I’ve been thinking about writing a blog for years, but for some reason something is always holding me back. I always tell myself I’m a horrible creative writer so my posts will be boring, who would read them, right? And despite being a photographer for years I still feel l have so much to learn so writing a technical blog didn’t seem to be the right fit. Then there’s the time issue, as a stay-at-home-mom with no regular nanny or babysitter to watch my two young kids, when do I find the time? After all, I rarely find the time to get to my photography which would be the main purpose of my blog.
I keep setting these goals for myself; start a blog, get out and photograph at least weekly, update my website more regularly, find a theme and direction for my photography, the list goes on and on! Somehow much of this keeps escaping me and is a constant struggle. All of this is a topic for another blog post….But today something seemed to click with one of these goals!
I bought this deck of cards a few months ago, thinking it was just a deck of cards with Chicago scenes on it, but to my delight is was a deck of cards with 52 Adventures in Chicago, by Lynn Gordon.
Yesterday afternoon I saw these cards sitting on my desk and thought, I really need to do something with these. Being a SAHM, sometimes the monotony of the days is just too much, so I thought why not have my daughter draw a card once a week and we’ll go on a weekly adventure to explore our city! After all we did just move back here last fall after 3.5 years in Milwaukee and Avery doesn’t remember anything about her birth city since she was only 7 months old when we moved. And, honestly, many of the 52 adventure cards will be new for me too, despite having lived here for most of my 20’s. So this is exciting for me too!
I thought this would be a fun way to break up the week, explore the city, and maybe force myself to get some great photos in the process. Finding time to get out and photograph when I have two kids with me is quite challenging so I figured if I made it a little adventure for them they might be more inclined to be excited about our day.
At first I didn’t really think of this as something I might use to incorporate my photography but I figured I might as well bring my camera along, sometimes that’s challenge enough with a 4 year old and a 1 year old! After looking through my images and thinking a little more about the cards and a weekly adventure I thought this might be the perfect excuse to push me into blogging! Not only can I get my photography work out there but also put myself out there on a personal level.
I love the idea of starting a conversation between fellow photographers, mothers, and/or other creative individuals struggling to balance their art with their personal family life and/or work life. I also need to thank a close friend and fellow blogger, Christine Organ, who got me thinking about this again. Check out one of her recent blog post on Random Reflectionz speaking to this topic specifically.
So, here’s the first post and first of the “52 Adventures in Chicago”. Dadadada, drum roll….Haunted Histories, Graceland Cemetery.
I have never been to this cemetery and was a bit hesitant that Avery might be scared but she did great and had many challenging questions! Graceland Cemetery is absolutely beautiful. It’s definitely worth your time to walk through here, particularly the northeast end, there are beautiful mausoleums, a peaceful pond with beautiful spring trees in bloom, and simply beautiful tombs throughout the entire cemetery. Laredo Taft’s statue Eternal Silence is worth taking in as well. Below are a few shots from our first adventure. I highly recommend a leisurely walk, or at the very least a drive, through Graceland Cemetery!