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practicing the art of an ordinary life

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recent blog posts

  • Little Saturday Delights

    Little Saturday Delights
  • Learning to See | Keeping Hope Alive

    Learning to See | Keeping Hope Alive
  • Spring Is a Happiness

    Spring Is a Happiness
  • Learning to See | The Courage To Be Happy

    Learning to See | The Courage To Be Happy
  • Learning to See | A Still Lifestyle

    Learning to See | A Still Lifestyle

Learning to See | To See With Fresh Eyes

As I sit here putting together this post, my suitcase is still splayed open with the unpacked contents from my trip to Palm Springs earlier this week spilling out all over the floor in my bedroom. So today's post in my photography series from a travel adventure in 2017 seems especially fitting. ... read more

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Learning to See | Permission Granted

Another oldie but a goodie. That's what I was thinking to myself as I was putting together today's post in my Learning to See series. This one is from the spring of 2013 when I was still a relative newbie to what I like to call 'capital P' photography. During that time, I was taking classes and ... read more

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The Space to Evolve

A couple of years ago, in a fit of 'clean mode' (as my beloved likes to call these episodes), I traded places with my office and our guest bedroom. You can read the whole story here, but the CliffsNotes version is that it was a highly therapeutic process that created some order (both in my house and ... read more

Filed Under: creativity 4 Comments

Learning to See | Seeing Shadow in a New Light

If you happen to be a long-time follower, you will probably recognize this post. It's the third time I have shared it on my blog. I originally wrote this piece for Focusing on Life in February 2016, and then I shared it again as part of a blog series leading up to my 50th birthday. Fast forward ... read more

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Learning to See | Perception, Reality, and Focusing on Life

When I wrote this post a few years ago, we were at the height of the pandemic. Fear and uncertainty ruled the day. But the simple act of photographing a reflection in my birdbath gave me some much needed perspective. I still wholeheartedly believe that changing our perspective is a powerful tool ... read more

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January Looked Like This

January looked like finding solace in the sky during a stressful week. January looked like cleaning out and making space. January looked like paying attention to the light. January looked like buying grocery store flowers while I wait for spring. January looked like taking a cue from my own playbook ... read more

Filed Under: life Leave a Comment

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My New Photography Class Is Here!

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About Me

Hi There! I’m Kelly. I am a wife, mom, light seeker, homemaker, and storyteller. From an empty nest to an abundant life, all it took was a little time, a lot of faith, and the courage to see my life differently.

You can read more about my story here.

So now, armed with my trusty Canon camera, here is where I share my journey to live an inspired and intentional life.

Welcome to my little corner of the interwebs!

Learning to See Photography Series

December Daily® 2022

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AROUND THE WEB

Regular Contributor to Focusing on Life.

Story Teller for Ali Edwards Design Team

Currently Teaching at Big Picture Classes.

My Portfolio - Kelly Ishmael Photography

Happy Monday! I’m celebrating the first day of S Happy Monday! I’m celebrating the first day of Spring with a vase full of daffodils I gathered from around the yard. We had a hard freeze a couple of nights ago and I was worried that it would damage all the blooms. Thankfully the rest of the blooms outside survived so it’s a basically win-win. I love it when that happens. And it hope these blooms make you as happy as they do me! 💛🌼
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#tv_flowers #ethereal_moods #still_life_nature #dofnature #dof_brilliance #bokeh_bliss #bokeh_and_blur #transfer_visions #tv_flowers #tv_fadingingbeauty #tv_depthoffield #tv_allnature #tv_closeup #jj_justnature #moody_tones #raw_allnature #moodforfloral #moodyflorals #inspirenaturenow #charming_nature_ #ihavethisthingwithflowers #nb_nature_brilliance #kaigarden2023
Living in mid-town Tulsa, there’s a phenomenon t Living in mid-town Tulsa, there’s a phenomenon that happens this time of year…when driving down Peoria, the traffic slows down to a crawl right in front of Woodward Park where drivers are taking in the glorious sight of the daffodils in bloom.

Or maybe that’s just me. 🙈

At any rate, seeing the entire hillside covered in happy, yellow blooms is a beautiful sight to behold. Especially after months of nothing to see but a bare, colorless landscape. And because I live close enough to walk to the park, I brought my camera and my best girl / walking companion along with me one evening this week to try to capture some of the beauty. 

While I was crouched down amongst the blooms, I saw a gal turn into the park and get out of her car to take a few photos. We smiled at each other and she told me she just had to stop to take a few photos of the blooms. It would appear that I’m not the only one who was overjoyed by this sight.

I think it’s fair to say that more than any other time of year, Spring is the season of hope. Or maybe, a little more accurately, the season of restored hope. We endured the cold and barren season and now here is life and joy that we were hoping for, right in our midst.

Spring in a park setting is an obvious place to find beauty, but today in my photography series, I am sharing a story about finding beauty in the most unlikeliest of places and finding a little hope in the process.

You can find all of the posts in my photography series via the link in my profile. As always, thank you for letting share my stories with you.
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#tv_flowers #ethereal_moods #still_life_nature #dofnature #dof_brilliance #bokeh_bliss #bokeh_and_blur #transfer_visions #tv_flowers #tv_fadingingbeauty #tv_depthoffield #tv_allnature #tv_closeup #jj_justnature #moody_tones #raw_allnature #moodforfloral #moodyflorals #inspirenaturenow #charming_nature_ #ihavethisthingwithflowers #nb_nature_brilliance
March is… 🌸 riding the spring weather roller March is…
🌸 riding the spring weather roller coaster
🌸 sleeping with the window cracked and throwing on another quilt
🌸 waking up to the morning songs of the cardinals, robins, and chickadees
🌸 resuming my morning walkabouts
🌸 the joy and delight of new blooms in the garden
🌸 enjoying that one extra hour of light after dinner
🌸 a feeling of lightness from the new season coming right around the corner
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#gatheredstyle #foreverfaffing #loveliest4 #astilllifestyle #floral_faffery #still_life_gallery #tv_stillife #jj_still_life #tv_living #global_ladies #transfer_visions #tv_neatly #tv_flowers #tv_retro #etherealmoods #moody_tones #moodforfloral #moodyflorals #curated_nature #ihavethisthingwithflowers #stylingtheseasons #petalsandprops #floralperfection #thefolkpr0ject #blissfulphotoart #creative_florals
Pretty in pink and currently making me ridiculousl Pretty in pink and currently making me ridiculously happy. 🌸
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#tv_flowers #ethereal_moods #still_life_nature #dofnature #dof_brilliance #bokeh_bliss #bokeh_and_blur #transfer_visions #tv_flowers #tv_fadingingbeauty #tv_depthoffield #tv_allnature #tv_closeup #jj_justnature #moody_tones #raw_allnature #moodforfloral #moodyflorals #inspirenaturenow #charming_nature_ #ihavethisthingwithflowers #nb_nature_brilliance #kaigarden2023
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