, already completed in January, I knew that wasn’t the thing that was begging me to create it. And I’m nothing if not a proponent for following the threads of creativity that are calling you to tug on them.

So instead of going with the more obvious submission for the month (colorful street photography), I tugged on the thread. And where did it lead me?

Let me take you on that journey

:::start stream of consciousness process:::

I couldn’t get Martin’s quote, “I make fiction out of reality,” out of my mind. Because these days it absolutely feels like we’re living in a state of bad, dystopian fiction and my mind can’t keep up with the speed at which the terror, uncertainty, and sheer evil is being unveiled. How did we get here? I suppose we got here because it is indeed true that “the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”-Beaudelaire –Roger ‘Verbal’ Kint.

And because we allowed ourselves to believe he didn’t exist, how many people no longer exist in the same way as before? Whether it’s my neighbor who was abducted in front of our eyes at g*n point and shipped back to Ecuador or the citizens m*rdered for exercising their rights, to the women in the Epstein files who took their own lives, whose lives were taken from them, or who will never be the same in body or spirit.

The devil convinced us he didn’t exist so he could make others disappear.

That was where I reached the end, because I knew as soon as I thought of it that my project was to make ME disappear.

::::End stream of consciousness process::::

As soon as I had the thought, I knew how to execute it. My mind went straight to accordion prints we had to make in Photo 2 class, back when I was a senior in high school. The year was 2000. The clocks all successfully turned over to a new millennium and we were still standing. We were pre-COVID, pre iPhone, pre 9/11, and life was good. We had yet to ubiquitously embrace Photoshop or Illustrator, so in making our accordion prints, we had to print each image on separate paper and physically cut and paste them. It was tedious but so, so fun. I looked for my original, which I know is somewhere in a box around here, but I haven’t quite located it yet.

I haven’t done an accordion print since, and I’ve wanted to give them another go-ahead for years, but haven’t had the impetus. (Enter The Art Lab. Where you finally have an excuse to get all sorts of projects off your mental Pinterest boards.) I went around town and found places to photograph me in the frame and me out of it, so I could turn them into my disappearing act. The bridge images spoke to me most with their leading lines and strip of light.

This time around I had it a little easier on the logistics side since I (and by *I*, I mean Chris) was able to take the images and chop them up in Illustrator to perfectly space them. I (actually me) then turned them into negatives and printed them on 5 transparencies so I could go longer and larger than 8.5x11. After some creative scoring (with a church key can opener) and careful folding (as carefully as a Type A/B person can), plus some double sided tape to adhere the 5 prints together (how much tape is too much tape to still be considered fine art?)

It’s not perfect, but I think it takes its lead from Martin Parr. At first blush, the image is entertaining, maybe even intriguing. But for those willing to take the time to connect the dots, they just might see the things I, and we collectively, are feeling in this moment. In the picture, I’m mid-air and catapulting over the sliver of light that has found itself peeking in through the middle of the bridge. Look the other way and I’m gone. It’s a memorial to countless people, created in a month in memoriam to Martin Parr. Those with ears, let them hear.

Self-Portraits For Growth Starts March 2!

Self-Portraits for Growth is a three week experience that will guide you through the process of realigning with your vision and values, get over the apprehension of what to do with your body in front of the lens, and learn how to move away from the literal and toward the metaphorical.

• All lessons are pre-recorded so you can watch at a time that is convenient for you.

• We will meet for live office hours to connect, ask questions, and have face-to-face community.

• I will be in the message boards daily to answer your questions and encourage you.

• Guided seats will get personalized feedback on assignments. (this is the main difference between guided and independent seats!)

If they thought of joining makes you uncomfortable, you’re on the right track. Many who have signed up have messaged me to say they are WAY out of their comfort zone. That’s the most exciting place to be, because that’s where the growth takes place.

If you have questions, please feel fee to contact me.

Register Here

Hear what students from the first round had to say:

Don’t Miss Out On Next Semester!

The Art Lab is truly the group that keeps me creating and connecting. It’s literally the most welcoming group on the internet and I’m so grateful to be amidst so many creative and kind artists.

This semester is in full swing, but don’t miss out on next semester, which runs May 1-August 31, 2026. Registration will open up in April, so get on the waitlist now to be among the first to snag your spot!

Get On The List

30 Days of Self-Portraits—The Rerun!

It was two years ago (April 2024) that I first ran 30 Days of Self-Portraits as a group experiment. It lives as a free download, but truth is that we are more likely to follow through with community and accountability. The group experience was truly an amazing one and I am finally offering it again.

Join us for the rerun in April 2026! Mark your calendars and get ready for more info to come. For now, download the free guide!

Come and create with me through the hard times

xo,

Amy

Self-Portraits For Growth is OPEN for registration! Class starts March 2, but get your seat now.

The Art Lab is closed for the semester, but get on the waitlist to be among the first to find out about summer registration.

If you’re looking to donate to families in need, here is a local organization helping affected families with rent, food, and other needs.

Jesus Could Never Have Been A Politician

The opposite of love isn’t hate

The opposite of love isn’t even indifference

The opposite of love is fear.

People are afraid, and rightfully so. People’s homes are being invaded. Children are being taken from their places of employment for no discernable reason, beat up, and discarded on the street. High schoolers had their campus tear gassed and watched teachers wrestled to the ground and detained.

And this is all within a few miles from where I currently write in the comfort of my white skin and my birth certificate. Neither of which I worked for, but were gifts bestowed upon me. (Even though they lately feel like embarrassments.) And yet, I still fear for this seemingly unstoppable trajectory our country is riding.

I hear fear on both sides. Fear our country is being infiltrated with illegal residents who are murdering, raping, and abusing children. Fear on the other that the government is illegally infiltrating homes and ripping hardworking families apart in a metaphorical (and sometimes literal) “shoot first and ask questions later” approach.

The government first incited fear in its supporters through rhetoric and is now inciting fear in its opponents through force. But either way, it’s dealing in a currency of fear, so if you’re not already afraid, they will do their best to force you to be afraid.

I’ve spent too many years studying the Bible to ignore what I’ve read, even if I no longer attend a church or practice my faith in any traditional way.

And what’s the most common command given to its readers? Fear not.

So using fear as a tactic to control people? Definitely un-Biblical.

Jesus could have never been a politician because he had no interest in making people afraid. In fact, I have to believe he would have been incapable of making people afraid, because the antidote to fear is love. And if God IS love (as in, it’s the Creator’s actual DEFINITION), then the two could never co-exist.

Because it actually says so right in the scriptures that “perfect love drives out fear.” 1 John 4:18

There’s something so beautiful about that snippet, because those mere five words pack in many truths. It tells us that:

1. Fear is normal

2. The Creator doesn’t desire us to fear

3. We have a way to squelch it, and that way is love.

4. Love and fear cannot coexist

John goes on to say “We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

Fear aims to trigger our amygdala, putting us in fight-or-flight, which means we act impulsively rather than rationally.

Love creates a calm that allows for critical thinking, nuance, and curiosity.

Fear squashes joy, making us feel like everything is hopeless and meaningless.

Love encourages creativity and gives a sense of purpose.

Fear divides, because an isolated person is easier to control.

Love partners with “brothers and sisters” (read: all humanity), because it knows it cannot happen in a vacuum, and that it’s an abundant resource with unlimited potential for growth.

Unfortunately, we will never experience perfect love on earth, because perfection is an illusion. So we must learn to let fear and love co-exist in our hearts. But I do believe the answer is NOT to fight fear with fear, but to fight fear with love.

If perfect love casts out fear, then imperfect love does a pretty good job of at least quieting it.

And I have to say that I’ve seen love in motion in my city.

We are afraid, but many are not acting out of that fear. They are acting out of love.

They are bearing witness and letting others know they aren’t alone. They are donating money to help families who have lost the provider. They are making errand runs. They are using their voices.

And this is how I know that although things might feel hopeless, we haven’t lost our hope yet. Fear hasn’t won.

I have to think that every smidgen of love that gets put out into the world is of the utmost importance at this time.

Meeting fear with fear is tempting, but futile. Because fear doesn’t drive out fear. Love does.

If you’re feeling hopeless and like there’s nothing you can do, please just start with love. Every act of communing, every act of joy, every act of creativity, every act of kindness and patience is truly a form of resistance.

I choose a culture of love.

Choose Creativity

Creativity, joy, and community are truly of the utmost importance. Meaning and purpose propel us forward.

Self-Portraits For Growth is an immersive three week experience meant to help you connect with and express yourself in deep and meaningful ways.

It’s about self-portraits, but it’s also about so much more.

From defining your purpose to posing to brainstorming to multiple exposures and slow shutter to finding inspiration from the Greats, this class packs in philosophical and technical ways to enhance your artistry in all areas.

Join Us

Here are some kind words from students in the inaugural run

Sending you love,

Amy

Some housekeeping!

• You’re going to read about the fun I’m having. This fun is legitimately courtesy of The Art Lab. Without it, I’d keep ideas on my mental Pinterest board forever. Join in on the fun January 1. Registration is open now and closes soon!

Let Loose. Have Fun.

• Want a little taste of the ideas swirling around in The Art Lab? Have a peek behind the curtain, learn, and get inspired here!

• Registration for my new workshop, Self-Portraits For Growth opens on January 7. If you missed the inaugural round, I’m so sorry you did. Just don’t miss the next one, because it is shaping up to be just as amazing.

It’s Not Photoshop. It’s Film.

When I had my film renaissance, it didn’t take long for me to learn that the biggest reason to use film was because of the seemingly endless ways you can play with it.

You can light leak it, soup it, easily create your own cameras for it, and expose both sides of it to name a few. During this time, I also happened to write for a blog, because the fun of learning techniques is to share them with others. (You can find the articles here.)

Although my play hasn’t stopped, it’s mostly been either with techniques I had already learned or physical prints (especially with cyanotypes). So when we were inspired this month in The Art Lab by Man Ray, I knew that playing with film was on the docket. I already had my idea in mind, the question was just if I’d get it to work.

So what was my idea? It was solarization. Man Ray and Lee Miller’s solarization has fascinated me and is paradigmatic of the reasons I love film: the hands-on process of film means “accidents” are bound to happen, which really is just where the magic takes place.

What is Solarization?

The “accident” of solarization occurred when Lee Miller (Man Ray’s artistic partner at the time) was in the darkroom developing film. A mouse ran over her foot and in a panic she flipped on the light switch (the one rule of the darkroom is to NEVER flip on the switch). Realizing her error, she turned it off and finished developing the film.

What resulted in this exposure to light during the development process was a partial tone reversal of the images, giving a surreal slant to the image. You look at solarized images and can’t *quite* figure out what’s happening. Because of a partial tone reversal, you see a partially positive/partially negative image, and the lines of reality blur to the point that the longer you look at it, the more you can’t quite remember which is which.

(Below you see the signature Mackie lines, which are the glowing lines around high-contrast edges. What would be the deepest shadows has reversed tones to become whites.)

Doing what you’re NEVER supposed to do with film is one of my favorite past times, and is often a guide. As soon as I hear you’re not supposed to do something with film, I like to run right toward it.

But I will admit it wasn’t so much Man Ray’s work that inspired me, as it was a friend of mine whose solarized images really lit the fire. Yearrrrs ago John Adams showed me some images that his lab sent back to him that had been exposed to light during development. They were for a client shoot, so when you get a roll of film back from your lab with a note that “sorry we accidentally ruined your film” you probably aren’t thanking your lucky stars and citing the hands-on nature of film and its accidents as being a feature and not a bug.

Instead of panicking (John is very cool and not a panicker like me), he converted the images to black and white, made some tweaks, and ended up with some of my favorite images I’ve ever seen.

I tried asking him all sorts of questions in an effort to duplicate the process (at what point did the lights turn on? During development? During bleach? For how long? What did they do after?), but unfortunately all the lab said was that an accident occurred and they had to turn the lights on for a second.

(As if they didn’t even care some of us might want to know how to specifically ruin our film.)

I searched online for tutorials, but I didn’t come up with much (anything).

But it was fine, because I like to experiment, so I figured I’d just go for it and see what happens.

I shot a whole roll of Ilford HP5, started to develop it, removed it partway to expose it to light (scary!), and kept developing it.

And what happened?

::::::drumroll:::::::::

.

.

.

nothing.

Literally nothing happened.

I took my film out during development, exposed it to light (like you’re not supposed to do, because it’ll utterly RUIN your film), and nothing happened.

Not “nothing” in that it overexposed my film and ruined it all.

“Nothing” in that it developed completely normally, looked great, and didn’t even have so much as a light leak on it.

It wasn’t ruined AT ALL and I was sad.

I admit that having it un-ruined was MORE discouraging than having it totally ruined. So much so, that I tucked the technique away in my brain and said I’d come back to it later, but for years I just didn’t.

Enter Man Ray in The Art Lab.

Registration is open for next semester!

I’m sure it’s part of the reason I chose Man Ray, because I knew faced with studying him for a month that I would be more likely to get the technique back off my mental Pinterest board and actually try it again.

During one of the group zooms I talked about how I had tried solarization and it didn’t work, and in a true BETTER TOGETHER moment, Kara Boodhansingh dropped the tip I desperately needed.

She was also interested in solarization, and couldn’t find a ton about it online, and as little as their is about it, there’s more about solarizing prints than solarizing film, but she did run into this fact: you will have a hard time solarizing if your developer has hydroquinone.

Guess what developer I use for black and white? Kodak hc-110. Guess what Kodak hc-110 is CHOCK-FULL OF? HYRDRO-FREAKING-QUINONE. (Okay, I don’t actually know if it’s chock-full of it, but it does have it.)

And yes, there are all sorts of black and white developers, but I only have Kodak hc-110 and really wasn’t interested in buying a new developer if I didn’t have to.

I remembered then that one of the things my friend John had done upon receiving his “ruined” film was CONVERT IT TO BLACK AND WHITE. Did this mean c-41 chemicals don’t have hydroquinone? (According to Google AI, they do not. And that research was good enough for me. And I know enough about AI to know that you just don’t type it in again or the answer might change to something you don’t want to hear.)

But I wasn’t solarizing a print (because my enlarger still isn’t set up); I was wanting to solarize my film negatives. Solarizing a print is preferable because you can keep using the same negative and playing with the printing process. Solarizing film meant I had to shoot a whole roll for ever single experiment I wanted to do. The bar was too high.

And if you’ve ever listened to even a single episode of my podcast, you have probably heard me say “lower the bar”.

I say “lower the bar” because sometimes we just overcomplicate things to the point of not wanting to do them anymore. Instead of keeping things so darn complicated, lower the bar to set yourself up for success. We don’t win awards for making life more complicated and cumbersome than it needs to be.

So how was I going to lower the bar here? Similar to using a negative in the darkroom, I could use a picture I had already taken by just photographing it onto fresh film from my computer screen.

I shot about 10 images, took the partial roll and developed it, exposing it to light partway through, finishing as normal, and guess what…..IT WORKED. I got SOLARIZED IMAGES.

Continue reading the full tutorial here, where you will learn 1. how easy it is to solarize your images and also 2. why scanning as a negative and positive will change your life.

get the tutorial

I’m Serious You Guys

Here’s the thing. I’m not great at marketing. But I am great at enthusiasm. And when I tell you I am just as enthusiastic (actually more so) about The Art Lab now than I was when it started three years ago (!!!), I’m dead serious.

I created it as the group I knew I would need for myself. I wanted artistic community. I wanted to fill in my (massive) art history gaps. I wanted to be inspired and have accountability.

And guess what? This model just works.

If you show up, you will be changed.

There’s no quick fix or magic bullet to increased creativity, but this model is about as close as you can get to one.

And the beauty is that all creativity is mutually beneficial. Art is our paradigm for our lived life, so when The Art Lab pushes us to get better at problem solving, trying (and “failing”), thinking in new ways, holding ourselves accountable, and leaning on our community, we get better at doing it in the rest of our lives.

Instead of giving art and creativity the dregs, we need to give it our first fruits.

Let 2026 be the year of increased creativity.

Changing the world for the better happens one person at a time, and we must start with ourselves.

Spring Semester runs January 1-April 30, 2026. Registration is open now and closes after the New Year, so come on in.

we can't wait to have you

Can’t join now or just want to dip your toes in? You can get glimpses of what we’re chatting about by tuning into Post-Processing!

catch it here!

now get out there and fuck up some film

Xo,

Amy

But First, Some Housekeeping!

The Art Lab is open for registration for Spring Semester! (13/50 seats remain. Learn more below!)

Self-Portraits For Growth will run again in March. Registration opens January 7 for all Illuminate Classes! Join the waitlist!

*This most may contain affiliate links. Using the links is no cost to you, but has the potential to reward me with a few cents.

Help! Will My Good Idea Find A New Host?

People who write about creativity often walk some sort of rational/mystical line to appeal to the audience.

The rational side: show up regularly and intentionally and engage in multiple practices and you will reap benefits of creativity–less stress and anxiety, greater sense of purpose and well-being, increased problem-solvings skills, and more! (Cites studies to bolster claims)

The mystical side: but also just show up and do shit on the reg, because when we are intentionally creative something really stinking magical happens that we cannot quite explain.

But even people who lean more into the mystical elements of a creative life often present their side as some sort of rational argument. The truth is this: people who guide others in their creativity are often spouting off at the mouth regarding things that we don’t have data for, but we just *know* to be true.

Both sides of the argument are important, but they serve different purposes.

The rational side is fact-based: here are things we have observed.

The mystical side is wisdom-based: here are things I’ve lived.

The mystical side speaks to deeper truths, but we always have to take them with a grain of salt because often this side is speaking to a particular person in a particular moment.

For example, when I say “we are in a constant ebb and flow. Honor the ebb, because without it we cannot flow.” I am speaking to someone who might be frustrated that they have recently come out of a period of intense creativity and they are now finding themselves in a lull. It might mean it’s time for them to rest and do more input so they can prepare for a next season of output. And it’s okay to honor that tide.

But that is NOT the advice I would give to someone who has been in a lull because they are merely resistant to creating. That person needs a reminder of Newton’s first law of motion. They are at rest, and they will stay at rest until they act upon it. To get the gears turning again, they need to do the laborious work of starting to turn that first cog. It’s slow going, but the momentum WILL catch again if they just start.

Both are true. Each speaks to someone in a lull state, but they give very different words of advice. Only the individual knows which bit of advice to utilize in their situation.

So how do you know which advice to take, and when? Usually you’ll feel it in your gut. You might feel resistance to an idea, which is often a sign you need to embrace it. Or you’ll read something and it will almost feel like a key you’ve been given to set you free.

On the flip side, an idea is NOT for you if it elicits fear.

Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Big Magic is one such book about supernatural creativity and it’s one that I read and loved and found so much resonance with. You can tell she is writing deep truths about her own mystical experiences as a creative. She has lived these things and alchemized these experiences into nuggets of wisdom and packaged them for us to read.

There’s just one part that I disagree with. Or maybe I just disagree with how people are interpreting it. Because they often cite this part in a way that doesn’t make them sound free, but fearful.

If you’ve read the book, you probably remember it, because it’s a central tenet of the book. She claims that if you have an idea and don’t act on it, it will eventually become disgruntled, leave you, and find a more hospitable host to carry it out.

The problem is, when people recite this part of the book to me, they often do so with a sort of fear in their voice. “Oh no! I have this great idea but I haven’t acted on it! I better act now before it floats away to someone else!”

Instead of navigating creativity out of fear, here is my response to the question “Will my good idea find a new host if I don’t act?”

First of all, I have ideas all the time that I don’t “act” on right away. Because once you plant a seed, there’s always a germination process. Then it has to grow into something that can sustain fruit. This takes time.

Often the first step is just taking the idea and planting it into your mind. You haven’t rejected it; you have just stated that you are accepting it and tending to it. Because truth be told, we can’t brute force our way to good creativity. We show up, keep showing up, and allow the magic to unfold.

This looks like keeping an idea in mind as I learn new information and take in creative input. It’s like I’m feeding and checking in with the idea so it doesn’t bury into my unconscious mind. It straddles the line between conscious and just subconscious. (I think the magic of creativity happens in this region.)

I also keep it in this region with the promise to act when the time is right.

That being said, some ideas can be acted upon immediately. If you get an idea and know just how to execute it, then by all means, go for it! Some ideas come after we have gathered all we need for them. These we can just check off our list and keep going. They make us feel productive and competent. These are gifts.

And some ideas come before we have what we need, and they remind us and assure us of where we are going. We earn the execution of these ideas by continuing to show up and do the work. These are also gifts.

Okay, so now we have covered the fact that just because you don’t ”act” on an idea right away doesn’t mean you have actually rejected it. You just might need to keep feeding it and giving it time to unfold.

Liz warns us ideas will float away, but I’ve always viewed creativity as our act of tapping into a collective undercurrent. This collective undercurrent flows across humanity’s subconscious at a particular moment in time. We can tap into it to bring it into awareness with intention and effort.

I prefer to view creativity as a collective undercurrent as opposed to Liz’s disembodied life forms for a few reasons. Not that these thoughts on creativity are necessarily opposed to one another, but more because as a visual person, this is the visual that resonates with me more.

I think of it as collective undercurrent because I believe the undercurrent carries knowledge and information that all of humanity is needing and able to tap into at a particular moment. It is universal and it is accessible to those willing to get below the surface. This is why we often see so many multiple discoveries in scientific fields, and this is how movements are started.

You have people in a particular area of interest who are tapping into knowledge, or a way of seeing the world, that is just below the surface, waiting to be uncovered for the good of humanity. Whether it’s on a grander scale like a scientific discovery or a philosophical or art movement or a smaller scale like a painting or blog post; the current carries what we are needing in order to keep pushing forward.

This reminder can feel necessary when we are birthing something into the world, because the act of creating is VULNERABLE. It can be so uncomfortable to put these things out there, especially when we are innovating! You have an idea for a new workshop, you want to try something new in your business, heck, you just want to post something on Instagram that you’re worried people will not view as your “typical work”...whatever it is, putting it out there to be judged is scary!

But often when things feel scariest, that means you’re tapping into the collective undercurrent, and birthing something that is needed. There shouldn’t be a fear that the idea will float away, but there should be an awareness that someone else is going to tap into this same undercurrent and they won’t be stopped by fear–they will do the vulnerable thing and put it out into the world.

When you see someone else be brave, will you kick yourself for not following your gut? Will you wish you had just followed through and stepped out in faith?

Remember that it’s the act of doing something Good while scared that makes it brave.

Instead of stopping your idea by telling yourself “this is stupid and no one wants this/wants to see this.” Reframe it by saying, “this feels new to me, which makes it vulnerable and scary. Moving forward is the bravest thing I can do.”

So no, I don’t think ideas will just float away. Ideas might take time to gestate. Ideas can and will be accessed in the great collective undercurrent. Whether or not we move forward with our idea, someone else is likely to access it too. And the most innovative ideas will inherently push us out of our comfort zone.

The question isn’t whether the idea will float away or not; the real question is: are you brave enough to follow the call?

The Art Lab is OPEN!

Oh my word. There is a momentum in The Art Lab that is incredibly energizing. Each semester grows not only in its membership but also in its creativity, community, inspiration, and knowledge.

The group continues to grow closer and yet opens its arms so willingly and happily for new people who enter. It doesn’t take long for a “newbie” to feel like they are embedded into the fold.

The format just works. It gets us creating things they wouldn’t otherwise. It gets us innovating. It gets us trying new techniques or finally trying that thing that has been on our to-do list for years.

And the things we learn each semester carry forward with us throughout our lives. The eighth wonder of the world is compound interest, which basically just means the sooner you do the thing that’s good for you, the more potential for growth you have.

We would love to have you for Spring Semester (which runs January 1-April 30, 2026). Registration is open now. Only 13/50 spots remain. For the first time ever, Full Tuition spaces sold out in pre-registration, but there are still Monthly Tuition spots available. Grab yours now.

There really is no time like the present.

join us

Self-Portraits For Growth

“Amy creates a space that feels safe and supportive, where it’s easy to share your art and take creative risks…this process ended up being unexpectedly healing for me”-Lisa Edney (@ledneyphotography)

The inaugural run of my Self-Portraits For Growth class with Illuminate Classes ended in November, and the first run blew me away. The welcoming and encouraging community, the vulnerability, and the creativity all added up to make a deeply impactful three week experience.

We are set to run again starting March 2, 2026 and I am excited to capture this magic with a fresh set of participants!

Registration for all Illuminate classes opens January 7. Get on the waitlist to be reminded!

Join the waitlist

Creativity is a mindset,

Amy

Self-Portraits For Growth runs in March and opens up for Registration January 7. Learn more and get reminders here.

The Art Lab Spring Semester starts January 1 and opens up for registration mid-December! Get on the waitlist and EARLY DIBS for any open semester tuition spots here.

Don’t want to wait? Work with me 1:1

Why I Made Out With My Scanner

This month. Oooooooof this month. I was excited to study a xerographer (photo copy artist) Pati Hill, because I had a feeling people in The Art Lab would be inspired to play. And they absolutely were. MANY of us pulled out our scanners, our copy printers, or used photocopiers at work and just….well, played. We scanned our cameras; we scanned our pets; we scanned our faces.

I was SO INSPIRED by people’s scans, but my own just kept falling flat. But that was okay, because I had a different idea. I had big dreams of running with the 1:1 ratio of a copier and creating something HUGE out of a compilation of 8.5x11 sheets of paper. Maybe I’d create a life size installation of a tree or myself or something else that would take lots of sheets of paper to achieve.

But no matter how hard I tried, ideas were just not clicking. It felt different than my normal level of inability to grasp onto an idea until closer to the due date for the month. I was starting to get worried this would be the first month in the history of The Art Lab that I might not produce anything.

And here’s the thing about people who teach/guide/mentor: we give the advice we need. I give others advice that I truly believe to be true for them, but I often need to embrace it for myself. So I stepped out of myself for a second and said, “what would I tell a member of The Art Lab to do if they were struggling for the month in the way I am?”

Here’s what I came up with

___________________

Your big idea of creating a 1:1 compilation is great, but it sounds like you’re holding onto this idea too firmly. Keep the idea. Keep working towards the idea and feeding it. But it’s okay if it doesn’t come together this month as you wish it would. It’ll keep gestating and you know yourself well enough to know that when it’s time to birth that idea you’ll be up to the task.

Clinging to that singular idea is blocking you from what everyone else in the group is doing-and what you wanted them to do-which is to PLAY. And I get that you haven’t liked your scans so far, but keep going. Keep playing. You have yet to discover the thing that is trying to come out of you for the month, and you won’t get to it if you don’t show up and play.

(end of advice to myself)

___________________

Thankfully I took my own advice and I grabbed my scanner again in an attempt to just let go and create. I scanned my face. I scanned my hands. I moved and rotated things as I scanned to see what would happen. I wasn’t loving my results (especially compared to what other members were posting), but I was doing *something* and that felt good enough.

I took a break and then came back the next day to try more scanning, this time with a sort of idea in tow. I grabbed some lipstick to bring color into the scan, and since I liked what had happened the day before when I moved to track with the scanner lightsource, I took those two facts and decided to just scan my mouth over and over.

(Chris walked into my office as I was sitting there in my classic pajama work attire, my hair a mess, and no makeup other than this bright pink lipstick. He looked a little confused, as I’m sure I looked crazy and asked “…uh…were you on a zoom call???”

I replied that I had just been making out with my scanner, and I swear he was a little relieved at my explanation.

Looking crazy in the name of art is always allowed and welcomed around here.)

The results are SO unlike my typical work, but I love that. It’s fun to create differently than you normally do, because it feels so fresh and new. It’s similar to the feeling of taking a trip and photographing it–it’s uncharted territory and full of luster.

I just needed my own encouragement to show up, play, and drop expectations (and excuses). And honestly, this is the advice we ALL probably most often need in art (and life).

So here’s my exhortation to you: Show up. Get out of your own way and just play/experiment/do *something* without judgment. (As in, don’t judge if it’s good or bad or “worthy” of creating. Just DO.) Rinse and repeat.

It sounds unglamorous and quite laborious, because it really is. Or at least the day-to-day is. You can only hike the patch of path that you’re standing on, so you have to keep showing up and putting one foot in front of the other.

When you get to the top, the beauty of the vista will reveal itself. It’s not your job to create the vista. It’s just your job to get yourself there.

Come Play

I swear we’ve been having the best time playing around in The Art Lab. It’s been a joy to watch people grow, embrace their inner artists, create meaningful work, and even meet one another in real life while traveling.

It’s a tight knit community that LOVES welcoming more people into the fold (the dream community, tbh).

If you’ve been meaning to join, but keep saying “next time”, you’ve missed out on some really amazing months of learning, creativity, and connection. Don’t miss out on another round.

The Art Lab Spring Semester runs January 1-April 30, 2026 and registration opens mid-December. Get on the waitlist to be among the first to get dibs at the full semester tuition payment plan (spots are limited).

Join the Waitlist

Imposter Syndrome Never Dies

I just had my first run of Self-Portraits For Growth over at Illuminate Classes and I gotta be honest: about a week before the class started I was CONVINCED everyone would hate the class. I spent the last few months working hard (like, really hard) on the content, and I was sure that everyone who took it would think the whole class sucked and that I’m stupid. (Anyone resonate?)

Guess what?

It was amazing.

The group was encouraging, kind, warm, talented, invested, and so creative. They took the assignments and ran with them. They made beautiful and meaningful work. They continually blew me away.

They loved the class. And not a single person told me it sucked and I was stupid.

It was so inspiring and rewarding to go through the experience with the students and I cannot wait to do it again in March. That’s right, another run starts in March and registration opens January 7.

Go here to learn more and sign up to get reminders. Mark your calendars. Tell your friends. It’s going to be good.

“The class ended up being so much more than I ever expected! Most importantly, I’ve come away from this course feeling more connected to my values and I have a deeper understanding of my life purpose and how I can express that through my photography (and beyond). . .My creativity is reignited and I can’t wait to continue exploring the journey of self-portraiture.”

-Katy Haldiman (words and image, Oct 2024 student)

Learn More

It’s all just one foot in front of the other.

xo,

Amy

Housekeeping

There is ONE active seat left for Self-Portraits for Growth!

The Art Lab is closed but opens for registration in December. Get on the waitlist!

On My Proclivity to Doom Spiral

This month we studied Picasso, and it was one of his cubist paintings (his very first, to be exact), that I chose for our particular prompt. Every month in The Art Lab we study an artist, but I pick out one image in particular as our “prompt”. For no other reason than it can serve as a more specific jumping off point if it’s feeling like creativity for the month is more like searching for a needle in a haystack.

The problem is I already used my idea for the month. And I used it in January 2023, for the very first Art Lab prompt (not about cubism. It was actually a poem by TS Eliot). But what I created was a cubist self-portrait using cyanotype and it’s one of my very favorite creations to date.

I peaked too early. Classic.

So this month I had a chance to top it. Go big or go home, or something like that.

And coincidentally my biggest “problem” for the month was home. It was a month of moving out of my old place and into a new house with my kids and partner and just about everything has NOT gone according to plan. Or maybe it’s that I was willfully ignorant to how stressful it would be to not only pack up a household of four but also be part of the process of selling a house and also try to blend families while barely eking out time to settle anything into the new house.

Nowhere feels like home at this point and I’m unmoored.

The first thing I do when I go to a hotel or Airbnb is unpack. I love settling in, because when my space is settled, I feel settled. It’s probably some sort of maternal nesting instinct, but whatever it is, it’s real. And the emotions that have come with not being settled in are FIERCE. The unsettled state of the house serves as an outward reminder of the unsettled state of the entire situation. The pressure is mounting and I have yet to find the release valve.

But I’ve been through way more stressful situations and I know by now that the release valve always appears. All it takes is one item to fall into place and the rest fall like dominoes. Things have a way of working themselves out, it’s just that they often work out different than we anticipated. Living in the liminal state where your anticipated future isn’t coming to fruition, but you’re not quite sure how reality will shake out is the part that I find myself. It’s also the part where my anxiety spikes and my mind spends more time in a doom spiral than rooted in reality.

The idea of rooting myself in reality was my entry point to this month’s prompt. The beauty of cubism is that it is a way of representing a subject in a truer fashion through capturing multiple perspectives of that subject. And what I am in desperate need of is a shift in my perspective. (everything is about everything, after all)

So instead of creating an elaborate, involved piece this month with multiple steps and processes, I knew that the biggest gift to myself was just to step into the studio and move.

I captured forward movement (always forward, always through). I captured multiple facets of myself (a reminder of who I am and all I’m capable of). And I captured a transformation of self (I’m always growing, never shrinking, and so Future Amy will be ready to handle any future problems.)

I didn’t feel like I had a single moment to create, but that’s exactly the signal we are in desperate NEED of creating. I always say The Art Lab is the group I created for myself, and this month reminded me just how true that is.

Did I create something I like better than my January 2023 piece? No. Did I create exactly the thing I needed in this particular moment? Yes. That’s the beauty of creativity. It’s not frivolous, it’s a balm for the soul. It helps us to reground in the present moment and it always serves as a paradigm for life; if we’re willing to find the meaning. We often don’t actually need our problems to be fixed, we just need to shift our perspective as we ride the current.

Self-Portraits For Growth!

There is ONE active seat left for my new workshop starting October 20!

Grab it!

Self-Portraits for Growth is a three week experience that will guide you through the process of realigning with your vision and values, get over the apprehension of what to do with your body in front of the lens, and learn how to move away from the literal and toward the metaphorical.

• All lessons are pre-recorded so you can watch at a time that is convenient for you.

• We will meet for live office hours to connect, ask questions, and have face-to-face community.

• I will be in the message boards daily to answer your questions and encourage you.

• Active seats will get personalized feedback on assignments. (this is the main difference between active and partial participation!)

If they thought of joining makes you uncomfortable, you’re on the right track. Many who have signed up have messaged me to say they are WAY out of their comfort zone. That’s the most exciting place to be, because that’s where the growth takes place.

If you have questions, please feel fee to contact me

Always forward, always through

xo,

Amy

• Self-Portraits For Growth (new workshop) is open for registration as of TODAY!

• The Art Lab is open for fall registration!

I Messed Up. Twice.

This month I messed up my film not once, but TWICE.  Even as a film shooter for almost my whole life, lab owner, and film educator, it turns out I’m still able to just get it really wrong, and I hope knowing that makes you feel just a little better about yourself. 

I could blame the passage of time and the brain fog of life right now, but I really only have myself to blame.  And ultimately, I think the message I’m supposed to learn each month is related to the process, but this month needed to BE the process.  (So I also blame the Universe)

Our artist this month in @the.artists.collab was Michael Kenna, and I love his philosophy just as much as I love his work.  For him, photography is about the meditative experience, the search for imperfection (wabi sabi!), and the conversations that artists inevitably have with their surroundings. (We talked about Observer Effect this month, and I’ll jump on any chance to bring in math and science into our ideas of art.  It’s all related.)

Michael Kenna is known for his black and white square landscapes; he does this one thing and he does it well.  As more of an “eclectic” (read: chaotic?) artist, his singular style appeals to me in its order and uniformity.  

His exposure times are often long.  Like, really long.  Sometimes he will leave his camera out overnight and retrieve it before daybreak.  

I photograph fast.  I move through life at a fast clip.  I use 35mm so I can take lots of photos and take them quickly.  

I knew my call this month was clear: simply (although not easily) get out and take some long exposures on black and white film.  Be like Kenna, if only to try to balance my normal way of navigating the world.

I grabbed my Pentax 645n, which had some Ilford HP5 loaded from a few years ago in it and I grabbed my Diana Mini loaded with the same (as indicated by my handwriting on the washi tape on the back.)  Because time really is at a premium lately with my move, new workshop (registration open now!), summer break for my three boys, and regular work on my plate, I knew getting out for this *~*~*meditative experience*~*~* was exactly what I should be doing.  

But as I was out,  I suddenly heard someone call “Amy!”.  Which to be honest, I oftentimes assume whoever is calling is calling for a different Amy (call it a hazard of having no fewer than FOUR Amys just in my direct friend group in high school), so whenever I hear my name, I tend to look around with some cursory glances just in case.  

It turns out I was the intended recipient of this particular call, and the person on the sending end was a friend I met on Instagram through local photography connections, who I had only met once in real life.  She is also someone who had just told me a couple days prior that she was going through a separation in her own marriage.  

She exclaimed “what are the odds???” and with a laugh I responded, “honestly?  Actually pretty good,” not only do I find myself landing in people’s lives as they go through the dissolution of their marriages, but at that moment I also knew that my actual assignment that evening wasn’t the black and white squares I thought I was setting out to take, but it was to show up and be available for connection.  

After a time of lament, tears, laughter, and a sinking sun, we parted ways.  

I decided to try to finish the roll I had started years prior on my Pentax, but at shot 11 the camera stated it was finished.  I should have gotten 16 frames, but I did remember something had happened with the roll at some point (I think I had removed the film holder thinking it was empty, only to find film inside.) But I still had my Diana Mini to finish up as my fail-safe, and after a few shots I got to the end of that roll too and headed home.  

Upon developing I realized my errors.  The blank space in the middle of the film from the Pentax proved that at one point it had advanced as if it was loading new film.  And the images I took at the outing for the Michael Kenna prompt ended up being taken onto backing paper (not light sensitive) instead of film (light sensitive.) 

Good thing I had my Diana Mini.  Except as I stared at the images that seemed to be disappearing, I realized that the film I had just developed in black and white chemicals was a color roll and NOT Ilford HP5 like I had thought.  Apparently I didn’t even look at the cartridge after I removed it from the camera, because I just assumed it matched the sticker on the back.  

So everything I took that evening had disappeared (except for a phone photo I took).  

The evening was ultimately one of ephemeral or maybe even non-existent art.  

But that’s okay, because the point wasn’t to get an image.  Showing up and being available for connection is the point. (Always) Whether that connection is with a tree (like it is so often in Michael Kenna’s case) or people (as it was in my own), creativity doesn’t happen in a vacuum.  We have to throw our arms wide open and let the light shine through the cracks in our hearts as a beacon to the world that your brokenness is welcome here, and I swear the kintsugi that’s happening will make you more interesting, beautiful, and stronger than before.  

I believe it for her, I believe it for me, and I believe it for you.  

The silver lining is that the images on the start of the roll in my Pentax that dated all the way back to early 2023 turned out, which is what you see here. They were taken during a snow storm.  If you’ve ever enjoyed a snowstorm and the silence and solitude it provides in the middle of a normally loud, busy area, then you also know the meditative experience it inevitably becomes.  I can hear, feel, and smell it now. I was thankful to be brought back to that moment.  I also included the only image I have from my evening adventure, which was on the backup to my fail-safe (my phone). 

NEW WORKSHOP!!!!!

My NEW workshop with Illuminate Classes is open for registration today! Check out Self-Portraits for Growth for a three week experience where we will not just focus on self-portraits, but we will tap into your story, your “why”, and get to the heart of the creative process. Yeah, it’s about self-portraits, but it’s really about so much more.

It’s an online workshop and can be taken from anywhere in the world with an internet connection! All instruction will be pre-recorded, but we will meet live for office hours.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if I wasn’t for sure going to be in this class, I know I’d have the worst FOMO if I missed out.

Self-Portraits For Growth

This workshop is new, (and trust me when I say it’s a gooooood one) but here are some kind words from people who have taken self-portrait workshops from me in the past!

“Amy is the BEST. She has such a gift for seeing people and helping them see themselves. I learned so much from a technical standpoint, but I also came away feeling refreshed as an artist with a deeper understanding of how I can find my voice through self-portraiture. She really takes the time to give substantive feedback and get to know her students and I cannot recommend her courses enough!”

“It turned out to be so much more than a photography workshop. It was therapeutic and made me look inside myself honestly, and in the process, I broke down a lot of toxic mental constructs that stood in the way of growth.”

“This course was so much more than a photography course. It was therapy. Amy’s insight and gentle encouragement were so helpful in transforming my approach in letting myself be seen.”

THE ART LAB IS OPEN!

The next semester of The Art Lab runs September 1-December 31, 2025 and you are not going to want to miss out on another run! All of the Full Tuition slots are FULL, but you can still hop in on a Monthly Tuition slot! (Plus current members always have first dibs on grabbing a Full Tuition slot for the next semester!)

Register Here!

The Art Lab community takes place on Facebook (Feel free to use that burner account you also use strictly for Facebook Marketplace 🤪) and join members from across the world! We meet live over zoom, but all zooms are recorded in case you can’t make them.

You know what I hear as the NUMBER ONE reservation about joining? That people are intimidated.

I get it. Imposter syndrome is real. Vulnerability is hard. Joining a group of people you don’t know is like the wackest thing for an introvert.

But the thing is, when people join, they feel AT HOME. Every single person who has told me they’re scared to join has ended up feeling empowered and welcomed. I swear it’s the most welcoming group on the internet.

And if you don’t think your art is good enough? I know what you mean, because the art coming out of the group is RAD. But do you know why? It’s because of the group that people are making rad art.

The inspiration, generous sharing, brainstorming, and deadlines are the pressure cooker we need as creatives to bring about our best work. And The Art Lab checks all those boxes.

You don’t level up BEFORE joining. You join in order TO level up.

It’s time to quiet the excuses and stop getting in your own way. You’ll only regret that you waited so long to take the leap.

It's Time

Wabi sabi, kintsugi, and the process is the point

xo,

Amy

The Art Lab is open for registration TODAY. Fall Semester runs from September 1-December 31, 2025 so secure your spot now!

Heads up! I’m teaching a NEW self-portrait workshop with Illuminate Classes in the fall!!!!! Registration starts August 27, so be on the lookout for more info forthcoming.

BUT for now, there is a Giveaway for a free spot in my course! Just follow the instructions here.

Have you felt like my Substack and podcast have been a little quiet? You aren’t wrong! It’s been a WILD summer (surgeries, broken finger (my own), writing a new workshop, buying a house, helping my partner sell his, moving, and regular mom/photography/Art Lab/Film Lab stuff too. Turns out I’m not infinite????? Just know that these things aren’t dead! Don’t give up on me yet! Hang tight for more content!

The ONLY Thing You Need To Be More Creative

Quick question: Are you currently wanting more from your creativity? If so, then ask yourself honestly,....

DO YOU:

1. Expect to be good at something the first time you try it? 

2. Expect to grow in your craft by occasionally dabbling in it? 

3. Expect your vision and skill to match but you don’t know how? 

If you are wanting more from your creativity, then it’s fairly likely you answered “yes” to at least one of the questions above.  And if that’s the case, then to grow in your creativity, something is going to have to change. 

The bad news is that the thing that has to change is that you are going to have to start showing up consistently.  

The good news is that to change, all you have to do is show up consistently. 

Seriously.  Showing up is the only thing standing in your way, and all you have to do to fix it is start showing up.

The even better news is that community and accountability make it SO MUCH EASIER to show up.  

And the BEST news is that’s what The Art Lab’s whole premise is.  Community and accountability are the KEY FACTORS for getting our creativity in motion.  I can promise you that sitting back and crossing your fingers for creative inspiration won’t get you anywhere. 

Having a community of people who join you in learning, share ideas, work toward a common goal, and all have a deadline?  Now THAT’S how you tap into your creative well.  

“If you set the deadline, shit gets done,” I think the Proverb goes. 

The Art Lab is officially over 2.5 years old and I say with confidence that some (most) of my very favorite pieces were made in service to the group.  The power it has had over my own creativity is “incalcalacable.” (-Michael Scott–Amy Elizabeth)

It’s the group I created for myself.  Because I knew if I needed it, that others would need it too.  And turns out I was right.  

Okay, check-in time.  

Are you reading this and making excuses for why you shouldn't join?Maybe you’re saying “I don’t have the time.” or “I’m not really an artist” or “I shouldn’t spend the money on myself.” 

If you’re making any sort of excuse, I am telling you that it’s a sign that you SHOULD join.  Any time we are trying to talk ourselves out of something. It’s because we actually want IN.  And of course there are times where the function of this is practical and protects us (if your friends are jumping off a bridge, it’s okay to talk yourself out of that one.) But sometimes it over-functions and protects us from growth.  (Because growth can be scary too!)

But I promise you, you deserve to take up space, be in community, and invest in your creativity.  And whenever I invest in my own growth I always see the positive effects in ALL areas of my life.  Self-improvement is never wasted. 

Now’s the time.  If you’re wanting a personal invitation, consider this to be it.  And we can’t wait to have you.

Join Us!

Catch Up

Are you sad that you’ve missed out on so many months of The Art Lab? Well, we can’t go back in time, but you can start your creative growth TODAY. (There’s no time like the present!)

The silver lining is that you CAN catch up on the last year’s worth of artists we’ve studied, by tuning into the Post-Processing Podcast!

It’s a space where we talk about artists, the creative process, answer your burning questions, and bring on other artists to share their experiences and wisdom.

Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Also, please rate, review, and share with a friend so we can spread the love.

Listen Here!

You take care of the quantity, the Great Creator takes care of the quality

Amy

We didn’t study an artist this month, but instead we dove into a mystery.  The prompt in The Art Lab for May 2025 was the Voynich Manuscript, a tome filled with diagrams, recipes, instructions, astrology, and biology. 

It appears to be a sage manual for living, and still none of it can be deciphered.  We have no idea what the words say and even the drawings point more to an active imagination than something we can locate in the experienced world.  

And yet, none of it points to a hoax.  The codex appears to be intentionally created by at least 5 authors for an unknown, but very real purpose.  

The florals, in particular, seem to be drawn by someone who can’t quite remember what observable plants look like, so instead they drew from a memory of a plant.  

This led the group to explore aphantasia–the inability to see things in the mind’s eye.  Was the artist in the Manuscript doing their best to recall without actually seeing?  Due to this, they have a sort of magical realism quality, making them appear adjacent to reality and yet abstracted from it.  

Studying the Manuscript coincided with one of the best months in Minnesota: May.  Up here in the North, this month brings us blossoms galore, including one of my (and everyone’s?) personal favorites–lilacs.  

Armed with my Nikon FE, I went out to do a lilac study (as I often do in May) and photographed the flowers adding in some magical elements like slow shutter, light leaks, and film soup. 

Like reality-but make it just a bit off.  

But that didn’t feel like “enough” (is anything ever enough?), so I included a trichrome of some tulips from last summer (not an impressive image, but a decent first attempt at this new-to-me process.) And for good measure, I took a cyanotype of lupine and used my oil pastels to add to the monochrome Prussian Blue. 

Yet, after all that, nothing felt metaphorical enough.  (I’m nothing if not huge into metaphor.  Insert eye roll as necessary.) 

Lately I’ve been really into making these sort of meditative drawings.  They’re free-flowing like a doodle, but geometric like a zentangle, and yet they’re not quite either.  I start out by making a zig zag and follow that shape all the way down the page, nesting the subsequent zigzags into the one before it.  It doesn’t take long for the shape to morph–-some of the angles combine to make one larger, sharper angle, some flatten completely, others become wider, and some fight the hardest to maintain their original shape.  

But if you took the final zig zag and compared it to the first, you’d think they have no relation. It’s like that game “Telephone” that I loved playing as a kid.  The first kid comes up with a phrase and whispers it into the person’s ear next to them.  Then the next kid has to take what they think they heard, and whisper it into the ear of the kid next to them. 

There’s often some turd who purposefully totally changes the phrase they hear, which never interested me.  I most enjoyed when we all did our best and yet the final message was still way, way off.  

“The hills are alive with the sound of music” goes through 12 ears and 13 mouths to become “The heels and toes live on Mr. Zak.” 

Each kid says what they heard, and as you go around the circle you pinpoints areas of contraction and expansion, words that are similar, and words that get filled in because they couldn’t quite make them out.  But the warps add up, and it only takes a few kids to completely shift the original meaning.  

Knowing everything is about everything, it didn’t take long to find the connection between this telephone-like drawing I had recently been enjoying and this month’s prompt.  I had been thinking about the zig zag drawing and the messages I received growing up in a religious environment.  I thought of the words of certain urtexts and how when I compared the teachings I had received, they sometimes seemed in direct opposition with what the original was trying to say.  

I thought of the news over the last year telling us that some churchgoers are hearing quotes from Jesus and throwing them out because they seem too subversive.   

I thought of my own history of authority using shame as a motivation for change, and yet the original text telling us that shame is what got us shackled in the first place, and love is the key to freedom.  

I thought of the way we would use Pharisees and their strict dogmas and holier-than-thou attitudes as a cautionary tale, and proceed to interact with people as though we alone had the answers and the remedy to what ails us all.

And yet here is the Voynich Manuscript, which could be full of knowledge and wisdom and we can’t even decipher it.  In that way, the original meaning remains intact.  As humans, the only way for us to not mess it up is to not be able to decode it.  The only things that can remain pure are those to which we don’t have access.  

I don’t think we mean to take things and telephone them into unrecognizable absurdity, but it’s just our way.  None of us is above making a mess of things.  As a person who is good at making messes, I find solace in knowing that to err is human. (and how!) 

Honestly, I don’t have answers.  I don’t think we always need answers, but sometimes it helps to remember that none of us is doing it exactly right.  We’re not receiving even the most perfect messages in their pristine form, nor are we passing them along in their minted condition either. (Parents know what I’m talking about.  Goodness how we make mistakes with our kids and pass along unintended meanings!)

But I do think something we can do is take a step back and imagine ourselves as one of the bottom zig zag shapes.  We’re not a bad shape.  We sure are trying our best with what we’ve been given. But we are still just not like the original.  And maybe before we pluck out the slightly misshapen zig zag in our neighbor’s eye, we first need to acknowledge the super wonky, end of the line zig zag in our own. 

Join Us! (And Give Us Your Laments!)

Sadly, The Art Lab is currently closed for Summer Semester, but get on the waitlist to be notified when registration opens up for fall (this will be in mid-August).

Get Notified

The good news is that you can learn about the Voynich Manuscript and all the artists we are studying over at The Art Lab by tuning into the Post-Processing Podcast!

It’s a space where we talk about artists, the creative process, answer your burning questions, and bring on other artists to share their experiences and wisdom.

Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Also, please rate, review, and share with a friend so we can spread the love.

Listen Here!

We are about to drop our second Q+A episode (which I now want to rename Lament + Ramble—you’ll hear why when you catch the episode lol.) But we LOVE answering your questions and would love to hear more! Feel free to reply to this email with any questions or laments you have about art, creativity, life, and the intersection of it all!

I’m literally over here being a wonky zig zag just tryin’ my best.

Amy

Let’s be real, I’ve never known perfectionism to free someone.  All it does is pen them up.  

I say this as someone who is sometimes able to create and exist in the freest of ways, but also is all-too-often imprisoned by my own perfectionism.  

Because perfectionism is often just a sad bundle of excuses to NOT do the thing.  I most often hear the absurdity of it when I recite my reasons why I can’t do something to myself out loud. 

Example of my inner monologue: I should take some self-portraits. Yes, but I have to set up my studio then.  And I currently have a black backdrop up, but I want to use the white one.  And my strobe is packed away, so I’ll have to take it out.  And honestly, I don’t really have an idea, so first I need to brain dump or maybe use my creativity deck and pull some cards.  But also, I want to look good, so I should shower and do my hair and makeup.  But if I’m going to do that, I should workout first.  And I have to pick my kids up from school in an hour, so I just don't have the time to do that list of things.  So I guess I’ll create nothing.  Better luck next time. 

Womp womp. 

On the one hand, this list is valid.   On the other hand, it’s complete horseshit.  And frankly, this list is boring.  Because excuses are boring. 

The above list of things-to-do-before-I-can-create is really just a list of ways to make everything ✨perfect✨.  And yeah, sometimes it’s fun to make it all just ~so~, but other times it’s a litany of why I can’t just get in there and do the darn thing.  

Because you know what I would have time for?  I’d have time to pick up my phone, turn the camera to selfie mode, find some good light (or heck! Even some bad light), and snap a couple of shots. 

But somewhere along the way, I got this idea that everything I do needs to be headed toward some sort of frameable end.  

And guess how much of my work I’ve framed.  (Not including photos of my kids), probably like a dozen things.  And it’s all been in IKEA frames.  And most of it is currently in the back of said frames, tucked behind images that are the display du jour. 

There’s far better reasons to create than having some sort of vague gallery-like goal at the end.  That goal is a beautiful one, and it isn’t a bad one, but it’s not the ONLY one.  And definitely not the main one. 

For me, the act of creating–-the process of creating-–is the space in which I grow, instill new paradigms, and refresh myself in the midst of all life’s realities. It’s this ‘process of creating’ that is the goal.  

It’s not the destination, it’s the journey (insert cheesy motivational poster with a road leading into a mountain range.) 

Every week in The Art Lab, we have a weekly attention.  It’s just a mini-prompt meant to get your brain seeing things around you and keep creating at the forefront of your mind.  They’re related to the monthly prompt, and can even lead people to their final piece for the month.  But they’re meant to be a rough draft. A messy middle.  A point in the process.  

And honestly, I often skip them. 

Why?  Because my perfectionism gets in the way.  

Example of my inner monologue: Oh!  The prompt is light and shadow?Well, I can use my phone to make it easy.  But then I want to set up my studio light and definitely change that white backdrop to a black one.  And I should probably get a really good idea.  Oh!  But one time I saw someone shape their light in this unique way, so maybe I should watch a YouTube video on how to do that first. But I have to pick my kids up in an hour, so I don’t have time, so I guess I’ll try it again a dfferent day. 

(Never tries it again a different day ☹️) 

Dammit Amy!  This is NOT the point!  The point is just to create *something*.  And guess what?  You don’t even have to share it on social media!  Do you understand that?  You can keep it *to yourself* 🤯 

You can create shitty art, feel good while doing it, and never show a single soul!  

Because the point isn’t sharing everything you’ve ever made; it’s to continue to add in data points. It’s to take moments to refresh. It’s to remember you’re created to create.

I took my own advice for last week’s attention (which was “dream world”).  I had all these ideas of getting out and playing with the spring blossoms, but in my day-to-day that wasn’t possible.  I was either at my desk, driving kids around, cooking, cleaning, or running errands.  

These were my constraints.  But when I shed my excuses, I knew I could still create.  

If only I would allow myself to drop some of that perfectionism.  

So you know what I did?  Over lunch most days, I took a couple minutes to play.  Since I was at my desk, in front of a computer, I used that constraint and ran with it.  

I pulled up film images of blossoms from LAST spring, pulled out my phone, opened up the VSCO app, and took pictures.  OF MY COMPUTER SCREEN.  

And guess what?  Even just a couple minutes every day gave me moments of rejuvenation.  It felt so freaking good to play. And I never even had to leave my desk.   

I can still set up my perfect scenario of going out during golden hour and photographing spring blossoms, but that’s not realistic every day. I CAN sneak a couple minutes into my days if I drop these perfect scenarios and just create anyway.  

Will these images be framed?  No.  Will they even be printed?  No. Will I remember them in a few months?  Probably not. 

But these aren’t the reasons I create.  Or not the only reasons.  

When I drop the perfectionism I remember as much. 

My assignment to you:

So you!  Will you join us in our prompt “dream world” and create?  Draw something even if you don’t draw.  Photograph your computer screen.  Scribble.  Re-edit an old image. Take an image out your window. 

Just do something. 

In fact, allow yourself to make something shitty.  Because goodness gracious that’s freeing.  (And to be honest, an act of rebellion.  But that’s for a future post.) 

Have You Heard?

I am loving bringing some of our Art Lab education, conversation, and ideas to you via the Post-Processing podcast.

I make it no secret that words of affirmation are my love language, and recently a friend I greatly respect reached out to tell me this:

And when I tell you I just about died 🥹

So don’t take my word for it, or even my friend’s, but go listen for yourself! Feel free to rate, review, share with a friend, and if you happen to love it you can drop me a note and know your words keep me going.

Listen here!

Create something shitty. I swear it’ll feel good.

xo,

Amy

*Listen along or simply have this portion of the post read to you by clicking the audio above.*

This month we studied Irving Penn in The Art Lab. Each month we have a new prompt, encounter fresh ideas, gather around the Zoom table, and tackle assignments in an effort to connect and expand. Next semester runs May 1-August 31, 2025 and registration is open now. We’d love for you to join us ♡

The problem with studying an artist like Irving Penn is that his prolific nature left many of us paralyzed.

Which direction do you go when the artist who is serving as inspiration did*:

• over 160 Vogue covers

• platinum palladium printing

• photographed celebrities in corners and on carpets

• a series of small trades workers positioned with the same care as the models he worked with,

• pictures of flowers that look almost like scanography,

• nudes,

• a series of cigarette butts and trash around NY that bring these decaying, discarded objects back from the dead and give them not only a sense of purpose but a rich beauty that only someone with a willing and tender eye could elicit?

I was lost for most of the month because of my utter awe not only over Irving’s work, but his philosophy.

He famously said he could become obsessed with anything if he stared at it long enough, which I think it just a modest way of saying he knew he had a special talent for finding beauty, dignity, and intrigue in all people and things he encountered. This led him to democratizing subjects in front of his lens—all are equal at the foot of his tripod.

What led me to being “unstuck” is following my own advice (you’ll hear me say regularly on my podcast, Post-Processing): set yourself up for success/lower the bar.

Meaning, don’t overcomplicate things, especially if overcomplicating will lead you to not executing them.

Inspired by Irving’s flower images, I grabbed a wilted and very dead stem of lilies in my basement.

(I had used them for cyanotyping a couple months ago, and just kept them on the basement floor near my cyanotype materials “just in case”-a refrain that leads me a couple steps forward on the “hoarder” spectrum, but is hard to shake when all-too-often I do find use for the things I don’t toss.)

Although the singular stem with multiple flowers had been sitting on the basement floor for more weeks than I know, something preserved them. It still held onto bits of vibrant color and didn’t completely crumble when I picked it up and clipped it to an old ice cream bucket so it would stand vertically in front of my light and camera.

Although I took some images with a macro lens on my film camera, I had a pull to “lower the bar” and take some with my phone.

Tbh the film images are womp womp, but partially because upon scanning them I made a huge realization: the draw of Irving’s flower images (and probably why they look almost like scanography) is the wide depth of field, making every part in focus and of interest (just like my phone had done.)

The first half of that film roll had failed flower images and the second half had failed self-portraits. See, I was inspired by Irving and his use of light to create true form in his images. Unlike ‘shape’, which is two dimensional, ‘form’ is three dimensional.

Irving used light to bring out texture in his subjects; his light and set-up highlighted the different metaphorical and literal facets of that which he captured on film.

Although I had lovely dreams of getting myself in high fashion clothing, in front of my gorgeous Ultraviolet backdrop, and photographing on some rich black and white film, I knew it wasn’t the time for that, and any attempt would feel too derivative for my liking if I wasn’t going where I was called.

Because the truth is, dimensions, facets, and form wouldn’t leave my mind.

So on the second half of the flowers roll of film, I set up my studio lights with blue and red gels, mimicking the 3D glasses I vividly remember from my youth (and am disappointed that modern glasses look so…well…regular.)

Unfortunately, an occupational hazard of self-portraits is one’s inability to be behind AND in front of the camera at the same time, and my resulting images proved unsalvageable.

All I needed was a simple tweak of the blue light I was working with, but by the time I scanned my initial results, I knew not enough time remained to reshoot, develop, dry, and scan again.

So what’s a film-shooter to do?

I took another cue from myself and lowered the bar/set myself up for success.

Learning my lesson from my failed initial set-up and instead busting out my rather dusty digital camera (my now-antiquated Nikon d700. But how I could write sonnets about the stalwart nature of that trusty camera!) And then I even used my phone and instax to add on a couple bonus images.

And honestly, the d700 was the appropriate tool for the job. I often say “use the tools you need to use to create the art you need to create.”

A very wordy and unnecessary way of saying: use the necessary tools to get the job done. (Making my regularly-said statement even more ironic in its lack of editing.)

I knew I didn’t need film to capture what was going to be straight red and blue. Film for its lovely rendering of the nuance of tones in nature or for illuminating skin wasn’t necessary here. I just needed primary colors (with a little secondary purple found in the intersection of the two.)

My digital got the job done and helped me even live a little into the practice I preach. I can’t remember the last time I posted a digital image (I always post film, with the very occasional phone image thrown in.).

And yet, I preach that the tool is almost irrelevant—it just needs to give you there results you need. I tout myself as NOT being a film elitist, but am hard-pressed to use another tool even when the situation calls for it.

So this month ended up being a celebration. A celebration of ideas, inspiration, and pushing through the paralyzation of too much of a good thing. I created, lowered the bar, and practiced what I preach, leading me to create two sets that I am not just pleased with, but proud of.

Thank goodness for The Art Lab and the ways it pulls me out of my comfort zone, pushes me to keep moving, and keep busting apart boxes that hold me back from expansive ways of being.

So this month I created two sets: I give you Epipolar Geometry and Consider The Lilies. Enjoy ❤️💙🥀

Fresh Chat Drop

Welcome to today’s conversation with Scott Erickson, painter, illustrator, live performer, and author. I was first introduced to Scott’s work circa 2018 when our church hung illustrations he had made in our Fellowship Hall. His work, although often using Christianity mythology as his jumping off point for processing life’s harder lessons, is especially known for featuring the sacred and profane.

He reminds us the pope had diarrhea, Mother Theresa got her period, and Mary’s labor with Jesus was ugly and messy. As embodied beings, we are remiss if we don’t consider the spiritual and temporal nature of life on earth. And Scott’s honest art speaks to the paradox of living in mind, body and spirit, asking everyone to scooch over a little there by creating space at the table for anyone with a desire to make meaning from our very existence in this tension.

Listen to the full convo, glean wonderful nuggets of wisdom, and leave feeling just a little more connected to your own depths so you can level up.

Listen Here

Stop Making Excuses

As your guide, I want to gently push you forward. In The Art Lab, it's done through the accountability of community, 1:1 time, and deadlines.

But before that, you have to take the first step and join.

You’ve told yourself you’ll join the next round.

You’ve promised yourself you’ll join when life gets “less busy”

You’ve said you want to, but made 1,000 excuses as to why not now.

But ultimately, you’ve let month after month slip away when you could have been prioritizing your creativity, connecting with others, and creating fresh and innovative things that give you new momentum in all areas that require creativity.

See, creativity is contagious. Not just among others, but between the various facets in our own lives.

Now’s the time, because you get to make the time. Trust me, no one else can do that part for you. And it’s essential for leveling up.

The next semester of The Art Lab runs May 1-August 31, 2025. Don’t get left behind again.

Register now.

The Most Welcoming Group On The Internet

Dig deep, level up.

xo,

Amy

Manifestation is all over the place lately: manifest your dream __________ (house! career! partner! Instagrammable life!). As a decidedly rather woo woo person, it might not surprise you that I do believe in manifestation. But not the kind you may have been sold.

Before I get deeper down that road, let me back it up a bit and tell you how we got here. This month in ✨The Art Lab (REGISTRATION FOR NEXT SEMESTER IS OPEN!)✨ we are studying photographer Irving Penn, and the lack of information on his personal life has been a sort of gift for me as someone who loooooooves to dream and fill in the blanks.

So what do we know about Irving Penn? He photographed at Vogue for 66 years, creating 165 covers during his tenure. He photographed models from around the world—-he also photographed trade workers with the same lighting, backdrops, and dignity as those models.

And then the trash and cigarette butts. Yup, he photographed those as well, and you might think “ew Irving!” But believe me when I tell you, he photographed those discarded and decaying objects by getting up nice and close so their form pops off the paper and you become enchanted.

So it’s probably no surprise that he said, “I can get obsessed by anything if I look at it long enough. That’s the curse of being a photographer.” And that he also said, “photographing a cake can be art.”

The man could take anything and find its inherent beauty and dignity. He wanted to strip away the façade and photograph the inner reality of his subjects. He wanted to capture the elegance in the raw, and the rawness in the elegant.

This is what we know, which leads me to fill in all sort of gaps.

And the gap I like to fill in is that Irving Penn believed in the kind of manifestation I believe in.

You see, I don’t believe in that manifestation that’s basically Prosperity Gospel wrapped in secular packaging. That kind of manifestation tells you that if you train your brain, you will get yourself in alignment to buy that million dollar house, drive the nice car, and take expensive vacations.

Those things aren’t bad, but they’re not the point of beautiful living. Which is why I believe in the kind of manifestation that aligns yourself not to get good things, but to experience the life you’re living as deeply good. I don’t care about acquiring material things, but in cultivating beautiful connection.

I believe in rewiring my brain to seek out and cultivate healthy and life-giving relationships. I believe in rewiring my brain to acknowledge my gifts and talents and use them to strengthen those around me. I believe in rewiring my brain to pay attention to the moments around me that I can’t believe I am lucky enough to witness. (the moon! the nighttime reflection of the skyline in the Mississippi River! the spring blossoms!)

And yes, this even means rewiring my brain so that I pay attention to trash and find beauty. I want to look at a cigarette butt and imagine the lips it was once dangling off of and the finger tips gently grasping its paper. Or to see a decaying glove and wonder about the hand it once held as it went about its chores and ask into the ether how that singular glove got separated from its counterpart.

Julia Cameron perfectly summarizes the act of paying attention to these moments in life in her book The Artist’s Way when she says

The reward for attention is always healing. It may begin as the healing of a particular pain - the lost lover, the sickly child, the shattered dream. But what is healed, finally, is the pain that underlies all pain: the pain that we are all, as Rilke phrases it, “unutterably alone.”

Because of Irving’s photography, I imagine he valued connection, that he valued paying attention and finding beauty in all of it. I imagine he ran into those tough patches of life we all experience and, instead of viewing himself as trapped, he viewed them as opportunities to try new things (it’s why I believe he dug so deep into alternative processing when his photography took a dip.)

I imagine those around him or in front of his camera being acutely aware of being in the presence of tender care, and feeling even a moment of the dignity and respect they were imbued with by Creation.

All because Irving believed in aligning himself with the deep good the world has to offer. He manifested beauty, so he saw beauty.

Am I overreaching? Absolutely. But is it so wrong to imagine someone existing with these traits?

I think the world would be a better place if we all overreached with this kind of imagination. So I will keep imagining Irving as an exemplar who leaves behind his art as evidence of a life lived for the searching and finding of beauty.

I will keep imagining he helped wear that path that I now walk, and I will manifest so I stay the course.

Are Ya Thirsty For More?

Want to learn more about Irving Penn? Listen in on the podcast!

The Post-Processing podcast is the space in which we talk about artists, art, have conversations with other creatives, and even answer your questions!

Listen in here!

🚨The Art Lab Is Open For Registration!🚨

This is not a drill! The Art Lab is open for registration for Summer Semester! Summer semester runs May 1-Aug 31, 2025 and will be jam packed with even more community, conversation, education, and creativity.

There are only 5 Full Tuition slots open, so snag one before they’re gone!

Learn more and sign up!

What is The Art Lab?

It’s the place for…

Connection: It’s a hub for creatives. No need to call yourself an “artist” (but we will work on that.) All mediums welcome.

We gather over zooms and the facebook group to brainstorm, share ideas, and ask questions.

Learning: Each month learn about a new artist, their life, techniques, and philosophy. Use these as fodder for expanding your creativity and working in ways you would not otherwise.

Creativity: We need accountability to motivate us to get sh-- done, so each month there’s a deadline for your final piece.

It could take you 5 hours or 5 minutes; time is irrelevant. But the fact remains that you will create something, and it just might surprise yourself most of all.

We gotchu

Mary Oliver Gets It

Included in this post are iPhone images from moments in life where all I can do is stop and marvel that I get to bear witness to the utter magic of living.

With artists like Irving Penn as our guides, we learn how to choose awe. I leave you with a poem by the late, great Mary Oliver, who also just GETS IT.

Oh do you have time
to linger
for just a little while
out of your busy

and very important day
for the goldfinches
that have gathered
in a field of thistles

for a musical battle,
to see who can sing
the highest note,
or the lowest,

or the most expressive of mirth,
or the most tender?
Their strong, blunt beaks
drink the air

as they strive
melodiously
not for your sake
and not for mine

and not for the sake of winning
but for sheer delight and gratitude –
believe us, they say,
it is a serious thing

just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in the broken world.
I beg of you,

do not walk by
without pausing
to attend to this
rather ridiculous performance.

It could mean something.
It could mean everything.
It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:
You must change your life.

-Mary Oliver, “Invitation”

We are the dreamers.

xo,

Amy