At Home: A Fun-A-Day Project Week 4 {Final} Update

Well January came and went! January to me is usually one of those months that lasts forever with so many slow days stuck inside from the cold, snowy weather. Not this January. This January felt more like late March and like March does, it flew by. Over the month I took part in a photo a day project called fun-a-day and while I can't say that I was actually able to get a capture every single day {traveling, sick days blah}, I loved what this project forced me to do - get behind my lens much more often than I usually do this month and think creatively about the objects and areas in my home that are important to me. I chose as my focus for this project to reflect on the book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo because it truly changed my life. {I highly recommend reading it and going through the exercise.} At a high level, she has you hold each object in your home {yes, every single one} and determine if it brings you joy. The result? A ton of bags to go to charity and a huge appreciation for those which you hold on to and what they bring to your life. Here are some of mine.

l2r: A sculpture in front of a fashion sketch by my late grandmother, Liti (short for Abuelita)

A painting by my Liti - I noticed it in the background of a photograph of her with her art students. She dug it out of storage and refinished it for me about a year before she died. I love that it adds a harsh pop of color to our home. And I love that that is evident even here among the greys, whites and leafy greens.

Part of my favorite peaceful kitchen windowsill, my Jade plant, given to me from my late step-mother, Jane

Another piece from my Liti, a framed article about her winning a case for women's rights

My living room as the sun sets

Our "T+T" {Tracy + Thomas} champaign cork art block, given to us from Thomas' step-mother, Stacie

My little birdie on top of my favorite Lizzie Baker Designs piece to date, a green, white and gold marbled jewelry dish

My collection of first cameras - two Minolta film cameras, a Canon Rebel film camera {my first trip to B&H in NY to purchase it}, yes, there's a Polaroid in there, a DIY pinhole camera, and a silly point and shoot. And, I recently found a few rolls of film left unshot. It's time to get on that! 

My Nana's crystal lamp which now has a home in my office

Laura Hopper calligraphy kit to expand my creativity in the new year

Sugar in my late nana's baking container

My sage bathroom

Vegetables in the sunlight

A few holiday cards from my 2015 Fall Family Mini Sessions

A few plant in our living room, shadowed by the intense afternoon light

Fresh lavender from my garden in a terrain vase

Inside a bag of homemade soft pretzels I made

The view from my hallway to my living room, focused on a brush stroked printed bag I just loved from Anthropology

My dream catcher

A stool from my Nana

Photographs from my wedding displayed as a gallery wall in our living room

Agate coasters, a Christmas present from my husband that I just love to look at

A birdie hanging art piece from my husband's aunt and uncle who send us the most amazing care packages full of fun items like this one

Another shot of my favorite afternoon spot

A dried lavender wreath above my desk

Those same homemade soft pretzels sitting to cool on my Nana's baking tray

A close up of a placemat my husband got us for Christmas - I just love the woven texture

A wider shot of my peaceful kitchen window display featuring a gift from one of my closest friends and a jade plant from my late step-mother

A mini gallery wall of yoga photographs from sessions held years back

A wooden rooster in our kitchen from our trip to Bali, Indonesia 

Namaste Saturday at the MFA w/ Sara DiVello - Get the Link to View, Download, Print and Post your Photo!

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Just before a collective om from 100 yogis at the MFA

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Triangle pose from above as reflected in the staircase at the MFA

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Even from three stories high, the view is so expansive that to capture it all, I stitched together three separate photographs to create this composite image

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A few friends gather after the class to pose with the beautiful Chihuly sculpture

On January 9th, I had the unique pleasure of photographing a yoga class at one of the most zen places I have ever visited. That may sound pretty lofty, or even cliche, but I truly have always loved my dates to the MFA and specifically the Shapiro Family Courtyard. My switch from Corporate Marketing to Professional Photography in early 2014 brought me complete flexibility, including crafting my own schedule and sourcing my own inspiration. So while I have lived in Boston for over a decade, I found my annual trips to the MFA become monthly and my inspiration expand at each visit.  As you can imagine, I was thrilled when the MFA contacted me to photograph the first yoga class in their series Namaste Saturday, a monthly rotational yoga class held on the second Saturday of the month, January through June. They have an amazing line up of yoga teachers {Sara DiVello, Daniel Max, Shuli Burke, Ame Wren, Rachel Barringer and Dave Magone} and I am thrilled that I got to work with Sara DiVello, author of Where in the OM am I? for the kick off class. Sara is one of those people who instantly becomes your friend, the kind with the infectious smile and down to earth attitude that, from my perspective, is an absolute joy to photograph. She is a teacher who truly embodies the meaning of yoga; there's no ego, just a heart full of love and a strong class to lift everyone in the room.

The crowd was a mix of MFA members and nonmembers, all ages and experiences with yoga. At most yoga events that I photograph, I have met and usually photographed at least half of the participants. In this crowd of 100, I knew only one. And while I love my hugs and catch up time, I was actually really happy see yoga spread to so many new faces. I overheard participants talking about this being their first class and nonmembers talking about how they hadn't visited in the MFA in a long time. The fact that this event was able to spread yoga and museum appreciation at the same time, well that's pretty amazing if you ask me. And, back to that beautiful space ... the courtyard extends three stories tall with floor to ceiling glass window walls filled with gorgeous distilled light from the cloudy morning. The class was held before the museum opened so the only sounds were the curated music, Sarah's teachings, and the collective breath and movement. The area is bookmarked with two amazing sculptures including the tallest Chihuly glass piece I have ever seen. {Yes, it extends all three stories!} There was an energy in the space that was calm and joyful at the same time.

I highly recommend attending a future class at the MFA, visiting the museum's collections and exhibitions {specifically the Kenneth Paul Block fashion illustrations in charcoal and watercolor}, and grabbing a bite to eat at the New American Cafe or a coffee at the Taste Cafe. You very well might see me there.

For your viewing pleasure, here are a few more previews from the day.

And, please enjoy the full collection of photographs from the first Namaste Saturday at the MFA with Sara DiVello.

From this link you can view nearly 100 images, download them to your smart phone or computer, post to social media, and even order prints from the event with at-cost pricing.

{Link: tracyrodriguezphotography.pass.us/2016-MFA}

At Home: A Fun-A-Day Project Week 3 Update

I can't believe the third week of January has come and gone. This year is certainly off to a quick start! Here is an update on my Fun-A-Day Boston project, a collection of photographs of my home, inspired by the book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. You can read more about my inspiration in my Week 1 update. 

Below are the items I have photographed to date:

l2r: A sculpture in front of a fashion sketch by my late grandmother, Liti (short for Abuelita)

A painting by my Liti - I noticed it in the background of a photograph of her with her art students. She dug it out of storage and refinished it for me about a year before she died. I love that it adds a harsh pop of color to our home. And I love that that is evident even here among the greys, whites and leafy greens.

Part of my favorite peaceful kitchen windowsill, my Jade plant, given to me from my late step-mother, Jane

Another piece from my Liti, a framed article about her winning a case for women's rights

My living room as the sun sets

Our "T+T" {Tracy + Thomas} champaign cork art block, given to us from Thomas' step-mother, Stacie

Call me silly, but I just love this bag from Anthropologie. I have a thing for brush strokes.

My collection of first cameras - two Minolta film cameras, a Canon Rebel film camera {my first trip to B&H in NY to purchase it}, yes, there's a Polaroid in there, a DIY pinhole camera, and a silly point and shoot. And, I recently found a few rolls of film left unshot. It's time to get on that! 

My Nana's crystal lamp which now has a home in my office

Laura Hopper calligraphy kit to expand my creativity in the new year

Sugar in my late nana's baking container

My sage bathroom

Fresh lavender from my garden in a terrain vase

Inside a bag of homemade soft pretzels I made

The view from my hallway to my living room

Photographs from my wedding displayed as a gallery wall in our living room

More dried lavender

Another shot of my favorite afternoon spot

A dried lavender wreath above my desk

Those same homemade soft pretzels sitting to cool on my Nana's baking tray

A wider shot of my peaceful kitchen window display featuring a gift from one of my closest friends and a jade plant from my late step-mother

Stay tuned for my final update!

At home: A Fun-A-Day Project Week 2 Update

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As part of the Fun-A-Day Boston January project, I have been taking photographs of my home and all of the things in it that bring me joy. In my Week 1 update, I wrote about my inspiration for my focus, my home.

As a quick recap, I was incredibly inspired by Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and went through an exercise this year where I held every item in my home in my hands to determine if it brought me joy. It was incredibly rewarding and made my home even more so my sanctuary.

Here are the items I have photographed to date:

l2r: Part of my favorite peaceful kitchen windowsill, my Jade plant, given to me from my late step-mother, Jane

My living room as the sun sets

Our "T+T" {Tracy + Thomas} champaign cork art block, given to us from Thomas' step-mother, Stacie

My Nana's crystal lamp which now has a home in my office

Laura Hopper calligraphy kit to expand my creativity in the new year

Sugar in my late nana's baking container

My sage bathroom

Fresh lavender from my garden in a terrain vase

Inside a bag of homemade soft pretzels I made

The view from my hallway to my living room

Photographs from my wedding displayed as a gallery wall in our living room

Those same homemade soft pretzels sitting to cool on my Nana's baking tray

A dried lavender wreath above my desk

A wider shot of my peaceful kitchen window display featuring a gift from one of my closest friends and a jade plant from my late step-mother

Check back next week for my week three update!