The verdict is in ......mother first, photographer/artist second.
Had the blessed pleasure to spend a week down with my sister in Palos Verdes, CA. Gorgeous location, about 20 minutes from Newport Beach. I could have shot morning, noon, and night.....ripping-it and still not have covered everything I wanted to.
Alas, I had a strong reminder that Mommy-hood comes first, with a rowdy 3 year old and a very badly teething almost 1 1/2 year old. Suffice it to say, I was busy! Fun, kid, vacation busy....not so creative, intense, zoned artist busy! For all you mommies out there you know what I am talking about. When I put them to bed for the night I was left feeling "bushwhacked".....yes, that's right ambushed by my 1 and 3 year old. So even when I had the opportunity to go shoot....I choose to watch"So you think you can dance" DVR-style with my sister. Ahhhh.....the life of a not-so-artist.
In spite of all this, thanks to Mimi, I was able to do a couple shoots (not counting the joke of a shoot off my sisters' balcony). What a thrill, doing what I love to do. The ocean was intense and I was mesmerized by the play of rock and water. I will not discuss the pelican debacle....however, the cactus was fun, double-fun, because I enjoyed it all over again in the digital dark room.
So, this month's blog....is oh so boring...again.....I wonder why I blog.......when I do it sooo poorly....maybe, it is some kind of self-inflicting punishment from being raised by a Mom who quoted, King James Version, "The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, who shall know it."
However, this is also the same Mom who inspires me to be a better mother.....trying to give my children the gift of my present self, not the distracted, mildly erratic and intense artist self. I truly do not want to reflect later on my parenting like the super-great Joe McNally did, "There needs to be a course in school about how to be a parent and a photographer......I missed a whole bunch of my kids' growing up.........In my helter-skelter pursuit of the 'big' picture. I ignored too many quieter, close-to-home moments."
But WOW his photography is amazing....................