Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 10:05 AM
We're hoping on a jet plane in about an hour to catch our flight to the Big Apple. Excited for our shoot while we are there and to support our buddy Nick Onken at his Photo Trekking book release party and hang out with some of our good friends in the area. But more than anything I'm pumped to try all of these wonderful places that so many of your recommended! Thank you! 

We have most of Thursday reserved to explore, eat yummy treats and take photos for ourselves. I have a feeling we picked the right district to stay in, I've been doing a little research of what is right around our hotel in the meat packing district and came across this fantastically designed site: www.meatpacking-district.com -it's totally brilliant. Had to share. Not sure who did the design, but I want to hang out with them and buy them ice cream... because that is what I do when I love you. I buy you ice cream. :) 

I promise to take lots of photos and blog throughout the trip. I really enjoyed all of your thoughts on the last post on Inspiration Frequency. All of it reminds me of one of my all time favorite quotes by photographer extraordinaire, Tim Walker, "I don't believe in originality. You take inspiration from whatever moves you and you find your voice in those things." I give a big fat AMEN to that!


Thoughts
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Chris says: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 07:54 AM

I am a HUGE fan of your work and would love to help/assist while you guys are in NY if you'll let me! Hope to hear from you :) btw, I'm in Brooklyn!

LisaK says: Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 09:19 PM

I love that quote......you always have the best quotes! Have fun in NYC. I'm sure you'll be in super inspiration frequency heaven! ; )

Amanda H says: Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 01:59 PM

I stood last week where you are staying!! Oh... if the weeks would have collided. Go sit on a relaxing bench at The Highline (park). And... because you LOVE ME, I expect ice cream when you are here in April. :) Have fun!

Kayla says: Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 01:13 PM

We were just there and it was so fun! Your hotel looks awesome...with great views! We stayed at the Paramount in Times Square and loved it. Can't wait to see photos!

Hannah Taylor says: Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 01:12 PM

Safe travels!!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 07:40 AM
I love it when inspiration just flows. You never know where it can come from. A movie, a sign, a photo, a film, music, a person. That's why I never want to close my eyes... not even for a second. You never know what you could miss, I hate missing out. The rush of inspiration can come and go, but I've been thinking a lot about the role and responsibility we have as artists to keep it around. Chris and I have been having a lot of discussion recently about how important it is to operate on a consistently high inspiration/creative frequency. That is the term we have coined for it anyway.... 

Inspiration is defined as a sudden creativity in artistic production. We all operate on a frequency of inspiration as artists. It is the food we eat, the water we drink. Without it we will shrivel and die. But it seems like most artists (myself included) allow the inspiration to come in waves. Sometimes we are on an inspiration high and other times our inspiration frequency is much lower.  And why does wikipedia define inspiration as "sudden" creativity? is there a way that we can make it more constant? I think there is. Which begs the question, "how can we operate on maximum capacity inspiration frequency?" "How can we feed it, nurture it, grow it and maintain it?" 

That answer will be different for everyone. But it is one that I have been asking myself a lot recently as Chris and I have been operating on a high inspiration frequency for the past few months and there is no greater feeling in the world. Living at an intense inspiration frequency allows us to truly be the best we can be. It allows us to dream bigger and dig deeper into who we are as artists. It forces us to step into our fears and produce work on a higher creative level. At this point I'm scared of just operating at a moderate level of inspiration. None of us should settle for that. So now we must all ask ourselves how we can best live on a higher frequency of inspiration. Perhaps something must change in your life. Certain habits must go and we must invite others in? For me, I know taking time to look "within" rather than look outside does wonders for my "frequency," --among many other things. What is it for you?

This is part uno of this rock lifestyle shoot that we had last week. More to come.

Makeup/Hair: Tiffany Lowry
Location: Cafe Venus 



Thoughts
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Becka @Studio222 Photography says: Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 01:34 PM

Love this Sarah and Chris. Nate and I have been talking a lot about the same thing recently. Do you keep a file on your computer where you throw inspiring bits? I have one on my desktop. :)

Hannah Taylor says: Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 01:11 PM

I was wondering though how much knowing yourself plays into what inspires you and motivates you to create your own art and interpret life in the way only you can see it. I agree with James in his comment about needing a little of both. I think the things that catch our eye and inspire us are as unique to us as our personalities and who we are.

leah a. says: Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 10:53 AM

I was so busy looking at the amazing photos, I almost missed the text! Very interesting and so true.

John Heil says: Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 10:39 AM

love this post! you somehow have this way perfectly nailing what we're all thinking and feeling.

Dominoe Imus says: Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 08:21 AM

I love the hotness rockstar look. Just awesome. Tho, these guys look a lot cleaner and nicer than what I imagine rockstars actually look like drinking in the afternoon. Ha!

James says: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 04:27 PM

It's interesting that you start the post speaking of the necessity to look outward for inspiration (a movie, a sign, a photo, a film, music, a person), while at the end you speak of the profound importance for yourself to look "within" rather than to look outside.

Ebb & Flow. Breathe In & Out. Summer & Autumn & Winter & Spring. Plant & Care & Harvest & Feast. I personally find that there are sessions/seasons of beholding and consuming media which inspires, quiet seasons of reflection, and then the moments of creative realization and craftsmanship/production/action.

Oh, and, great images once again. Good to see these personal projects.

Lesley says: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 02:03 PM

Love the red lipstick, and the concept! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and photos Sarah, I appreciate it!

Sid says: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 01:11 PM

Once again, AWESOME photos! Love em!

Josh Thomson says: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 10:24 AM

Great thoughts, Sarah! This is something i've been thinking about too. I've been wondering how I can live in a more consistent state of creativity rather than the highs and lows. I think its something where we have to look at where we consistently are inspired from (magazines, architecture, books, movies) and then pull from there on a regular basis all the while being open and aware of everything else around us. It takes alot of work to be consistently creative, but its so worth it. Thanks for sharing.

Hannah Taylor says: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 10:16 AM

very cool!

Spencer says: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 09:57 AM

I LOVE this! Your words on creativity hit deep and should for all the artist reading that! ROCK ON!

Millie says: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 08:58 AM

I love this post. Your words are so true, and I find that my works truly suffers when my inspiration is low. I can feel the tangible difference when I walk away from a shoot, knowing that I was filled with inspiration, compared to when I am not.

Beautiful shoot, beautiful people.

Would you mind me asking what you use for sharpening?? I love the look of it.

eliesa says: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 08:52 AM

This is WAY more like it...that's what I'm TALKIN' about! Hell yeah!

LOVEe

Marissa Rodriguez says: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 08:51 AM

Your writing, creative eye and ability to inspire others is so powerful! You've got the whole package :)

Katie Neal Photo says: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 08:49 AM

Love em! like always! You two rock! P.S. what do you do when you feel like you are bone dry of inspiration? Just so exhausted, overwhelmed, and going through the motions?!

LINDSEYBELLE says: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 08:34 AM

These photographs are stunning. I love the way you captured the rock lifestyle! Inspiration frequency. Awesome!

Julie h says: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 08:21 AM

Your inspirational energy is so contagious and inspiring in itself. I like the idea of feeling the need to looking inward to find it rather than always looking out and away. Can't wait to see round two!

Melina Wallisch says: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 08:08 AM

trust the happenings...when I cease asking for guarentees that my feet will find secure ground for my advancing steps, support appears. Trust in your ability to respond creatively to whatever happens...keep on rockin sarah rhoads!

Monday, March 15, 2010, 09:33 AM
This frame is one shot by Chris. He is a film master. And this shot just stopped me dead in my tracks. This is a scanned neg left over from Fuji FP-3000B from our shoot on Friday. This is Tyler and I think his tattoos are beautiful. Film seemed to capture Tyler best. I cannot wait to share the full shoot with you. 

We're leaving for NYC this week so I'm frantically trying to get things done around the office, push photos out the door and arrange things for our trip. We just booked a room at The Standard for while we'll be in town and it looks pretty sick. I'm stoked about the trip. That city inspires the heck out of me. If any of you New Yorker folks have recommendations on your favorite places to eat/shop/grab coffee etc. hit us up with the rec's we would love them! 

Happy Monday!



Thoughts
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mariola says: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 06:39 AM

I second the Fuerza Bruta recommendation .. is sick! .. and you can just go there and get cheap tickets.

romin says: Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 02:06 PM

eats:
shopsin's @ essex street market for eclectic american.
hyo-dong-gak in midtown (35th b/t 5th and 6th) for amazing korean/chinese noodles -- try their ja-jang-myun and tang-su-yuk. trust me.
carmines in the theatre district for family-style italian.
megu in tribeca for upscale japanese and a big ice-sculpture buddha. :P

theatre:
SEE 'FUERZA BRUTA'. TRUST ME.

if you need a last minute place to crash in williamsburg, my sister and bro-in-law have a pull out if you don't mind a cat sharing :)

francis says: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 11:43 PM

sick tattoo indeed. can't wait to see this set!

my 2 cents for NYC recommendations...

Best Falafels.. Mamoun's Falafel - Greenwich Village.. it's a stroll from Wasington Square Park. tasty stuff!

Coffee, Deli and grocery.. ZABAR's - Upper West Side.. me and my wife ordered some lunch and we walked to Central Park and had a picnic... romantic.

enjoy NYC. safe trip.

sarahrhoads says: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 09:03 PM

@everyone!! Thank you all for your great recs! We're so excited to try some of these places out!

Sally says: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 08:48 AM

When we lived in NYC a couple of years ago, our very favorite places were right in our neighborhood:
Grey Dog's Coffee at 33 Carmine St. (strong coffee, amazing muffins and sandwiches, etc. and long lines:) and Blue Ribbon Bakery (at Bedford & Downing) but we're biased - we lived in the same building as that one... Both are in the West Village. Have a wonderful trip!! :)

Rachel Boekel says: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 07:18 AM

Ohhhh the Standard!!! Lucky! The Chelsea Market is near by, it's worth getting a spicy hot chocolate from the hot chocolate bar there and wandering along The Highline and underneath The Standard - it's one of my NY highlights. Have fun!

Lindsay Buckley says: Monday, March 15, 2010, 10:17 PM

if you want good coffee, NYC is the place to be! these are some of the best coffee spots:
- cafe grumpy
- gimme coffee
- joe the art of coffee
- abraco

Tahiti says: Monday, March 15, 2010, 08:39 PM

The Standard is quite funky/cool, you'll be EXTREMELY inspired there! It's quite the opposite of "standard," but you'll figure that out once you just see their sign!

Best of luck!

Julia says: Monday, March 15, 2010, 05:35 PM

Sarah, you are so right. Film suits him incredibly. I don't know the guy, but I get such a sense of his character and story from this photograph. Incredible.

The best japanese/sushi in the City is at Kodama, on 45th and 8th. Killer. The best burgers and chicken is at Island Burger, on 9th between 51st and 52nd. Mmmm. Enjoy your time in New York! Hopefully the sunshine comes out to play while you're here... :)

mikhail says: Monday, March 15, 2010, 01:23 PM

great shot!

Tiffany Lowry says: Monday, March 15, 2010, 12:26 PM

MEOW!!

jennifer michelson says: Monday, March 15, 2010, 11:03 AM

great image!

and eats:
little giant
lupa
spice market( ginger margaritas awesome!)
taim falafel & smoothie bar( best falafel ever...)

enjoy

Jackie Lovato says: Monday, March 15, 2010, 10:25 AM

inoteca, italian, lower east side, great for wine and cheese...

Jen says: Monday, March 15, 2010, 10:22 AM

That hotel looks awesome! I've heard of it before in this funky hotel book I have!

rose says: Monday, March 15, 2010, 09:56 AM

love this!

Scott Andrew Shoemake says: Monday, March 15, 2010, 09:54 AM

Chris and Sarah, Epic photo. The toning is great. Have fun in NYC, you'll love the Standard. There is a place called "The Red Cat" up the street that is seriously amazing! Some of the best cuisine in NYC (and that is saying *so* much). Again, it was cool meeting/hanging out with you guys in Vegas. Keep it awesome.

gabe says: Monday, March 15, 2010, 09:43 AM

very nice.

Saturday, March 13, 2010, 11:26 AM
A couple of weeks ago we were contracted by one of our commercial clients, Seattle Pacific University to shoot SPU student, Taylor Neal, for their upcoming story on him in ETC magazine. We drove down the street to meet a guy with a banjo and a 1970's Mercedes, who also enjoys cats and Lady Gaga. WIN!

Shooting him was such a treat. We love shooting interesting people. Taylor is a super dynamic and intriguing fellow. He's the kind of guy you want to go sit and grab coffee with and just listen to him talk. I don't think I would ever get bored during a discussion with Taylor. Taylor is a banjo player and a talented one at that. We had a blast with him so I thought I would share a few from our shoot with him last week. 

In other news, today is Saturday and the sun is shining, I feel like I have a million and one errands to run and Chris isn't feeling so great after our run in with Vegas :). I suppose lack of sleep and eating crappy food for a week can begin to take its toll. We will be returning Monday with our regularly scheduled programing after a week off from blogging ... stay tuned and Happy Saturday!

Thoughts
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Vizcara says: Thursday, March 25, 2010, 12:46 AM

How could I miss this one! Way cool.. Any guy that can pick a open back is my cup of tea.. Was this guy "Bluegrasser" or more of a "Bella Fleck" type of guy? I am actually learning to play the banjo myself right now.. "No jokes please" I love this type of gig..

sarahrhoads says: Monday, March 15, 2010, 10:32 AM

@jackie the 35mm 1.4 :) my baby.

Jackie Lovato says: Monday, March 15, 2010, 10:21 AM

with what lens did you shoot the one against the brick wall?

Melina Wallisch says: Sunday, March 14, 2010, 09:37 AM

very quirky and authentic, GREAT

romin says: Saturday, March 13, 2010, 11:27 PM

hey guys - your style on this shoot fits perfectly with this dude. i hope chris feels better soon, my throat has been killing me since i've been back. vegas is def a once a year trip.

i got a couple killer shots of your hubby from the airport on the blog, stop by and say hi :)

Ronnie says: Saturday, March 13, 2010, 12:32 PM

Love your editorial/lifestyle stuff so much! Great inspiration to get me going before I head out on a shoot of my own!

Tim Halberg says: Saturday, March 13, 2010, 11:40 AM

great shots as always!

sorry to hear Chris is sick :-( My throat is all messed up from Vegas... love/hate that place lol

Nicole Mlakar-Livingston says: Saturday, March 13, 2010, 11:38 AM

Sounds like an absolute dream of a project indeed. Love the images and love your work. Happy Saturday to you too!

Heather says: Saturday, March 13, 2010, 11:38 AM

I am super crazy about the black and white shot. So much depth.