But first… our moment(s) of zen. Take a deep breath and enjoy the show!
hci
Happy Anniversary Month to Sunrise Sunset: 52 Weeks of Awe & Gratitude!
MIAMI HERALD – one year ago!
October 26, 2014
Author interview: Kim Weiss on ‘Sunrise Sunset’
Local author’s book pairs inspirational quotes with gorgeous photos.
Sunrise, Sunset: 52 Weeks of Awe & Gratitude. Kim Weiss. Health Communications. $10.95 in paper.
Sunrise, Sunset: 52 Weeks of Awe & Gratitude. Kim Weiss. Health Communications. $10.95 in paper.
By Connie Ogle cogle@MiamiHerald.com
Gratitude is popular these days. Scroll through your Facebook feed, and chances are you’ll see some friend listing things for which they’re grateful (family, friends and chocolate tend to rank high on many lists).
“Gratitude is a hot topic,” says Kim Weiss, director of public relations for local publisher Health Communications, which specializes in self-help titles. “It’s been selling well in self-help for a while. … I think people need little reminders that kind of break them out of their busy day. Unless you’re already involved in some kind of practice that allows you to stop and smell the roses, not everybody does.”
Weiss admits that like most of us, she’s not always in a sunny mood (“I’m not exactly Pollyanna”). But she definitely has something to be grateful for these days: the publication of her book Sunrise Sunset: 52 Weeks of Awe & Gratitude (HCI, $10.95), which she’ll discuss Thursday at Books & Books in Coral Gables.
The book is a collection of her photos of sunrises and sunsets — all shot from her home in Boynton Beach; fortunately she can see east and west from her terrace. Each photo is paired with an inspirational quote.
Weiss first started taking pictures with her iPhone, then graduated to “a real camera,” she says.
Publishing a book with the company where she’s worked for 20 years has been a treat.
“I actually wrote a book that never came about, about relationships and finding love in midlife,” she says. “It just didn’t happen. But my theory is you push over here, and something pops up over there. I’m not a visual artist, and here I am doing this visual book. It’s all funny and ironic to me.”
Weiss has built a following on Facebook; others are starting to post their own sunrise and sunset photos on her page. Seeing the day begin or end isn’t something she takes for granted.
“Even if I’m in a crappy mood — which I am a lot — that moment when I go outside … how could you not be amazed?” she says. “I think, ‘How lucky am I to look at this?’”
Sunrise Sunset takes to the walls of Boynton Civic Center – My first actual photo exhibiton
If I could tell you how excited, frightened and out of my mind I am about displaying my photos at an art exhibition, I’d have to jump out of my skin into some kind of video and just spend an entire minute SCREAMING!! For joy, for wonder, for awe & gratitude. How my little book got me here and where it’s taking me is a ride I never anticipated. I can’t explain it. I can only allow the adventures to keep scooping me up and flinging me into the wonders of the unknown!! As I twitch and tweet all day, I’ll leave you with a couple weeks worth of images and inspirations. I hope you love them. And, I hope you’ll share them and let hear from you – on my Facebook page and here! Wish me luck, sun people!
When nature’s images and wise words are enough…
You know, I really wish my late mother was around because… KIRK DOUGLAS HAS A COPY OF MY BOOK!! (and he told his publicist he thought I was pretty…OMG, can you stand it?) Yes, I’m working on his book here at my day job and this is a very special perk. I may even get to meet him when I’m out in LA promoting my book. What a kick!
This week was remarkable in several ways. I got to photograph a gathering of indigenous South Florida water birds, one of which was a majestic osprey. Seeing one of these sea hawks always feels like a good omen. And, after returning from this impromptu after-work photo session, John and I had a visitation of another osprey perched on the terrace in front of ours. As if that wasn’t magical enough, the moment I stepped onto my terrace the following morning, the same osprey flew from his perch, over my head out into the wild. These are moments of awe that stay with me for a long time.
In the bigger news about my book, we’re going back to press even before the book is actually in the stores because we got another very big order – this one from a grocery store distributor. So now, you can buy your eggs, kale, brownies and MY BOOK. I think they should trot me out in the produce section. I could probably move a lot of veggies while hawking my book.
On the subject of awe, over on Facebook I shared the ways in which feeling and acknowledging awe can have a positive impact on your life. For instance, did you know that studies have shown that experiencing awe can make us more creative? As usual, you can see a selection of my photographs in the slide show at the bottom of this page. If you get creative after looking at them be sure to share your creations over on my Facebook page.
I’m scheduled for a national TV interview in Tampa on Monday so I’m off to get my eyelashes put on tonight. I hope Kirk Douglas is watching when it airs (wink, wink!)
Have an awesome week!
It’s Real!
I’m writing this in Sedona, Arizona where I’m taking a last summer vacation before my book tour revs up and takes off!
Just hours before I left I got to hold a copy, a real, physical bound copy of my book. It felt so surreal to get my hands on a tangible product after all the months of photography, planning and editing. Dreams DO come true and I am so grateful for everyone who has helped give birth to my book baby!
So, while my Florida sunsets are being printed and collated into my book, I’m stalking southwest sunsets and soaking up Sedona’s mystical vibes. It’s tough to be me!
Please, don’t forget to share what you’re thankful for here and on Facebook. I’d love to see your own sunrise and sunset photos there too.
Here are some of the photos I’ve shared on Facebook this week – come and say “hi” if you can.
Have an awesome week!
What a week! My Facebook page now has over 1000 likes! Thank you so much for letting me share my photography and awe with you and if you haven’t already “liked” me over there, there’s a handy button over on the right of this page!
Sadly, this week we lost two stars. Miss Lauren Bacall passed over after a long life and the inimitable Robin Williams lost the battle with his demons. I am grateful for the entertainment, fun and laughter they each brought us.
Over on Facebook this week we celebrated sunrise and sunset in art, sharing work by Monet and Hopper among others. We had a chat about light and some of my lovely fans shared their own photos of sunrise and sunset. See what you’re missing if you don’t connect with me over there too!
I’ll leave you with a small selection of my photographs from the previous week and a reminder that you can get advance tickets to the Women’s Lifestyle Show, Peoria here. And if you’d like to receive my weekly news delivered to your inbox, simply click for regular awe and gratitude —–>
Have an awesome week!
Look Who’s On The Cover!
So excited to see my book on the cover of the new HCI catalog! I’m in great company. And remember, you can pre-order your copy of Sunrise, Sunset: 52 Weeks of Awe & Gratitude here.
Sunrise, Sunset: 52 Weeks of Awe & Gratitide 