The Great Outdoors

Last week, I spent 9 days in the woods of Massachusetts earning Level 1 Mindful Outdoor Guide certification at Kripalu Center For Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, MA <insert many expletives about how beautiful that area is at this time of year!!> . Our classroom was the forest and I was joined by ~50 people that get as excited as I do at things like the sight of a patch of vibrant moss.

I went looking for a framework to better describe what the hell I am doing when I’m outdoors ogling nature in order to better answer questions like “What do you do?”, “What’s your medium?“, “Can you lead me in meditation?”, “Can I join you when you’re building things in the woods sometime?” and other questions of the sort that I typically respond back with a blank stare and “UUUUHHhhhhhhhhhh.”

I looked locally for programs, but found them primarily focused on “the great outdoors.” You know, out where you have to put effort into going. Hiking, backpacking, identifying plants and animals, wilderness rescue. That’s not really my mode of operation - or accessible at this time in my life. I just like to walk in a leisurely fashion, noticing and connecting with whatever shows up (both outwardly and inwardly), and it makes me feel better.

The program was phenomenal - planned and executed to a T - and building blocks for guiding mindfulness outdoors were received, but what I wasn’t expecting was an even more profound connection with nature AND with other humans. That last piece was especially fascinating given much of our time was spent in social silence.

The transition back to Seattle was pretty harsh. Everything was very loud, bright, and busy. The second day home, however, I woke up early, put on several layers of clothing, grabbed a blanket, and sat outside with coffee. The sky was filled with stars (I had no idea this was happening in the big city!). The clouds moved slowly, gently. Planes and satellites blinked past. The lights from Bremerton Harbor twinkled across the Sound - just like the fire had each morning at Kripalu. I breathed in. I breathed out. I felt home again.

The plan is to tiptoe into guiding . If you are interested in ogling nature with me, please reach out and I’ll keep you posted on dates.

Finding my footing back in the city underneath a tree of fiery leaves.

Finding my footing back in the city underneath a tree of fiery leaves.

Our classroom in The Berkshires. Kripalu Center For Yoga &amp; Health, Stockbridge, MA.

Our classroom in The Berkshires. Kripalu Center For Yoga & Health, Stockbridge, MA.

New Twins on the Block

There are certain things that are hard to believe as a first time parent. One of them is that the first year will be a total haze. This family, however, believes it and, so, I have the great honor of capturing their story. The micro moments are what I love about photographing newborns and the dynamic between these two babies was so fun to watch unfold. Can’t wait to stop in again in a few months and see what they are up to.

Newborn_Twins_Heather_Brincko_Photography-3.jpg
Newborn_Twins_Heather_Brincko_Photography-12.jpg
Twins_2019_HPB-1-2.jpg
Newborn_Twins_Heather_Brincko_Photography-7.jpg
Newborn_Twins_Heather_Brincko_Photography-12.jpg
Newborn_Twins_Heather_Brincko_Photography-13.jpg
Twins_2019_HPB-1.jpg
Newborn_Twins_Heather_Brincko_Photography-20.jpg
Heather Brincko
Return to Caverhill Nest

The forest gives the impression that it would gobble up anything and everything overnight, but it’s amazing how slowly change happens. I thought for sure the nest I built near Dale’s Pothole two summers ago would be reduced to compost, but there it was. A beautiful heap on the ground that, as a look at the one photograph I took of it, I wish I’d got down for a closer look. What a wonderfully beautiful mess of layers bridging the two trees! I wonder who is living in the thatched caverns and how much it will settle by the next time I’m able to visit.

2019

2019

2017

2017

Heather Brincko
POP UP SHOP: Art Will Save You @ Gray Sky Gallery

Please come visit me at Gray Sky Gallery April 18th and 19th, from 12pm to 5pm for an ART WILL SAVE YOU pop-up shop of fun hand-printed up-cycled shirts, stickers, and other products designed to spread this message, encourage human connection, and boost community wellness through art-making. 5% of (AWSY) products is donated to community art and mental health programs.

PS. I will also be hosting a (FREE!) community art-making table on location purely for the fun of it! 

gray_sky_gallery_popup.PNG
Spill Of the DAY

There are a lot of spills in our house. So many that I started a series on my instagram feed called #spilloftheday. The images rarely receive many “likes, ” but when people see me in real life, this is the series they talk about. The series they say makes their day.

I wish I could blame the kids for the spill, but a lot come from me. As a often overly self-critical person, I have had to work very hard not to be frustrated with myself over things like spills. Mindfulness and children have taught me to laugh and admire the beauty in a spill instead.

Last night, we looked out the window to admire the sunset and saw this massive spill unfolding.

One could be mad about such a thing (seriously, how did they get all that water out there without anyone noticing!! And the chalk? Not ours. Magically appeared!)

OR

one could notice the colors, contrast, wet vs dry, the kid’s inhibitions in creating/experimenting, the strange conversations and other sounds.

One can laugh. A LOT.

For me, spills are an opportunity to be mindful, to enjoy serendipity, to join in and play/create without expectations. This one was not to be missed. I ran downstairs and grabbed my big girl camera and enjoyed every minute of capturing it.

West Seattle Art Walk - Mitsui Real Estate Group

When I checked out the Mitsui Real Estate Group’s space in January, I was drawn to the reflections from the large green-tinted glass lights. That’s the cue I used to curate images for this show. So, lights, thank you. I might otherwise have been lost in a deep dark hole of years and years of photographs!

I chose encaustic (wax over) images (printed on Torchon paper, which gives a slight watercolor texture) so that the reflections from the lights would be in play. I also tried something brand new - image transfers, which are so fun (and not unlike childbirth!). After a lot of sweat and a few burns, this is what made it up on the walls for the March West Seattle Art Walk.

Come see me on 3/14 for the West Seattle Art Walk at 6021B California Ave SW starting at 5pm!

Oh, added bonus and something to do for those who aren’t into mingling/talking - ART WILL SAVE YOU will be sponsoring a little art-making table to keep your hands busy and hearts happy!

New Mexico Part 1. Earth at its best

How can there be so much depth in such a small radius, in winter? Layers upon layers seemingly still, but shifting . The landscape spoke with a sly chuckle, “can you keep up?!” I screamed back through the silence, "I’m up on my toes and down on my knees, looking!” Not with my voice, but with my shutter. With my hands touching the frosty ground in the shadows and, just steps away, a warm rock in the sunlight.

Rachel
I met her.So long ago I had almost forgotten.Familiar was the feeling,more important thanForgettingShe was familiar.A long-legged bug on the ground.GigglesAnother memory sparked, resurfacing joy shared.ThenNowCold white under metal foot.CrunchingToe…

I met her.

So long ago I had almost forgotten.

Familiar was the feeling,

more important than

Forgetting

She was familiar.

A long-legged bug on the ground.

Giggles

Another memory sparked, resurfacing joy shared.

Then

Now

Cold white under metal foot.

Crunching

Toes curling, holding onto warmth. Fearing the opposite.

Her hands clenched in pockets for the same.

Warmth

A gold crown celebrating aging, almost forgotten.

Until strangers smiles, sparked ours.

And we remembered.

poetryHeather Brincko