LIL Galleries: Shifting Gears

I have an awesome little project called  LIL Galleries. On the website, I describe it as new kind of art gallery; a tasty multimedia blend photographic art, music and story. The name has two meanings. One… “L’il”… refers to the fact that it’s small. Personal. Intimate. Experiencing art the way it was intended; just the two of you.

The other spelling (which is the one I chose to use) is “LIL” and it’s meaning much closer to my heart: “Life is Light”, from both a photographer and a soul perspective. It’s the tagline I’m using more and more of the time in my work. It fits me both as a photographer, because we capture light – and as a person, because I really do feel that life IS light.

Here’s an example of one of the shows, “My Heart” by Alan Shapiro:

We opened LIL Galleries on June 1, 2012 in a converted janitor closet in  The Ford Building in Portland, Oregon – a fantastic place. I’m not kidding about the closet! It was cool, funky and people loved it. Think; mini cinematic theatre experience.  We converted said janitor’s closet into a small personal theatre, complete with deep red velvet curtains, theatre lighting and great audio.

Opening night was a blast. Nicole S. Young made an awesome stop-motion video of both that and next day’s photowalk, which you can watch here. Plus we did a live, Google+ On Air hangout so we could share the event and bring people along who couldn’t be there in person. You can check that out here.

The past year has been great; people found this unique art installation, designed to allow a brand new experience of art – as well as a moment’s respite – all for free in this groovy little space. Feedback has been great; I know now it has a place in the world.

I bring all this up, because LIL Galleries is shifting gears. Our time was up this month at The Ford Building, and we recently closed the doors on our cool, funky physical little home. And now, Phase 2 continues online… with new frontiers being explored. We have lots of data to look at and consider as part of our next move, having had the experience of setting it up for people to see in person. All of it will help us determine what’s next. Hospitals have shown interest; so have certain kinds of art galleries. We shall see what develops – and I can’t wait!

I’ve learned – and confirmed – a couple of life things from this experience: One is to absolutely take ACTION on your dreams. Without action, they have no life. Dreams are meant to manifest and take form – else they just wither away into etheric dust. I say “Thanks, but no thanks” to that!

The second: never be afraid to CHANGE, to try new things and see them through! You never know where your projects and ideas may lead, what confidence you’ll build, what amazing people you’ll meet along the way. Bringing LIL Galleries to this point on the map has been a proving ground for me personally – and I’ve gained a ton of confidence from the experience. And my sense of POSSIBILITY is over-the-moon as a result!

With Phase 1 complete – Phase 2 is like a new world, full of potential outcomes I couldn’t imagine a year ago.

I guess that’s what I wanted to share with you; a sort of pivotal moment in time. Where one chapter ends, another begins. You don’t know exactly what’s going to happen next, but you sure are looking forward to finding out!

The LIL Galleries book of adventure, Chapter 2, begins. 😀