5 Woman

The prompt from my blogging for Scrapbookers class today was to list your 5 favorite somethings. I decided that I would like to blog today about 5 woman on the net that have inspired and shaped me as a scrapper and photographer. I have not met any one of these ladies in person and in fact I have not had any personal contact with the first 3 of the ladies on my list but somehow their writing, their creativity, their passion has touched my life and helped me to strive further.

1. The first on my list is Ree Drummond the pioneer woman. I first stopped at her blog because someone mentioned that she has some great photo actions. Of course they were right, she does have awesome actions available for FREE. That isn't what kept me coming back. For one her photography is A-MAZ-ING,and her photo editing is even more fabulous. Furthermore, she has some really cool tutorials and suggestions on how to make your photos better. The real reason I go back time and time again is that she cracks me up. I love the way she writes about even the most mundane of things. I love that she can laugh at herself and that she is just so passionate about her life. I often stop by and read about her cooking, or home schooling or just her regualr observations about life. When I grow up I want to be Ree Drummond. Okay maybe not but could I live on a farm and take cool photos just like that.
   
2. The second lady on my list is Rita at coffeetea photography (Coffee shop Free Actions). Even though I rarely use actions I love to stop by and see what she's added. I think what I like the most is the fact that not only does she offer these wonderful actions but she often post the actions deconstructed. I've learned so much by reading through these. It has really helped me to process my photos in different ways to create unique and emotional looking photos.
   
3. Kim Boustany at Kimi Kreations is another inspiring photographer. I love the color rich and subtly textured portraits that she post on her blog. It was particularly her post that started me into the wonderful world of textures.

Now I've saved the best for last! These last two ladies are woman that I have known online for about a year and a half. I have never met them in person. (But if I had the chance I would take it in a heart beat.) They are both amazing artists and truly caring people.

4. One of the two is Heather T from Ooh la la Artsy! Not!. I remember when I first met Heather online. She was just beginning to design her own digital kits. I love Heather's kits and especially her scrapbooking pages. Heather usually posts pages about 3 of her loves; her son, her DH, and the ocean. All her pages are brilliantly designed but the ones I admire the most are her ocean layouts. She combines stunning photography, her own poetry or quotes and soft beautifully blended papers. I adore her work, I have tried to emulate it in the past and failed miserably. Heather also posts tutorials on her blog and she is quick to help out if you have a question

5. Last but not least is Stefani at StefStyle. I first met Stef online at two peas a year and a half ago. She is a toy designer, an illustrator and a rockin digi scrapper. One of the things that I admire about Stef is that she creates everything on her page, from paper to textures. Her style is graphic and clean. When you see her work in the gallery it's hard not to be awed. Her extractions are seamless perfection. Over the time that I've known her I'm not sure how many times I've seen her answer the message board post "How can I extract and image from it's background." (I was one of those eager scrappers at one time too.) She is so generous with her knowledge. The other super interesting thing about Stef is she loves and often collects old things. I've seen gorgeous LO's and photographs of old buildings, post cards, antiques, heritage photos. Her work has definitely influenced my own, especially when it comes to extractions, shadow work, and graphic work.

I don't often think about the ways in which my own work has been influenced and inspired by others. If you have never thought about it I invite you to do so. Not only has it made me appreciate other artists that have touched and guided my art but it has also helped me appreciate my own work. The above is certainly not an exhaustive list of all the wonderful artists that have crossed my path, there are so many people that would be worth mentioning but it just leaves more for me to post another day....