THE CHAT with Karen Hutton: Annette Biggers!

Photographer, artist and humanitarian and my friend Annette Biggers is my guest on this fabulous episode.
Annette was my #1 choice for a holiday episode, because I can think of no more inspiring person to share with you as we wrap up one year and envision our next, sparkling new one!

Annette and I met up on a 2-day fairy tale photo shoot at Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga, California and sat down in the Great Hall for our Chat. There could be no better place to talk about the transformational power behind her famed fairy tale photo shoots, the power of prophetic words and how they saved a nation, the role she believes artists play in culture, how she sees her work as prophetic art, her orphanage in Uganda and the importance of believing in yourself.

Every time I talk to Annette I walk away inspired like crazy! This was no exception… except that this time I get to share it with you.
We’d actually been trying to do this episode for MONTHS! Originally, I’d planned on doing The Chat as a Google+ OnAir Hangout series. But once I got a taste of having them on-location it was so awesome, there was no looking back!

Annette was part of my original group of scheduled guests… but every single time we’d try to connect via Hangout to do our episode, there’d be some problem. Computer, connection, internet, you name it – something always glitched and hamstrung our attempts. Looking back, think it was because if we were going to talk about such royally inspiring and uplifting things, THIS Chat just HAD to be done in a castle! Hahaha!! It was entirely worth the wait!

Big, huge mega-thanks to Dave Bell for his help with cameras and audio. We did 3 Chats that day and it took two sets of brains and hands. Dave was – as always – totally awesome!

Annette and I see similar things about photography and art. In my Photographers at Google talk in September, I talked about the importance of it to us personally. I said “Art Lets Us Dream”. Which is so true… and that particular way of saying it was something I got from Annette. There is all kinds of art in the world… she and I both agree that we have an opportunity and responsibility to create work that helps see and experience something that will elevate.

She makes the statement “Artists are the creators of life in culture.” That’s bold! But that was how it was in the Renaissance… people looked to artists for how to think about and imagine their world. I think we’re in a new kind of renaissance now. And I think photographers, art and artists are holding a unique position. We have an opportunity to elevate others with our work; present a higher view of things. Annette calls it “prophetic art”… which is what she sees as the deeper meaning and truth in her fairy tale photography shoots.

I hope you enjoy this episode of The Chat – and feel as uplifted as I did creating it!