The Modern Ketubah Blog

Erin and Sundi’s beautiful eco-friendly wedding was featured on the Wedding Yentas website this summer. Among the photographs of the beautiful event was this one of the couple holding their ketubah. It’s one of my favorites, ever!

Photography by Mi Belle Photography

Ketubah: The Horizon Ketubah

Read more about their wedding and see a ton of pictures from their beautiful ceremony on the Wedding Yentas site. Or, learn how to make a ketubah that matches your ceremony and personality.

I recently wrote about inspiration on my fine art photography blog, and the comments there got me thinking some more on the subject. “Inspiration” is usually defined as the ideas that initiate the creativity. And I do experience this form of inspiration. But oddly enough, I have learned that it is not really a productive start to creating art.

This regular sort of inspiration comes at me all the time. And if I let it, it can quickly become overwhelming. When I open myself up to inspiration, I get bombarded: ideas, plans, brainstorms come at me from every angle… to the point that I get nothing started. I spent years of my life wanting to be an artist, yet going nowhere because I could never settle on one thing. Drawing? Writing? Sculpting? Animation? I dabbled with it all and never got off the ground.

The word “inspiration” comes from the Latin meaning “the act of breathing in”. And I found that the act of breathing in can often lead to hyperventilation — too much intake with no benefit. I have learned that if I want to accomplish anything, I need to quiet those voices of inspiration. I need to focus, limit myself, and slow my “breathing”. This is why for the past decade, I have created so many pictures of one seemingly limited subject: simple objects from nature. This simple, “limited” subject has allowed me to quiet the flood of ideas that normally pour in. Focusing myself on one creative task, ignoring inspiration, has allowed me to settle down. To stop dreaming about being an artist, and to get to work and actually become one.

Now I have to admit, working this way is not as fun. It’s slow, hard work, often with little progress. You miss this thrill that comes from blindly following a burst of inspiration. But I know from experience that that thrill evaporates quickly, often leaving me stranded. So while ignoring those flushes of passion and just plugging away isn’t as romantic… my god, the results! The results may be slower to come by, but when they do, they are so much deeper and more real.

This is when the real inspiration hits. I’ll be working on a new leaf, plugging away for days or weeks, getting sick and tired of staring at this dried, decayed thing, when suddenly…. I notice some tiny thing. I feel a hit of adrenaline and look closer, barely breathing to not disturb anything. Yes, there it is! The adrenaline changes to excitement, and the excitement generates a flood of ideas. And, by working slow and being patient, I have found the real inspiration I was looking for.

I recently heard this question from a bride:

I want my ketubah to be displayed under the chuppah and have the rabbi read it aloud during the ceremony. But how do I protect the ketubah during the ceremony?

To keep your ketubah safe, you want to frame it as soon as possible. But you need it open and accessible for your signing ceremony. So what do you do? I recommend that you purchase a simple poster frame to temporarily protect your ketubah during your ceremony. This is a simple frame made of a sheet of plexiglas and a backing board that are held together with plastic clips that run down the side. They are inexpensive, available in many different sizes, and available in most art and frame shops.

I recommend that you place the ketubah in the frame before your wedding day — this will keep it flat (especially since most ketubahs get shipped rolled) and safe. It also makes it easy to transport to the place of your wedding. At the beginning of your signing ceremony, simply unclip the plexiglas and place it aside. Once your ketubah has been signed (and mazel tov, by the way) have one of your wedding party reframe it and bring it down to the chuppah. Use an easel at the chuppah to make sure that your ketubah can be seen by everyone, and is easy for your rabbi to grab when it is time for him to read it. The easel and frame also make it easy to display your ketubah during the reception, keeping it flat and safe from fingerprints and accidental champagne spills.

Another benefit of this frame? It makes the ketubah hard to lose! I have had several customers ask me to reprint their ketubah after it got lost during the wedding reception. A large framed piece of art is much harder to misplace than one stored in a shipping tube.

This month I had the honor to be one of the first artist-in-residence at the prestigious Miraval Arizona Resort in Tucson. My art has been displayed at the Resort for a couple of years, and they just launched this program to let their guests get a deeper understanding of the artwork they display. I was honored to be a part of it.

I have always felt that my work has a strong affinity to resorts and spas, especially ones like Miraval that place so much focus on your emotional well-being. To my surprise, Miraval shared an even deeper connection to how I create my art. Everything at Miraval revolves around the idea of being “mindful”. Every class and activity is designed to help you become fully aware, fully present in the moment. And as I worked on my art each morning, I realized that “mindfulness” is also the foundation for my own artistic process.

Each work of art I make, whether I am in the desert or my studio at home, starts with me being mindful of the natural world and my relationship to it. I disconnect the analytical side of my brain, and quiet the chatter in my head. I try to calm the brain’s reflexive need to process and categorize, and just allow myself to absorb what my senses perceive, unfiltered. Even when I am out gathering subjects to photograph, I cannot worry about the past or plan for the future: I have to just be aware of the present, and experience my environment as openly and simply as possible. Only then do the ideas and images come to me. In a way, my art has become my own form of meditation or prayer, helping me be more mindful, more present, more centered.

You can visit my blog to read some more about my experiences at Miraval.

P.S. If I look tired in the video, it’s because I just came in from a 2-hour mountain bike ride in the 95 degree heat!

I just received this note from Betsy and Peter, a wonderful couple with a wonderful story:

We received your beautiful Ketubah and it’s wonderful. Thank you ever so much. Betsy had asked that I write you and provide feedback as to why we chose “non-traditional” artwork for our Ketubah. Maybe it’s because we’re a bit non-traditional (I’m Jewish, Betsy is not). Maybe it’s because of your fabulous uber bokeh-laden macro-photographic masterpieces of nature.

I just love that description of my art! “Fabulous über bokeh-laden macro-photographic masterpieces of nature.” If I was a 60′s rock band, I’d make that the title of my next album.

When Betsy first found your site after we were engaged* a year ago I looked at it and immediatley said, “Perfect”. I looked at the various text options and we both chose the one we did because we felt it said so much about us. That plus choosing one of your many magnificent photographs made it a most wonderful certification of our commitment to one another that we are proud to hang in our home.

You also made a fan of our Rabbi, who was totally blown away and will most likely recommend your site to the many couples who seek him out.

I aslo loved the story of how they got engaged, with its particularly modern twist:

The short story: she and I were best friends in high school but had never dated then lost touch for 39 years. Last year, both divorced, we found one another via Google and the rest is history.

Ah, the romance of the internet! I wish them both all the happiness they can handle and then some.