Days 1-15 Of my 100 Day Project

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I've been super inspired recently by @alliepal (who took 100 days to paint) and @fridamkahlo (whose work was inspired by her life in chronic pain. )

If you don't know, I have a rare genetic disease called "Ehlers Danlos Syndrome". EDS is "EDS is caused by a defect in the structure, production, or processing of collagen or proteins that interact with collagen. The collagen in connective tissue helps tissues resist deformation." You can learn more about it HERE. 

My job photographing people is the best job I could ask for, and I have been wanting to push myself creatively to bring new perspective to the photographs I take for my amazing clients. I also hope to  bring more awareness to "invisible illnesses".. So, I'm taking on the 100 day (ish.. I'm giving myself some grace for days I may not be able to function well) challenge and am creating work surrounding the theme of my life and daily experience with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. 

 I am going to be using my skill as a Photographer and expanding upon those photos with mixed media and different sewing techniques. I'm excited to share some of the behind-the scenes with you guys (and a bit of the "why" behind the influence of each piece) on my IG story, while sharing a photo of the daily work through instagram posts. 

The first fifteen days of the project have been mentally and artistically challenging in ways I never expected.. but already so rewarding and fun. 

I'd love for you to follow along on this journey !

Building Your Cairn : From the Archives

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From the archives of eat.live.make, originally posted on January 10, 2013

Since I have been a hiker I have been a lover, admirer and builder of cairns. 

The cairns in Arches National Park once helped me find my way back to our trailhead in the deep snow when footprints weren't visible. 

And for a while, this photo hung in our living room above our couch.

Not necessarily because I thought the photo was amazing, but to serve as a remembrance.

To help me remember where I came from, and where I am going. 

I don't know if your aware of this, but the first "cairn"(or then God called it an ebenezer)  was built by the Israelites as a reminder  of where God had brought his people. 

So that when their children, and their children's children asked about the stones, they would be told of the way the Lord brought the 12 tribes of Israel and the Arc of the Covenant  through the cut off waters of the Jordan River . 

Since then, people have built these simple structures of stacked rocks to serve as a guide when traveling or hiking in the wilderness. 

They serve as a way to help the hiker find themselves safely home.

But to me, cairns mean so much more. 

I have walked through several hard seasons of life. 

Many heartaches, many disappointments, many triumphs, and lots of pain and uncertainty. 

And during each season, during each heartache, I am reminded that I need to remember.

Just as the Israelites were told to build an ebenezer to remember where the Lord brought them, I must too remember. 

For my sake, for my husband's sake, for our children's sake and their children's sake. 

That my journey can serve as pillars of remembrance  of God's providence and deliverance. 

In life, I am not able to build structural cairns to remember each deliverance and each journey. 

So I get creative. 

I have prayers I keep. Journals I keep to remember. Paintings and art I have created help me remember. And tattoos help me remember. One of my next tattoos is  going to be a simple cairn. 

So that I can remember, and give testament for the rest of my life to God's faithfulness