The Woo with Karen Hutton: Recent Episodes
karenhutton
A tasty blend of inspiration, photography & life in short, bite-sized segments. All drawn from Karen's life as a photographer, artist, speaker, author, educator, actor, equestrienne, dancer, figure skater, voice artist. The Woo. Get inspired!
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In today's episode, we step back in time to 2007 and the notions found in a long-lost an article I wrote entitled: Voice + Language = Transformation. I found it when cleaning out a filing cabinet recently.
It was written when I was still a voice coach for TV & Radio Television Broadcasters, teaching them to not only have a better-sounding voice... but to use it more effectively to easily express the full intent within the words, with resonance and "juice".
Same stuff I do today, only in photography. Imagine that!
I also refer to the Grounding & Focusing techniques I taught to voice clients (which I still use to get my own focus and legs under me) - which I recorded and shared in these Woo episodes:
Mighty Woo of Grounding and Focusing Part 1 (Background & Explanation)
Might Woo of Grounding and Focusing Part 2 (The actual technique)
Enjoy!
LENGTH: 19:15
Hey, even I need a photographic/creative re-boot now and again!
There are lots of ways to get the fires of artistic inspiration heating up again when they wane... but these are my 5 tried 'n true faves.
In this episode, I also share a short list of films I use for particular reasons I explain and promised to list them. They are:
Midnight In Paris
The Hobbit
Avatar
Hugo
Amelie
An American In Paris
The Polar Express
And likewise, some Masters of Painting to check out, along with an eBook you might enjoy.
The artists:
Anthony Van Dyck
Peter Paul Rubens
Pieter Brueghel
Leonardo daVinci
Benozzo Gossoli
Zhengming
Ma Yuan
Tōhaku
Hokusai
J.M.W. Turner
Thomas Cole
And the eBook, which is an oldie but a goldie: Learning Landscape Photography from the Masters of Painting: 188 Lessons on How to See Beauty in the World by Patrick Smith.
LENGTH: 12:19
Limitations are like gold to an artist. Personally, I hate 'em/love 'em because they make me focus, light a fire under my behind - and make me accountable to myself.
They're not always soft 'n fuzzy, but they DO make us better, more focused and committed artists.
I chat about all that in this episode, which I hope inspires you to make a few confounding limitations for yourself! Or better use the ones you've got.
Seems timely. 😉
LENGTH: 16:22
At times like these, slumps can happen. They can even be sloppy. Having many ways back up that slippery slope is key! Having some that contribute to a life-even-MORE-worth-living is even better.
So I offer 5.
Oh - and I promised to name the post-processing apps I mention along the way. They are:
Photoshop Exposure Software The NIK Collection Topaz and Skylum.
Oh my phone: (I use IOS)
Hipstamatic Snapseed Mextures Facetune 2 LensLight Lumyer Diptic Flood Giant Square Pro.
Hope today's episode is food for thought... and better yet... lifts your spirits and your creativity!
LENGTH: 10:55
My mother used to say, with 100% conviction; “There is nothing so important as feeling good”. It was one of her timeless “Bettylou-isms”. Her point: that by making the seemingly light-hearted yet profoundly powerful choice to FEEL GOOD, all things are possible.
That thought and conviction became my muse for this episode. It's sneakily deep. Remarkably well-seasoned. And deliciously scented. Why not spritz some on today? heheh.
LENGTH: 10 min.
Ain’t love grand? It’s more so than you might think.
Art and photography (any creative endeavor, really) gives us the chance to choose. Choose love over “less than”. Focus on what we love - and let ourselves feel it deeply. To know why we love it - and create from that place of power - and love.
It is the power that made this world. And it lies at our fingertips for the choosing.
LENGTH: 8:53
Today I'm issuing an episode that originally played on Photography Radio called "The Gift of Purpose". As we move along, I'll dropping some of those show into our mix here... wherever and whenever it makes sense to do so.
This topic sure does. Purpose. It's something that gives your photography - and life - focus, meaning, shape and form. I think it's a worthy conversation to have... and even revisit.
LENGTH: 24:37
Call this a chapter out of my life. There's so much to say about social media. But I have my own story about it, which I've never really spoken much about before.
It's an experience that taught me HUGELY important lessons about the ephemeral nature of social... has made me grateful for opportunities... and taught me to never plant my garden in anyone else's garden but my own ever again. I'm way smarter now... and it's been a wild ride!
The Google talk I mention in this episode is here: Photography Talks At Google. Topic: “Finding Your Soul's Genius & Voice in Photography”.
LENGTH: 13:09
Awe. It's a powerful topic. It's one we should have ALOT more often than we do. And it's one I scratch the surface on, in today's Woopisode.
It's transformational and we're hard-wired for it. And while I talk about it as it relates to photography in this episode, it's a quality that has a way of affecting EVERYTHING, beginning with our very soul.
LENGTH: 14:16
There are so many parallels between photography and life - that today I decided to talk about 5 of them! And while the list is long, I decided to talk about 5 of them today.
Lens Selection (Wide, Medium, Macro), Soft Fascination, Depth of Field, Composing In-Camera and Charging Your Battery are all concepts that apply to both perfectly!
Thanks for joining me!
I started "The Woo" on a podcast called Photography Radio, which called it a wrap about 20 episodes in. I'm going through those shows now, to see which are still relevant and worth a re-visit. Because, my how times have changed in the mere weeks since then!
This episode fits the bill. Cross Training is something I learned growing up as an athlete. It was all about incorporating training methods from disciplines outside of our primary sport, as a way to become way stronger than merely doing the same discipline over and over. Experience and research showed that you actually got WEAKER if you didn't introduce complementary training practices. Amazing coffee discovery!
It always worked wonders. Still does! It's a concept I use to this day, to become more imaginative, creative, more outside-the-box, simply by drawing from unexpected perspectives. I think it's fun!
As always, if you have questions, suggestions, thoughts... email me here: thewoo@karenhutton.com.
LENGTH: 21:36
I received so many emails and messages after last week's episode (Journeys Of Reinvention). It was amazing. Thank you one and all!
Each one was so thoughtful - which really got me reflecting on all that I'm observing around me in these Covidian times. Where people are struggling, where they're finding new solutions... where they're finding their own voice and empowerment. This episode is a musing, a soft rant - about all that.
LENGTH: 14:25
This episode of The Woo is a little different. It's a bit more personal, since I decided to share a journey, a reinvention. It's my own - which has occurred over the past 4 months. Turns out it's more relevant now than I ever dreamed it would be.
I share and speak it to a) be more transparent and b) in case this inside scoop + reflection might be helpful to my artist brethren out there.
Oh - and here's the link to the video I mention in the first 5 minutes: Explaining The Pandemic to My Past Self
Away we go!
Length: 9:00
Composing in-camera a superpower? You might think so, after you hear the amazing benefits it offers your brain, you as an artist and as a human!
Length: 10:22
Ever notice that when you try too hard, the very thing you're reaching for seems to run screaming from you? It's the same with seeing the shot in photography. Trying too hard gives you tunnel vision. Soft eyes, using your breath, allowing ideas and "the moment" come to you - that's an expansion. And it's the topic on today's show.
LENGTH: 22:28
Recently, I was interviewed by the inimitable Carolyn Edlund for her fabulous website called Artsy Shark. It's dedicated to business & marketing advice, tools and inspiration - all for artists. I've followed Artsy Shark - and her - for quite some time. So I was honored when she asked me if I'd be willing to share some of my perspective in a 3-question interview for her audience.
After our in-depth phone conversation, she chose these three questions:
- What do you mean by the "artist's voice"?
- You believe artists should know their "why" but it goes beyond that in creating a brand that resonates with the audience. What do you mean by that?
- How can artists stay relevant in their work and with their message given the shifting cultural climate?
It felt like these are relevant enough for ALL of us (yes, me too, as I re-invent and re-imagine my future!) that I wanted to dedicate an entire Woopisode to them!
Click to see the interview itself.
Click to visit the ArtsyShark website
Got questions? Comments? Suggestions for future shows? Lemme hear 'em!
Email me: thewoo@karenhutton.com
Length: 10:10
Today's episode is a 2-parter! This is episode 1. Here's the deal:
I wanted to share something quiet and grounding. Something that could help you breathe a little better and find your equilibrium. Even better, a lil' something that can help anytime, not just in troubled ones. That's what these two episodes are all about.
Part 1 explains the context and background for what I share in Part 2, which is a a technique that can help us all ground, focus and breathe a bit better. Ahhhhh. It's a technique that I've used for almost 40 years. It helped give my an acting career, it's calmed horses and riders, it's even saved my life a couple of times. I've used it across multiple disciplines and taught it to hundreds of students and clients. And it's so simple. I've never shared it publicly, but I thought it just might be a good time for it.
Got feedback? Suggestions for a future episode? Let's hear it! Contact me at thewoo@karenhutton.com
Length: 32:28
I wanted to share something quiet and grounding. Something that could help you breathe a little better and find your equilibrium. Even better, a lil' something that can help anytime, not just in troubled ones. That's what these two episodes are all about.
Here in Part 2 of this special 2-part show, I take you through a technique for grounding, focusing and breathing a bit better. Ahhhhh. It's a technique that I've used for almost 40 years - and I still do. It helped give my an acting career, it's calmed and centered horses and riders, it's even saved my life a couple of times. I've used it across multiple disciplines and taught it to hundreds of students and clients. And it's so simple. I've never shared it publicly, but I thought it just might be a good time for it.
Got feedback? Suggestions for a future episode? Let's hear it! Contact me at thewoo@karenhutton.com
Length: 10:12
We hear the term “storytelling” alot. Everything is about the story, the narrative. But what does it really mean, especially when applied to photography? Today, we return to the roots of classical storytelling and how to apply it to our visual art of photography. It's one of my favorite things to do.
Length: 12:00
Whether you’re talking about musical notes on a scale with their various lengths and rests in between, or looking at patterns of light, shadow and the spaces between them; music and photography are like twin stars. Each have a seemingly infinite variety of perceptions, interpretations and possible arrangements and a surprising number of people excel at both. I was asked to share some thoughts on this... which I do in today's Woopisode!
Length: 14:08.
I wanted my FIRST episode to be one that sets a certain tone. Lay out some ideas on creativity and give our new people an idea of what we’re up to around here… and offer a lil’ refresher to those who’ve been in my orbit for awhile. And although this one aired wayyyyy back at the beginning of The Woo in its previous incarnation… it’s kind of a classic - and I think the perfect way to set sail on this new leg of our adventure.
Welcome to the Woo! A show all about that intersection where inspiration, photography and life and form their own little universe. I talk about it with an edge, some humor, ideas that push the envelope, a few that don’t, but above all a spirit of adventure.