See that little button over there? The blue one with the pink ribbon? Jenn and Amanda made that for me. They also let me play along when they made these hygge affirmation cards, and then they gave them way for free! That’s the kind of people they are. And that’s why this week the ladies of  Kind Over Matter are not only my Current Crush, but also today’s Favorite Things interviewees!

 When did you start Kind of Matter and what was your inspiration?

Jenn says: Amanda and I started Kind Over Matter February 2009. For me, the inspiration was just wanting to bring a smile to someone’s day, be a spot of brightness for others.

Amanda says:  I guess it was after I made some printable “kind” cards for my etsy shop and I wanted to spread them around, guerilla-style, to make people smile. I know sometimes I run around doing errands totally in my own head and I thought if I found a little reminder to Smile or Be Kind, it would totally snap me out of the hurried haze I was in and put me in the present.  I ended up sending them to Jenn and we talked about making a  flickr group, hoping to get more folks involved. The idea spread into a blog & it totally just blossomed into what it is today—so organic.

Will you tell us a favorite reader reaction?

Jenn says: My favorites are always after we post who won the giveaway — the person who won is always excited and I love it when those who didn’t win offer their congratulations. That’s so nice. 

Amanda says: Oh man, there’s been so many!  Almost daily we get emails or comments from readers saying how much they love Kind Over Matter, thanking us for inspiring them and others; they all really warm my heart.  I actually saved a few of my favorites, I’d love to share one with you all!  This is from a random comment on one of our entries: 

“ I just wanted to let you know how much I love this site. It’s positive, upbeat, happy & truly meaningful….Your page has been a ray of hope & kindness on tough days, & given me encouragement when… I was unsure. ”

How has your Kindness work colored your days or shifted your perspective?

Jenn says: Doing all of this with Kind Over Matter has helped me be kind more freely, it’s opened me up to other people and to try to be a light for them.

Amanda says: I try to be more conscious about going out of my way to be kind.  I try to smile more, be in the now more.  It really is a state of mind and you must be willing to work at it if it doesn’t come naturally.  Working on Kind Over Matter shows me daily that there are so many people on this planet that are doing good, or who want to do good, it’s all really inspiring.

What is the kindest thing that’s happened to you recently? 

Jenn says: The other morning, I was in an elevator coming up from the subway, there were so many of us crammed in there, I bumped into this woman, apologized & she said, “It’s ok, sweetie.”  Everyone was so nice, so polite to each other, making a joke out of the situation instead of letting it put a cramp in their day. When we were all exiting the elevator people said things like “Have a wonderful day” and “I hope you have a blessed day.” You could see that they meant it.  It totally made my day.

Amanda says: I’ve been doing my Christmas shopping online and I just got a package today with what I had ordered. There was also an extra little box inside with a note explaining that the seller wasn’t listing the extra item in her shop anymore, but instead of keeping them all for herself she wanted me to have one. It truly melted my heart.  I love buying handmade!!

Jenn Gibsonlikes to laugh & be silly, take photographs & skygaze. Together with her soul Sister Amanda Oaks, she helps run Kind Over Matter , a blog dedicated to kind acts and projects, inspirational art and Feel Good Nouns. Bits of her personal story can be found at Papers & Prayers, and the beginnings of a collaborative photo project lives at Distance & Directions.   

Amanda Oaks is one half of the Kind Over Matterteam and lives in western Pennsylvania, where she is a mama to her 2 year old son Zenin & another little light soon to make their appearance in the Spring.  She also runs verve bath press a micro-press that publishes handmade chapbooks. She is the author of several of poetry chapbooks including love notes & bloodlines.

Meet Vivienne McMaster, blogger, photographer, passionate soul. I first stumbled upon Vivienne a few years ago when she was embarking upon the 365 Days project with Flickr, which is a year’s worth of self portraits. (How brave is that? Seriously.) After watching her year unfold, I was definitely in love — both with Vivienne’s vivacious spirit, and with her clear, colour-drenched photography.

Now playing with several projects including an on-going self portrait series, arty TTY shots, adorable Holga images, and quirky polariods, Viv is doing the world a service by giving us a  a long cold swallow of beauty on a daily basis.  

Vivienne had to skip Soulsisters in order to take her sweet ten-year-old traveling companion to Folkfest. While I missed having her at the cabin, I feel like we are all the better for having her take in that world through the viewfinder. How she gets such goregous, lively shots in such a crowded, crazy venue is beyond me — but I’m sure glad she does.

We here at Magpie Girl are lucky enough to preview a sample package of Vivienne’s most recent, color saturated shots. I feel like each one holds a myriad of stories. What captures your fancy in these long cool draughts of lovely? (Click on thumbnail to get their full-sized goodness.) 

Vivienne was just robbed and lost her computer, among other treasures. So please support her work by commenting, raving, and purchasing prints. May your world be richer today because you saw it through Vivienne’s lens.  Cheers, Viv!

Artist’s Statement:I’m Vivienne, a portrait and fine art photographer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. My photographic interests are very widespread and I let myself follow the muse to wherever and whatever I’m drawn to photograph. That sometimes makes it hard to pinpoint one specific style or content, but does allow me to be on an endlessly developing and interesting photographic journey.  Read the rest of this entry »

Do you want to be featured as my Current Crush? It comes with link-love all month long, a free ad for your site ($50 value); a guest post or interview….and a little piece of my heart. 

Here’s one way you can win my affections: design a new look for my Current Crush space! (The pink square over there on the right.) It has to coordinate well with my blog colors/style – and I think it should be some sort of picture frame, but I’m open to suggestions. What say you? Wanna flirt? Send me your love letter by June 15th and “lets do it, lets fall in love!”

Play us out Alanis dear…

“When you look at your life closely, you can begin to see the beauty of your journey and how past experiences can guide you today,”
 –Silvia de Vries, True Colours 

I should probably come with a label pasted onto my forehead: 

“Warning, Falls Frequently In Love.”

I just can’t help it, my heart tends towards crush. Which is why I’ve started a new feature at Magpie Girl, my Current Crush. Rather than run a blogroll, I’ve chosen to feature one Crush every month or so. You’ll be able to discover a great artist-writer right there, in the pink square to the right. And before my fickle heart finds someone else to flirt with, my Current Crush will be featured in an interview or guest post.

Somehow the Fates brought me Silvia de Vries, writer, photographer, and keeper of all things beautiful. Silvia and I met in the blogosphere, and as soon as we realized we were in the same time zone, we became fast friends. We chat on line at about once a week, and she always inspires me to a more intentional, more inspired way of living.

Silvia has a special eye and documents the gentle beauty of everyday life through words and images at Flickr and at her blog, True Colours. After a stay in Finland Silvia’s recent journey has brought her home to the Hague. I love how she portrays the light and feel of Scandinavia-a uniquely beautiful landscape with a hard-to-capture soul. (I can’t wait for our rendevous in Amsterdam….and we’re planning an EU Soulsister’s Retreat together!)

Slivia’s been my crush since I started announcing my Current Crush few months ago. Before she goes, she’s been so kind as to share her thoughts on the intersection between photography and writing, and how life abroad has affected her work.

How do you know when you are being compelled to create something? What does it feel like in your body/heart/mind? Read the rest of this entry »