MISTY MORNING MUSE
This. glorious. human.
Waking at sunrise on my first morning at Castello Ceconi , I spent a few confused moments being mesmerized by cool white mist swirling over my bed, naturally assuming it was a ghost. I followed it out my open window which put my head literally in the clouds that were swallowing the mountains. I sat in the moment briefly then raced for my camera, realizing I’d rather be outside.
Throwing on a robe, I set off to explore. Fog may be my favorite mood. Coming across the front of the castle, I found an extra juicy scene, reached for my phone and sent a text that read something like this: “If you’re awake and want to take nekkid pictures in the fog right meow, holla”. Teri Hofford responded “Be right there.” —MY KIND OF FRIEND! To know her is to be in awe of her. And every year that passes, I’m more and more inspired by this legendary trailblazer and the body image mission she is sharing with the world.
As promised, moments later one of the best people on the planet emerged from her tower in her sleep shirt, slipping out of it as she stretched and said in her half-asleep morning voice “I’m ready”.
What followed was one of my favorite inspired creation practices- a 10 minute shoot. No expectations, plan, or pressure. Bonus that it was in the fog. On the grounds of a castle. In the Dolomites. In Italy. With Teri.
Had I been on the burnout path as I typically was in my last chapter, I would have been too exhausted to even notice the fog and I certainly wouldn’t have the bandwidth to shoot for fun. As evidenced by the feedback from my “balanced > burnout” talk this week at GraphiStudio , it’s easy to fall into this pattern void of “la dolce vita”// the sweet life. This year’s mission is to continue to help people find that for a more fulfilled, healthy, happy, and creative life. Next is a burnout recovery creative retreat for photographers, details to come.
It’s ok to forget to create, but be sure to remember. XK
Teri and I will be getting together to put on another workshop here at Graphi’s Ceconi Castle summer 24. There are still some seats left for our Fine Art Approach to Boudoir Photography 3 day event June 18-21st and we would love to have you. Learn more here.