This Photographer's Life

Waking Up

When I started this summer project of photographing the kids and writing about it, I had no agenda. I wanted to just take is slow and focus on a few things I knew I loved. As soon as I committed to that practice things started happening, and they started happening pretty quickly. It almost feels like the universe saw these purposeful steps I took to reconnect with myself and the artist inside of me, and then kind of reoriented to make some space for me again.

The first thing that happened was that I genuinely rediscovered how much I love taking photos. I’ve worked as an interior photographer for the past 15-16 years. While I appreciated the opportunity to make a living doing my passion every day, it did turn into a job and took away a little bit of my love for the creative freedom of the medium. Even when the kids were little I would purposefully leave my camera at home because it felt like work. Using an iPhone always seemed good enough, but there was always a tickling in my brain because I knew the images were too flat - if that makes any sense. The space between the objects isn’t the same, and that’s where the magic hides.

I was falling so in love with some of these images so quickly that I dipped my toe back into submitting to photography shows. I used to love doing that and honestly built up a fairly extensive CV, but I’d taken a long break. Starting maybe 3 weeks ago I started submitting again, and the images keep getting accepted. It literally feels otherworldly. I’m now trying to figure out shipping and printing to send work to galleries across the country, and it just feels like such an incredible second chance.

Another thing that happened is that it really dawned on my how obsessed I am with the intangibility and fleetingness of childhood. That’s what I love about these photos, and that specific subject matter is boundless.

I’m not really sure where I am going or what to do with the images, but I keep wanting to look at them in a coffee table book… I have no idea how to get a book published, but what an absolute joy of a thought.

Focusing just for a little bit on a creative act that was outside of my normal routine lit a fire of creativity inside of me. I’ve never remembered feeling more creative. I’m having trouble sleeping I’m so excited.

In another extradorinaiy coincidence, I’m starting a new/different podcast. It’s one that’s been on my mind for ages… like, why did I start a podcast about the stock market when I knew nothing about it? Why didn’t I start one about art or photography?

The answer to that is because the act of painting is life-giving and every-changing. It fills me with a sense of wonder… but talking about the act of painting is boring as hell to me. Nobody wants to talk to me about mixing colors or selling prints… I barely know how to do those things and am constantly flying by the seat of my pants. Truth be told, Quinn mixes a lot of my colors because she has a gift for it. Truly.

Anyway… so I don’t have a podcast about art because I feel like talking about art is boring and stuffy and not something I would be good at; however, creativity is a different story. We actually talk a lot about creativity in The Penny Lane Podcast and how looking at the market in different ways is actually an innately a creative act. I knew creativity was fascinating, but I didn’t know what to do with that information.

When I started taking the photos and this dam of creativity broke inside of me, I reached out to a friend of mine who I thought might understand the idea. He’s actually a movie producer who lives in LA, and I met him through my husband. He even came to our wedding. I explained this idea to him and he agreed to do the podcast with me, which is just unbelievable.

We are calling the podcast “Move Me Brightly: An Exploration for Inspiration,” and we’re hoping to get it launched next month. This is the elevator pitch: (note - we’ve changed the title since this instagram post)

If you are interested in either advertising on the podcast or if you want to suggest a guest, please click here.

 

Below is a series of photographs I took last weekend of my daughter and her cousin finding a snail and building a habitat for it from a fig tree. To quote the classic American Beauty, “There is so much beauty in the world.” I could live inside these photos forever.


A gently reminder about the Heirloom Paintings. Click below.

Let Me Tell Your Story

I love telling stories. It’s really been the connective tissue between all my passions: writing, photography, painting and podcasting. Stories are powerful and unique to every individual, and I’d love the chance to tell yours.

Throughout my career as an artist I’ve had the honor of doing Heirloom Paintings for many clients.

What’s an Heirloom Painting? It’s a painting where you and I work together to create the theme of the paintings and come up with a list of special symbols or words to include in the painting. These are unique to you and your family. These are pieces that can be passed down to children and grandchildren.

This was a piece for designer Brian Patrick Flynn and his husband to celebrate their wedding in Iceland.

This was for a family with four little girls. Details below.

If you’d like to work together to create one of these pieces, please email me at blaynebmacauley@gmail.com and we can schedule an in person or zoom meeting to get started!

 

Blayne Art X Framebridge

I am thrilled to announce that these prints are now available on my website and will be framed through Framebridge. Once click shopping and you could have a fully framed piece ready to hang on your wall delivered straight to your door!

Art prints make wonderful gifts. Whether it's for a housewarming, birthday, or other special occasion, an art print can be a meaningful and lasting gift that your loved ones will cherish for years to come; especially the dinos and owls as baby gifts!


Shop now.

 

She Can Fly: a series

We spent last week in Lake Tahoe, which is a trip I just insisted we take… but I didn’t know why. It was one of those intuitive things. I found an incredibly affordable house on air b&b. It was a 70s ranch perfectly preserved and felt like stepping back in time; complete with a brass fireplace, vintage cookware and a record player (which of course Jimmy loved).

Jimmy had to work during the day, so the kids and I were off to explore. We drove the perimeter of the lake and spent our time hiking and exploring old historic mansions.

I had my camera the entire time, which was new for me since I’d gotten lazy and relied on the iPhone for a long time.

Having the camera forced me to really SEE so many things around me. I took thousands of photos.

The last day during the last few hours of the trip I took these. The images came all at once, and it felt like the universe handed me a perfectly completed series… just put it right in my hand.

One of my favorite quotes about Art is, “When the muse comes, let the muse find you working.”

I’ve been focusing on my art so much recently - in a new way with a different perspective. I’ve been working.

These images might be my favorite body of work I’ve ever produced. So much so that I’ve started submitting to galleries again… which I didn’t really ever expect to say again. I’ve been satisfied with where I am in my art career for years, so taking a step forward and reaching for more is unexpected and honestly exciting.

I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I do, and of course for any inquiries please just email be at blaynebmacauley@gmail.com. I’d love to see them printed HUGE and mounted on acrylic.

Blayne


The Walk by Blayne Macauley

She Goes This Way Alone by Blayne Macauley

She Can Fly by Blayne Macauley

Digging to China by Blayne Macauley

Eyes on the Prize by Blayne Macauley

Keep Going by Blayne Macauley

A Piece Of The Foundation by Blayne Macauley

The Perfect Shell by Blayne Macauley

A Moment of Reflection by Blayne Macauley

Supervision by Blayne Macauley

Kings and Queens by Blayne Macauley

For more of my work, please visit my website.

 

A Return

Happy Memorial Day.

I spent a lot of time taking pictures this weekend, and amazingly I feel more like myself… more like who I was as a child… than I have in a long long time. Watching the children and photographing them is giving me a way to see them in a whole new way. There is so much magic inside of them, and I can feel it coming through in these images.

I’m also in love with the firework images. There’s an idea there for sure.

Blayne