How I'm going to love me more...

• Spend more time laughing with fam and friends
• Dance around in my room like I'm jenny from the block (yeah man!)
• Say 'no' to jobs I'm not passionate about
• Fall asleep to 8tracks music compilations
• Write/sketch in my journal
• Get my doward dog on as soon as I wake up
• Listen to some more Deepak Chopra
• Turning my computer and phone OFF after dinner
• Meditate for half an hour a day and forget about everything
• Soak in some epsom salt baths... mmmm
• Book in all those amazing Living Social massages I've bought
• Generally just tell myself that I'm awesome...

Yeah :)

Lately I've been working on being proud of my work and putting myself out there with my photography. In the past I've tried to keep any recognition or exhibitions hush hush in case I come across as over confident or people don't like what I do. Now I realise this hasn't done me any favours and although it's not ideal to rely on other peoples approval, I just wanted to say how nice it has been to have have received all of the support with my work of late. The positive feedback has really helped me to believe in myself and feel like my work is appreciated which is such a good feeling and has driven me to keep creating, sharing and celebrating my work.

I hope this gives any other secret creatives out there the confidence to share their art. I think creative expression is the most natural and truthful expression of oneself and everyone is worthy of being heard. While no one is perfect and not everyone is going to like what you do, there will ALWAYS be someone who does.

EXCITING UPDATE!!

Just a quick update to tell you I've entered the SOYA Awards Competition and would absolutely love all of the support I can get. They featured one of my photos as the Cover Image today WOOHOO which made me so happy. All you have to do it go to my entry page read the description as it's very important to me :) and if you feel its worthy hit the 'LIKE' button on the main image. If I'm lucky enough to win, I will have the opportunity to be mentored by the incredible Polly Borland and attend Les Rencontres D'Arles in France which would be a mind blowing learning experience! I want to grow as an artist and find my own voice so badly, this would be a dream come true.

p.s. I'd be able to extend my stay and capture so many more stories to tell - I only have a select few images left from my overseas trip as the memory cards were lost in transit on the way home.. I am still so shattered but hopefully the opportunity to go and relive those moments was mean to be.

Fingers, toes, eyes, ears crossed while holding my breath...

Meet Molly P.

She is learning to play the flute and beats grown ups at scrabble. She looooves watching Spics & Specs and her idea of fun is being carried around the house in a big blanket, then being thrown into bed "again" and "again" and "again". She knows how to use an iphone better than me. She also knows how to put a pram together better than me. She loves making musical instruments out of absolutely anything, decorating cookies, reading the same book over and over, making necklaces out of streamers and is a cutie pie inside and out.

I think back to when I was little and miss how intuitive I was. I always knew what I did and didn't like and fell into my creative bubble at every spare second. I'd listen to Tina Arena on my discman, write songs about love (too much Celine Dion in the house), see how many plastic butterfly clips I could fit in my hair at one time, paint/draw on every blank surface, decorate my room with an overload plastic gerbras, make up dance routines which mostly involved two hands on the heart and shimmy down low over and over...

I'm 25 this year and it freaks me out a little bit. When is it too old to enjoy being childish?

I still love painting, dressing up in funny clothes, listening to music, re-arranging my room, making up dance routines and think I will continue to do so for as long as I like (However I promise to ditch the signature dance move.. sigh... might try a body roll as I bite my index finger?)

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. - Dr Seuss

Okay I know there are a lot of facebook status haters but I'll be honest, I like them :) I think it's because I'm fascinated by other peoples thoughts and the fact that someone can be thinking something without you knowing.

And sometimes I like knowing that you've 'had a bad day' and I find it funny that you 'accidentally wore your underwear on inside-out today'. It makes me feel human because the same things might happen to me and if I'm the one having the 'bad day', I can laugh at the person with underwear issues ha.

On a completely different note, the above image is from a photoshoot I took of one of my close friends, I love experimenting with layering and have a soft spot for black & white at the moment. I think it's the fact that there's no colour to distract you so you're more inclined to look closer at what's going on in the image.

“In the end, just three things matter:
How well we have lived.
How well we have loved
How well we have learned to let go”
- Jack Kornfield

Gosh I'm so tired and awake at the same time. My mind does not stop! It must be the only downfall of being creative.

Times like this remind me to slow down and live in the moment. On days when I'm living mindfully I feel so grateful and fulfilled and calm and can get a ton of things done (including sleep). But when I'm constantly thinking about the past and the future and what I want to change, I feel like I'm in one of those dreams where you desperately want to get somewhere but you're running late and can never seem to get to your destination.

I'm getting back into the habit of writing 5 things I'm grateful for each night before bed instead of laying there thinking of the things I don't have and want to achieve in a hurry! If you're reading this blog, you most likely have a computer, a home, enough clothing and the opportunity to meet the many weird and wonderful people on the www so let's take a breath and see that there's so much to be content with already.

Sleep tight!

p.s. I have a photo shoot planned for the weekend and hope the images come out as beautiful as they are in my head.

♥ Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent - Eleanor Roosevelt ♥

Hello! I'm not sure if anyone still reads this but it's so nice to be back ...

For a while I struggled to find a purpose to my photography. I felt like I always wanted more and was never happy with my work and worried if it pleased other people. But I’ve come to realise that not being completely content with my artwork is okay and that there is beauty in imperfection. I can also see that it gives me the curiosity and drive to look further and experiment so that I can become a better artist every day.

I had missed photography so much. For me is about escaping reality and getting lost in imagination where there are no limitations and I felt so out of balance without it. I love being able to capture the beauty of life in infinite ways and telling stories, both real and make-believe and I'm excited to be back in my little bubble again to capture it all.

I took this photo of a beautiful girl at the 2011 Falls Festival. I love creating mystery with my photos and thinking about my subjects, what life they might lead and what is going through their mind at the time. This girl still has me thinking...

I have a lot more to say, plenty of photos and collaborative work to share and would love for you to follow me on the journey of Jenna for Jethro.

Happy days...

what i'm looking forward to about spring:

♥ leaving my embarrassing inverting umbrella at home
♥ spring cleaning (you wish mum!)
♥ the smell of freshly mown grass
♥ strawberries and mangos
♥ being able to wear sunnies at brunch after a big night without looking like a dick
♥ flowers blooming outside my window to cover the blank fence
♥ letting my feet see the sun
♥ good excuse to buy new clothes
♥ eating dinner outside while it's still light
♥ riding my bike
♥ people smiling on the way to work
♥ wearing dresses

(photos taken by me. 1.my sis Simmie 2.spring goodness)

What's your favourite thing about spring?

I took this photo in a train between the beautiful towns along the cinque terre in Italy. The man must have been a local because he stood in the doorway facing the train tracks so eager to get off while the opposite side of the train looked out onto the incredible house filled cliffside and ocean. It's funny how we things seem to lose their beauty when we become accustomed to our surroundings.

I've also just joined pinterest, twitter and am on facebook come follow :)

I have a new website up that my little bro put together for me www.jennaforjethro.com - if anyone needs a website he's a clever thing so just contact me at contact@jennaforjethro.com He manages to talk on the phone, update his facebook and play playstation all at the same time lets say he knows his IT ha!

These are a few snaps from my Europe trip. I just love people watching. It really intrigues me the way people go about their day and how there are so many diverse personalities in the world. They were all in their own little world with their rambling minds and had no idea I was watching them. It really fascinates me how everyone is constantly with their own thoughts and no one else can hear them. I always wonder who is really being themselves and who is changing who they are to fit into what society says is acceptable. I bet if everyone had to speak exactly what their mind was saying for one day we'd see most people in a completely different light. Some people might disappoint us and others might completely blow us away.

I'll stop rambling in a second but it reminds me how facebook can be really judgemental and based on physical appearance. After a quick skim of your photos and status updates, someone can completely make up their mind as to what kind of person you are without even meeting you face to face. I don't really like that so I make an effort to leave judgement until I honestly know my facebook pals. Join the club :)

Here is a peak at a little film I made this weekend. I have some personal projects that I have been planning to work on for women's body image for ages now and it's finally all coming together. I'm very excited! I'd love any feedback if anyone is still following this blog.

One of my favourite views waiting at the train station - Spittal, Austria

After having the most amazing time overseas it feels like I never even left. But then I sit back with my new food crush 'sicilian canolli' and look through more than 10,000 photos and can't help but smile about how lucky I have been. Amsterdam stole my heart with it's beautiful canals & art filled streets and Italy filled my mouth with ridiculously good food. There's too many stories to tell (mostly food related) so I promise to take it slow. For now here's a glimpse of my little European adventure.