Sam

Some shots from a quick 20 minute studio shoot with this glorious person.

I often get this painful longing to live 10,000 lifetimes, and then the insight quickly follows that I actually have access to far more than even that.

Through the ethers it seems at times, downloads of dream and daydream, thoughts and sensations. And through connections with others. I love the lifetime that Sam is living, and that I have a point of connection to her and her expression.

“VICARIOUS. experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person.”

Vicarious is a beautiful thing I believe, when a life is lived in its own fullness and then informed through vicarious living of other kindreds or even those with whom we feel great disparities.

Our ways of being all inform each other and add to the expanse of collective consciousness in ways that are mysterious and often vague, but nonetheless integral to being human. This thought informs me daily, knowing that my smile or my tears may be the strongest line in the script of the day for anyone with whom I cross paths.

I wanna do it well, for you.

Because so many are doing it so well for me.

Sam takes amazing photographs and writes beautiful, thought provoking poetry. You can find her on IG @alchemy.of.awakening

Luna | People's Apothecary

In a little vacant lot, behind an old school on a busy city street, a beautiful medicine garden has been planted, and is now tended to by those willing, and adored by those who take the time to pause.

Luna has been doing both, the tending and the adoring, and she asked me to come and spend some time with her in the garden. It is called The People’s Apothecary.

In our hour together with the plants, she told me some of their names, and some I already knew: nettle, milk thistle, angelica, vervain, cleavers, angelica, mint, mugwort, and others. Names women have been sharing and discussing over collection baskets and digging sticks for generations, and I felt so much love in my heart to be there with her, in that moment of generational cohesion and plant connection.

You can find Luna on IG and FB @greenmoonherbals, or, perhaps, in the garden.

Ciara + Nuala + Olwen

Thank you to Ciara and her beautiful daughters for having me over to capture just a few drops of the magic they brew up daily!

You may be able to tell that one of the girls took a little while to warm up to the idea of having her photo taken by me, but by the time I left I had one of my favourite shots ever of her and her mom together:) That is what I love about relaxed, in home sessions…everyone can take their time to get into the swing of the shoot.

The first images in this session were done with natural light from the windows against a black backdrop, and I often find that using natural light rather than studio lights works a lot better for children. It can be fun to try both and see what works

Trina

From a recent studio shoot with the glorious Trina.

I’ve really missed being in the studio these past few months with the pandemic going on, and now I’m packing away my equipment for the summer as my family and I prepare for mostly outdoor adventures and living. I’ll look forward to setting my studio up again in the fall, and until then back to my beloved natural light.

Thanks Tri for bringing your radiance to my camera and the world!

xo

Kyla

When joy floods in to fill the spaces that grief and challenge have carved out, you get this: pure magic. Humans are so amazing, and this woman is love animated.

Kyla is a survivor, and while the badass scars that life has left on her face do not in anyway define her, they have certainly added to the depth of her beauty. She wears them like a complete pro, and the lightness of being that she brings to her moments outshines anything else. Under pressure some lights become even stronger.

Check out her work at Acupressure Academy, and may your days be filled with healing touch!

“Katrina made me feel safe and beautiful when she took my photos at a time I felt raw and vulnerable.

Since having nose reconstruction surgery from cancer removal I’ve felt insecure about my new nose. Katrina captured all of me in a way that helped me transform how I view myself in this new light. Since working with her I have beautiful photographs I can use for my business and more importantly my self confidence has gone back to what it was before I lost half my old nose. I even enjoy my new nose!

Deeply thankful to who are Katrina 💞”
— Kyla

Alden

I used to babysit this gorgeous human, now 16 years old. One of the privileges of getting older is watching babies turn into men and women, and I did not take this opportunity for granted! Thank you Alden for choosing me to take your photos.

Photos taken for his modelling portfolio.

Temple Arts

Diving into the mystery and magic of sacred archetypes.

Sage, Innocent, Explorer, Ruler, Creator, Caregiver, Magician, Hero, Outlaw, Lover, Jester, Warrior, Dark Queen, and more.

It was such a joy to capture the embodiment of some of these archetypes at a recent Sacred Sexuality Class with Phoenix Amara of Temple Arts for a group creative archetypal photoshoot.

For more information on this amazing workshop and for future dates, follow this link.

blessed be.

Leaf Crowns

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.”

Emily Brontë

After collecting big handfuls of these beautiful leaves, I spent a morning sewing them into crowns for my four favourite Autumn Fairies.

When these four get together, it is a busy place, and no one wanted to sit still for very long. So we got what we got, and then went outside to pick apples, just as children should on an October day.

An Autumn Harvest Dinner and Community Resilience Conversation

I returned to Tree Eater Farm in early October to attend an autumn harvest dinner and community resilience conversation.

The table was set with foods grown and raised on the farm, caught in nearby waters by friends, and grown, raised or hunted by neighbours and friends. To feel, see, and taste the current of story that weaves a meal together is something we often miss in the days of grocery stores and processed foods, and I hope you will find joy in witnessing the parts of this gorgeous narrative that I was able to capture.

It goes without saying that everything was delicious, from the food, to the company, to the conversations, and to the songs.

These words from Magdalene and Peter’s invitation to the feast perhaps capture its essence the best,

“Dear Friends,

We invite you to come gather around the feast table to share the fruits of our autumn harvest and cultivate dialogue together around community resilience.

As the fires of greed and destruction burn up the planet and runaway climate catastrophe becomes the new normal, and as we grapple with the looming threat of ecocide and the deep seated cultural amnesia which has created it, how do we move forward to meet life with open hearts and fresh minds, and to create the resilient community connections which might hold us during crisis and create long lasting grassroots culture?

How do we reconcile having overflowing gardens of abundance while so many starve? Where are the connection points between our settler land tending and desire to support indigenous sovereignty and de-colonize our minds?

How can we transform our relative privilege as land tenders and Islanders into a vehicle for radical transformation? How can we better support each other as neighbours and friends in our food security and activism projects?

These are some of the questions i hope to examine together when i imagine sitting around the feast table with you all. And i imagine lots of laughter and song amidst earnest conversation.

This meal will be a celebration of seeds, water, soil, flowers, pollinators, hard work, friends, and the hopeful little acts and precious small seeds we plant with our hands and hearts everyday to feed a time beyond our own of resilience and relatedness.

In the spirit of community indebtedness and mutual aid, this feast is being created for you with no monetary exchange. My inspiration is to share our harvest bounty, enjoy facilitating some meaningful and important connections, and celebrate the huge labour of love we have put out for yet another year at our farm.

So can you come? We really hope so.

Magdalene and Peter”

Autumn Feast Menu

October 5th, 2019

Appetizer Platter

served on giant wooden boards and garnished with kale, lettuce, and herbs

  • mini frittata with roasted squash, leek, feta, and pork belly

  • cornbread made with our blue corn, eggs, lard, and Jess’s goat’s milk

  • a variety of pickles from Joan and Charred and TreeEater

  • fresh vegetables from Em and Dylan and TreeEater, carrots, tomatoes, kohlrabi, peppers

  • roasted beet, garlic, and zucchini dip with hazelnuts

  • fried goat feta with myer lemon, garlic, cherry tomatoes and thyme

  • pesto

  • comox valley brie

  • roasted garlic

    main course

  • spring salmon in maple syrup, citrus, garlic, and szechuan pepper

  • apple parsnip puree

  • roasted beets, squash and leeks

  • chanterelles in garlic

    dessert platter

  • individual sized galette- apple and plum

  • candied hazel and heart nuts in apple syrup

  • apple/quince tarts

  • grapes, apples, and kiwis

I hope there is inspiration and joy to be found here for you!

xo

Katrina

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Tree Eater Farm and Nursery

https://treeeaternursery.com/

FB @treeeaternursery

IG @treeeaterfarmandfeast

Tree Eater Farm - August, 2019

Some shots of our time on Denman Island with Peter, Magdalene, Raph, and Alba at Tree Eater Farm and Nursery.

In a south facing clearing surrounded by evergreen forest, the farm is a mixed permaculturally-oriented homestead with a beautiful annuals garden, nursery, and a mixed orchard with over 160 varieties of fruits, nuts, and berries.

Being a young homestead, you can feel the energy of ongoing creation and endless projects, while the house and new orchards, a pond and other out-buildings are all under construction.

The kids loved joining Magdalene every morning in feeding the pigs and chickens, and harvesting from the garden and orchards. Fistfuls of mulberries, plums, blackberries, and raspberries, and greens, summer squash, and tomatoes were enjoyed and deeply appreciated. Eating right off the trees and from the soil is medicine.

I don't know what the future of human life on this planet looks like, and I honestly don't even feel certain that there is a future here for us for much longer. Certainly not without dramatic and courageous changes, and a re-orientation of the people in power and the masses towards things that are regenerative and sustainable.

But one thing that I do know for sure is that a healthy future for humans on this planet includes being deeply involved with and connected to our food sources, and the land that feeds our food.

I feel so much joy and hope in the garden.

It is in places like this one, on this farm, created by the dreams and visions of people who value doing-it-yourself, developing local responsibility, and working hard towards ideals of sustainability, that the future looks good. Places where food is raised and grown with awareness and careful tending, and oh my, talking about good, the taste of home-grown pork ribs and freshly picked vegetables!! Knock your socks off and never want to leave kind of good.

When I am harvesting, eating, preserving, and sharing food that is grown with re-generation and sustainability in mind, I can see the future clearly. And it is beautiful.

Because when we live as though the future is now, we do the things that make a bright future possible.

The Future/Now looks like this. And it is beautiful.

Thank you Magdalene and Peter for sharing your home so generously with us!

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Tree Eater Farm and Nursery

https://treeeaternursery.com/

FB @treeeaternursery

IG @treeeaterfarmandfeast

Sara + Hazel.

Beauty and the bamboo :: gorgeous Hazel home from university over the holidays. Photos taken on a brisk walk to the sea in January, with Hazel’s beautiful mom, Sara.

The quote "Youth is wasted on the young" has never rung true for me, and spending time with these wonderful women reminded me why. That quote bugged me when I was in my 20's, and it bugs me now in my 40's. I understand all the intellectual machinations and sentiments behind it, but we can easily leave it behind, and replace it with "Youth, honey, you've got this covered beautifully! While you are doing that, I'm going to make sure I've got this older person thing covered!"

George Bernard Shaw, you had it all wrong, youth suits the young perfectly. The young are inhabiting their youth brilliantly. The task is to make sure that we move on into our aged years so that the privilege of time is not wasted on those who become elders. Thank you Hazel and Sara for being beautiful examples of youth well-lived, and age well grown into.

Sara.

Sara has been a friend and mentor to me since my very early 20's, and it is such a joy to have her back in my life since moving back to this fair town. Can't you just tell her sparkle is contagious!!?? 

I credit her, among many other things, with teaching me the gift of offering tea, and not just offering tea, but exclaiming, as soon as someone crosses the threshold into one's home, "I'll put the kettle on!" 

Somehow that simple difference, between "can I make you some tea?" and "Kettle's on!" feels so warmly and completely embracing. There is no question as to one's welcome, no wondering "does my host have time to make me tea, does my host want tea, will I be an inconvenience if I say yes?" and I always feel immediately at home. (Yes, I have a tendency to overthink things, even a simple question like "do you want tea?" I'm working on that:) 

Oh, and she writes! Check her out at saracassidywriter.com. 

Thank you for being you, and for being so enthusiastically "kettle's on!" I look forward to many more hours over tea, enjoying our joys and fears together. 🌞