Last summer, I found out that I had Stage 2 Breast Cancer. Finding out I had another type of cancer after beating bi-lateral mesothelioma sixteen years ago was very tough to hear.

I love the message on this heart, “Dream Big.” Always try to follow your dreams.You never know where it will take you.

The holidays are here and a new year is on the horizon. While 2020 will go down in history as a tumultuous year that took a lot from us, it also has given us reason to appreciate what we do have. I am optimistic that at some point in 2021 a sense a normalcy will return. As we prepare to celebrate the holidays we need to pause and be thankful for what we do have.

One of the best gifts I have found is giving something I that I made to someone. To me, there is nothing better than sharing my creativity. Every year for Christmas, I make a calendar of my photos that I’ve taken throughout the year for my family and friends. Also, during the year, I’ll print out photos and gift them to people.

I’ve been dealing with a personal, major health issue the past few months. Before I say what it is, let me say why I am coming out about this. I am a 16 year survivor of bi-lateral mesothelioma. I have inspired a lot of people with my courageous battle by overcoming the odds leading me to finding my passion of creativity through photography.

As I am writing this post, a wild rabbit is in my yard. I was stuck on what to write about and needed some inspiration. As I was watching it hop around and nibble on cauliflower, I realized what I wanted this blog post to be about. It’s about having an avatar. Why have an avatar? Well, here’s a few reasons.

So you want to learn how to become a better photographer. Where do you start? There are many different ways to learn how to take better photos. People learn differently and have different learning methods. Also budgets come into play as well, as a couple of ways may cost money. I am going to list four different ways that you can learn about taking better photos or improve them.

What happens when you place plastic items in front of a polarized light source using a polarizing filter? Photoelasticity! I tried this super cool project out and, wow, it is fun. This is an easy project to do and it will make your creativity shine. Plus, you’ll get really artistic photos that will make everyone wonder “how did you do that!” So let’s get to the nitty gritty.

In my last blog post, I wrote about how you can create amazing abstracts of soap bubbles using oil, water and a tiny bit of dish soap. For this blog post, I am going to get even more creative and tell you how to create magical out-of-this-world soap bubble planets.

The most amazing photos are a combination of simple things. Take oil and water. They couldn’t be more opposite. Washing up dishes with oil on it is a pain. When it comes to photography, it’s an entirely different thing. These two ingredients bring out the qualities of the other. Intrigued? Keep on reading to see how creative you can get by mixing oil and water and just a little bit of dish soap.

I needed a small lightweight tripod to use with my iPhone. Since I have the GorillaPod 5K for my DSLR, I decided to get the GorillaPod 1K with Ballhead Kit. What I like about the GorillaPod is that it can be used in several different scenarios.

I’ve started up a FaceBook group called Karen Grant’s Creators. It’s a creative community where photographers can gather to learn tips of the trade and refine their art form. You are welcome to post photos, get critiques, and ask questions . Even if you’re not an experienced photographer but always wanted to learn how to get the most out of picture taking, this group is for you.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how to keep the photography juices going while at home. One of the tips I mentioned was to find a project online. My local camera store has a FaceBook group and the admins come up with a list of challenges every 2 weeks.

Most of us are under stay at home orders due to the ongoing pandemic. Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, this stay at home order isn’t easy, and we all need to ease out anxiety. Following are three things that I am doing to help with my anxiety.

Every photograph is frozen window of time that moves us, teaches us and inspires us. We all need that now. Every day, I at the first sign of light as a new day arrives, I create around it. What photo will I take today? What will capture me? From the confinement of my home this week, I saw the sun rise, I took photos of my Easter decor, I took an online photography class and I saw a beautiful sunset.

Last week I wrote about three ways to stay creative with your photography while inside. One way I’ve been keeping up with my creativity is by trying out new projects, one of which is abstract photography. It’s a fun project and you can create abstracts from many household items. For this photo, I used colored paper and shot it with my 100mm macro lens.

Times are tough right now as most of us can’t go out. But just because you can’t go out, doesn’t mean you have to stop being creative with photography. Here’s my three ways to stay creative while being inside. Find a project online. There are numerous groups online that offer different themes for you to shoot such as macro, abstract and food. Some last a day others for a week. Having a goal makes it easier to keep being creative.

In service of one of my course beliefs for life, which is “when you create, you feel alive” here are 5 recommendations that I cannot help but offer this week in the midst of this chaos. 1. Watch the news, but not be the news- (don’t watch it very much.) 2. You know that creative hobby you like, do it! For me it’s photography. Check out mine on this site!

A few weeks ago, I blogged about puzzling. I was working on one and learned a few things about puzzling and life. Being my first puzzle, I was challenged at times with its different shades of pink, read, and blue colors, but in the end this was an enjoyable puzzle to build. I am delighted to say that I finished the puzzle and had it framed. It is beautiful. I am already looking for my next puzzle.

My husband and I took a vacation to see Niagara Falls from the Canadian side. Our hotel room had a fantastic view of the Falls. One morning as we were getting ready to head out for the day, I was looking out the window and I was amazed at what I saw- the mist from Horseshoe Falls rising like a hot air ballon engulfing the sun.

Years ago before I had cancer, I was living in a different world than I am now. I had a great job working at Apple, I was more independent and I could do anything I wanted to without restrictions. All of that changed in 2004 when I was diagnosed with bi-lateral mesothelioma. A year later, I was cancer free, but left with permanent disabilities. I have severe respiratory issues, cannot lift anything to heavy, I have a trache, I sleep on a ventilator, and I don’t drive.

As you know photography is my gateway to creativity. I love finding new ways to be creative with photography- new lenses, gear, basically anything that keeps me creative. Now I have found a new activity that I am really addicted to… Puzzling.

One evening late last summer, a thunderstorm passed over my house. After the rain had stopped and the skies cleared, I went out to my front yard to look at my flowers and plants. What I saw was a photographic opportunity.

Ever had a month where it seems to just fly by? For me, it’s been this month. I caught a respiratory infection right after Christmas that put me in the hospital for a few days. I recovered from that and then a week later, I flew out to Hollywood, California for 10 days. A few of those days were spent learning as I am part of Rick Tamlyn’s Produce U class. After a few days of reflecting on what I learned and relaxing, I am ready to jump into 2020.

Wow, has this year flown by! Ready or not, 2020 is coming quickly. Before it does, I plan to slow things down a bit and enjoy the holidays with my family and loved ones. Also, I’ll celebrate what I accomplished in 2019- this brand new website, being awarded the Bigger Game Player Award, and doing new creative photography projects are just some of the things I did. And then I’ll make a list of what I want to accomplish in 2020.

Here’s a nifty tip to keep your creative juices flowing- keep a swipe file. What’s a swipe file? It’s a file to keep track of the stuff you swiped from others. See something you read online? Save it and put it in the swipe file. Come across a magazine article? Snap a photo and save it. This is what I do. I use an app and I save ideas, tips and tricks for photography, creativity, etc.

It’s the start of the holiday season. So, for this weeks photo of the week, I picked this photo that I took last week in a holiday theme photo class at my local camera store. I brought in some of my decorations to use for photos. This photo was shot with my new Lensbaby Velvet 56.

Whenever I am taking photos, I try to take the time to see the subject I am photographing so I can get a feel of what I want to capture. What type of story do I want to tell? How do I want the viewer to feel? Why am I drawn to the subject? What important features do I want to emphasize? These are just a handful of questions I ask myself. By doing this, I am using my imagination to fuel my creativity. I don’t look at something and snap away. Instead, I spend time seeing my subject, getting a feel for it, which then fuels my creativity.

As a photographer, I am trying out new creative ways to take photographs, such as freezing things in ice or shooting abstract water drops. What is appealing to one, may not be to another. We all see and feel things differently. I was taking photos of the autumn leaves and decided to mix it up.…

A credo defined: (n) Latin. A declaration of one’s beliefs, motives and intentions. It is a document that a person writes that declares what is important to them. Have you ever thought about writing a credo before? Up until now, I never gave it a thought. Thinking or talking about what I believe and what…

I love the location of my house. It abuts a large area of woods which means that I get a lot of wildlife such as rabbits, lots of chipmunks and squirrels, the occasional deer and turkeys. Since it’s the first week in November, I picked this photo of a turkey showing its plumage one early…

I’ve been asked why I love rabbits. My husband and I have raised four rabbits since we’ve been married. Come to my house and you’ll find rabbit sculptures, vases and decor. One thing I that I’ve learned with rabbits is that they are very creative animals. The things our bunnies did always made me laugh…

We all go through cycles of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with our work. When you feel as though you’ve lost or you are in the midst of losing creative focus, a fast way to recover is to make a gift of what you love for someone special. Even better, teach them or a group of people…

I’m best at creating things when I I have a fresh mind. As creativity is about connection- i.e., sharing and inspiring others, it is also about disconnection- i.e., taking a break to think, practice, and get new ideas worth sharing with others. In today’s world we are bombarded with notifications, social media posts, etc. I…

Last week, I attended Rick Tamlyn’s Produce You: The Event in Silver Bay, New York on Lake George. It was a three day event filled with lots of learning and meeting many inspiring people. What I learned from this event is this: I am bursting with creativity and the wheels are turning to the possibilities…

Six days after having my first major lung surgery, I was sitting up in bed waiting to go for a walk when the phone rang in my room. I wasn’t 100% coherent, because I was on a lot of medications. I answered the phone. “Karen Grant”, the voice said. “Yes, this is Karen.” “Hi, Karen,…

When I started out in photography, my photos stayed on my computer. I did not think that they were good enough to be printed or shared. It wasn’t until I went to my local camera store and showed an employee some pictures I had taken with my new camera. He asked me if I had…

Last week, I wrote about keeping lists to help with your creativity. I am going to expand on that this week with what I call Productive Procrastination. First off, the dictionary defines procrastination as the act or habit of delaying or putting off things. I have a different way of looking at it. What is…

Stuck in a rut? Need a little motivation getting your creativity back? Here’s my solution- Lists. I keep a list of photo projects that I want to do. When I am stuck, I’ll refer to the list and then the creative juices just start flowing. When I complete something, I’ll put a check mark next…

One year ago, Rick Tamlyn outed me in a room full of people interested in his year long ProduceU Program. He looked at me and said, “You have a story to tell.” This freaked me out. I didn’t believe that I did, so I wrote it off. After listening to the rest of the participants…

I was in my garden this past week taking photos of the beautiful flowers. One of the ways I feel fully alive is being surrounded with flowers taking photos. What does “fully alive” mean? It means to me, doing something that makes me happy while being present. What makes you fully alive? Here is my…

What’s the meaning behind my motto? I believe when you find something you love to create it makes you happy. For me, it’s my photography. It’s therapeutic for me. Being creative keeps me busy and has a lot to do with keeping me alive. It gives me a reason to get up and start my…

Most everyone has a smartphone that takes photos. A lot of stunning images have been shot on a smartphone. Want to know how it’s done? I’ve made a top ten list of tips and the gear that I use that will help you become a better smartphone photographer. Sign up to receive my Top Ten…