old polaroids & doing what you love

photo by christine a crane (my mom)

i just love going through old polaroids. 

the other day i was searching for photos of my first bmx bike to feature in a CREATIVE SUGAR post and i came across all of these incredible polaroids like this one that my mom snapped ages ago. i was just so blown away by the perspective and that gorgeous view!

photo by christine a crane (my mom)

my mom snapped this one too. i'm sure it's faded with time, but i love how the entire image has a lovely soft pink hue. and that it's all about the flowers.

there's just something so incredibly grounding about going through old photos. it's something i don't do often enough now that so many of our photos are digital. but it really reminds me of being a kid and the things i always loved to do.

this photo was the first photo i ever took. i must have been six, and we'd taken a trip to the milwaukee public museum. i remember thinking that if i took a good shot, then maybe i could be a photographer when i grew up. i was very specific about where everyone had to sit and just adored the fake dessert scene in the background. 

seeing this photo just made me smile. as a kid, it was always my favorite thing to take my art supplies and coloring books outside and lay them out on the rug or a blanket in the backyard. 

it's no wonder that's the way i love to paint right now...

i used to paint at a table, even outside. but now my process is all about spreading out and making a mess on this huge sheet of canvas. it's taken a lot of trial and error with different jobs and careers to finally come back to doing what i love. 

thank you so much for sharing this creative journey with me! 

WHAT DID YOU LOVE TO DO MOST AS A KID?

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ps. this weekend i'll be out in the backyard, taking lots of time to paint and dabble with watercolor sketches like this one in my journal. i'll have lots of new paintings and a sneak peek at the new online art class i'm working on next week too! 

if you're feeling like you'd like to paint together right now...both my HOW TO PAINT A GIRL & HOW TO PAINT AN OWL online art classes are now available on-demand as self-study courses! 

find all of the details & register here. 

enjoy the weekend!