{"id":21248,"date":"2026-02-20T14:47:58","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T19:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maundymitchell.com\/?p=21248"},"modified":"2026-04-01T06:55:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T10:55:49","slug":"six-things-to-prove-im-still-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maundymitchell.com\/photography\/six-things-to-prove-im-still-alive\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Things to Prove I’m Still Alive!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u2022The Photography Studio \/ From Photographer to Writer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To prepare my studio for the sale, I emptied it in early January. I didn\u2019t sell everything, though. Photography has been a part of my life since I was nine years old. It always will be, so I kept enough equipment to do some personal projects. Shortly after I emptied the place, I learned that the closing would be delayed. There\u2019s still no new closing date. Meanwhile, I\u2019m settling into the structure of my new writing life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most mornings after breakfast I write from about 8:00 \u2013 11:00 a.m. My bird, Pickles McGee, watches (and sometimes annoys) me. I take a break, walk the dogs, and sometimes return to writing in the afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"A<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been working on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022My memoir \u2013 Currently, it has 21 chapters and a title! It now spans only ten years, from age six to sixteen. It\u2019s a story about resilience, family ties, the quest for self-value, redemption, and love. It\u2019s about how you can decide your place in the world, despite what you are told (or not told).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022A new essay, now in its second draft stage. It\u2019s about how letting go of limitations can expand your life in ways you never imagined, as illustrated by my discovering poetry, and my meeting, mentorship, and 22-year-long friendship with Donald Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Maundy<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u2022A New Bird Painting<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For better natural light, I moved my painting studio from our basement to David\u2019s room while he\u2019s in college. I\u2019m currently working on a new bird painting, a wren. I\u2019ve been told I\u2019m a fast painter, but not this one. I\u2019ve had it on the back burner for a few weeks. Here\u2019s an early layer\u2014a kind of first draft. Its shape might be a bit wonky, but I\u2019ll fix that before I get into the details.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"A<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u2022Ice Lanterns<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the cold months drag on, I become less a fan of winter. But one thing has helped: ice lanterns! For Christmas a couple of years ago, my husband, Matt, gave me an ice lantern maker. It\u2019s really just a ridged pail with a lid. You fill it with water, set it on the porch overnight and the next day you flip it upside down. A votive candle in one of these might last all night. Here\u2019s what they look like along the path to my garden shed.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Maundy<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u2022My Travel Plans<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m going to see David in Dublin next month. He\u2019s studying at University College Dublin and just signed a lease for his first flat. You know I\u2019m going to peek in his cupboards to make sure they\u2019re full!<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Maundy<\/figure><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2022The Photography Studio \/ From Photographer to Writer To prepare my studio for the sale, I emptied it in early January. I didn\u2019t sell everything, though. Photography has been a part of my life since I was nine years old. It always will be, so I kept enough equipment to do some personal projects. Shortly<\/p>\n

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