Kim Manley Ort on Squidoo

My husband and I were both born in Canada and lived there until we were 30 years old. His job moved us to Wisconsin, then Illinois, and finally Indiana, where we have lived for 16 years. Some day we will go back to Canada to live. It has been interesting being a dual citizen of two countries that are very alike in some ways and very different also. Hmmm, I should write about that.

Thirty years ago (yikes!) I completed a degree in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo (Ontario) and worked in the corporate world for seven years. Once I had my first child and moved to the U.S., I decided that he next phase of my life would be spent raising children and doing volunteer work.

Turning 40 and moving to Indianapolis brought about a sea change for me. I took my first photography class at the Indianapolis Art Center and was hooked! Photography is a spiritual practice for me. It makes me slow down, be present, and appreciate the world right in front of my nose. This passion has not lessened since then.

As my kids grew, I became more interested in environmental issues and decided to go back to school for a Masters degree in Earth Literacy from Saint Mary of the Woods College (Indiana). I loved going back to school and this degree really opened my eyes to how unaware we are of the environmental consequences of our lifestyles. My goal is to combine photography with the knowledge I gained from my degree.

Our oldest daughter, Michelle, was born in Canada and moved with us to Green Bay, Wisconsin six weeks later. She loves languages and is now backpacking around the world.

Our second daughter, Kelly, loves TV, film, and music. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee with good friends and attends concerts, bar tends at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and has a fledgling video editing business.

Our youngest, Jason, is a sophomore at Ball State University. He loves hockey, architecture, and playing pool and poker.

This quote comes from Frederick Franck, writer and sculptor. The type of seeing he is talking about is seeing without judgment or labels, accepting things and life as they are. I want my lens on Frederick Franck to be LOTD (Lens of the Day) because everyone should know about him.

Photography helps me to see. Here are my lenses on photography and seeing.