I'm Melissa. This is where I write things down and share new things. Sometimes I even post cute pictures of cats...
if you're looking for my portfolio,
it can be found here, or by clicking any of the links across the top of this page.
I just moved back to Ohio after living in the central valley of California for almost three years. People still mention that I'm all grown up and keep asking how being an adult is going, but I really don't know what they're referring to.
I'm officially a (self-proclaimed) curator -- OF GIFS. GIF CONNOISSEUR. Check it out. My GIF blog even made it to buzzfeed once.
ONE MORE CHECK OFF MY LIFELONG INTERNET TO-DO LIST.
Albums of note UPCOMING/2011/2010/2009
A list of albums from the year that had staying power. Not a top album list, because I haven't heard every album, so that just seems a bit silly to me -- the whole "of the year" thing... although I suppose in my own mind that's what they are...
THE ARCHIVES
Nostalgia
a place where I keep things that are already memories and store things that are currently in my life that will inevitably become memories. Vague enough?
Vestiges of a Life Soon Forgotten
A photographic series devoted to images taken in and around my apartment where I lived for 3 years in college. I moved out for good in December 2009.
Photobooth Sketches
photobooth documentation of sketches i have done and/or found.
Monthly Self Portrait Series
This was a short-lived project that sometimes shows up without warning again on my feed, but definately cannot be considered an "on-going" thing.
My New California Life
What started as an essay series about my experiences living on the left coast turned into a general account of my life here -- through words, photos and other ephemera.
jef etters tips of the day
Jef Etters was a colleague of mine who gave me life tips on a daily basis via a telephone call from a rotary phone. I would then transcribe the tips and post them here for the benefit of all mankind. He didn't know what tumblr was (nor does he now), but he did want to share all his wisdom with the world. enjoy.
PLEASE NOTE: Jef did finally get free long-distance after 7pm EST and will occasionally call to give me tips to transcribe. Be on the look out, it'll change your life.
ScreenCaptureSeries
Funny and or poignant things I feel the need to share with the world via screen capture. This project carries on with the luck that the internet will continue to bring the lulz. I think the odds are in our favor.
Mapped In Two Dimensions: Ander on Flickr by icatchfoxes (melissa olson).
I’ve been hard at work updating my Mapped In Two Dimensions project since I returned to Ohio. This friday, come to Alliance to see the new work. I’d love to see you!
The People I Love Series: 002
Gina on Flickr by icatchfoxes (melissa olson).
This woman is a force. She has taught me so much about being true to myself and what I need in this world. Gina is brave, compassionate and honest. I am so glad that I met her at Chris’s birthday party soon after my return to Ohio late last year.
Gina asked me to take some portraits of her for the one year anniversary of her exodus from a difficult personal situation. She continues to move forward with a force that is gentle but palpable. Gina is a tiny force of nature, but one of the most beautiful that I’ve had the honor of encountering. She is an amazing friend and a lovely model… I cannot wait to continue being completely astonished by her spirit.
Check out the first press of the online mag! Reblog all day!
I’m honored to have been chosen to be a part of my buddy Arthur’s first issue of his new blogzine. Check it out, it’s filled with work from amazing photographers.
Alex & Paul by icatchfoxes on Flickr.
So cool.
It’s always flattering when a friend posts your photograph before you get the chance to do so… Thanks for all your support, Dylan. Thanks for being great models/partners in adventure, Alex & Paul.
Ander on Flickr by icatchfoxes (melissa olson).
Untitled on Flickr by gnargrimeslop (Alex D’Amore).
so many adventures;
spaces between
where we were and where we are.
do we ever realize
the things we become?
Ander on Flickr by icatchfoxes (melissa olson).
I always have great adventures with this one, even just on the drive home we find places to explore.
The Giant Grove on Flickr by icatchfoxes (melissa olson).
My friend Ryan F. took this photo of me when we went hiking at the Giant Grove in Sequoia National Park last autumn. This is one of my all-time favorite places. It smells so fresh and everything is so beautiful. This spot was just east of a huge grove that had suffered a forrest fire a few years before. Things were starting to spring back to life beneath all the charred branches and underbrush. That was the first day in 2012 that I really believed that I needed a year of devastation to become who I had been before; to remember why I have a high baseline for happiness; to be myself again without having to rely on anything else to define me.
I love that I’m out of focus in this photo and that I was literally just dancing around the forrest and loving every single second of it.
The Attic on Flickr by icatchfoxes (melissa olson).
We let each other in, not because it was what we needed, nor because it was what we wanted; but because for once we were able. That was when I realized that this is something more significant; that luck is once again in my favour.
The silence washed over us and we just carried on. The day presented itself heavy but we kept walking until we found a better path. The windows may be sealed, but the cold can still creep in. It’s just nice to be appreciated; it’s nice to be real. It’s nice to be sad and scared and anxious but never guilty. Without the guilt, the sadness passes, the fears are quieted and the anxiety fades.
It’s not a question of fate or luck, but rather something much simpler. We exist, after all, and that’s something to wonder about all on it’s own. I keep finding asymptotes.
Started shooting new photos for my upcoming show of Mapped In Two Dimensions in Alliance Ohio at Jupiter Studios. Thanks @vogliano (at 556 1/4)
(Source: icatchfoxes)
Goodbye, Mojave on Flickr by icatchfoxes (melissa olson)
Self portrait, Mojave Desert, September 2012
Fernando on Flickr by icatchfoxes (melissa olson)
Just… but seriously: this guy.
