Maria Hammon

Ten Questions with Maria Hammon

 

Maria's personal blog: Just Me Again
Maria's Flickr
Maria's Etsy Shop
Maria's art at ImageKind

1. What was the last thing you wished for?

 

Great question for me because I am the eternal dreamer. Sometimes almost Quixotesque-like. I do believe in dreams and the ability we all have to make them come through thanks to the power of prayer, hard work, consistency and determination. My most recent dream is still on the works and I can't reveal it until it comes true!  Ha ha.  I can tell you, however, that it has a lot to do with photography, inspiration and passion.

 

2. Which 80's heart-throb was in posters on your wall?

 

Michael J. Fox. I still feel butterflies in my stomach whenever I watch "Back to the Future"! I know I'm silly.  

 

3. What is your favorite cereal?

 

Oatmeal all the way baby. 

 

4. What were the best gifts you've ever given and received?

 

The best gifts I've ever given, I think, are hand-made albums. I sincerely pour my heart and soul in them. And that's what gift giving is all about!  And as far as what my most favorite gifts ever received, I can tell you I love receiving flowers (and surprisingly enough that doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it totally MAKES MY DAY) and heart-pouring, hand-written, notes. Recently for my 28th birthday, oh I mean 38th birthday (same thing, really) my daughter wrote me a letter inside a book-shaped ornament.  It was the cutest, most sentimental thing she's ever written to me.

5. What are some of your favorite books?

 

Fabulous question!  One of my all time favorites is The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. I've read many of his books, but the Alchemist continues to be my favorite one. I also love reading anything by Isabel Allende, Joanne Harris or Barbara Kingsolver, among several other authors.  My reading material always included artful and creative books. Visual Chronicles, Journal Revolution and Life Artist are among my favorites.

6. What are some of your favorite movies?

 

Frida is one of my all time favorites because I've always admired the real Frida, but also because I loved experiencing the passion and determination with which Salma Hayek brought this movie to life. Other favorite movies include Moulin Rouge, Shakespeare in Love, Sabrina (the version with Harrison Ford) and Titanic.

7. What are some of your favorite CDs?

 

Any and all CDs by Josh Groban!  I'm a wholehearted Grobanite.  I also love to listen to the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals.  I have almost every musical on CD that he's ever produced.

8. What are some of your favorite TV shows?

 

Sadly I don't watch a lot of TV even though I love it. I just don't have a lot of time in the day to watch it.  Whenever I can squeeze some time I like to watch pre-recorded shows of Oprah and Hanna Montana (and I can totally blame my 10 year old for that.) I do try to watch Ugly Betty whenever I can (because I try to watch anything that Salma Hayek ever creates, either in movies or TV.)  And I'm a new fan of pushing daisies thanks to Linda Woods who kept telling me it was so good I had to watch it!  And she was more than right!  

 

9.  Where is your favorite place to vacation?

 

Disneyland! I went there for my honeymoon and have been back almost once a year ever since. My husband recently asked me, just for fun, "if money was no object, where would you want to go for our next family vacation?" You can guess my answer. Disneyland, of course!

10. What are your favorite drinks from Starbucks?

Chai....my morning drink is a grande; two pump Chai with half non-fat milk and half soy.  My afternoon drink is usually a Passion tea.

In her own words~

During the day hours I work as a legal representative of Social Security disability applicants who have been denied their benefits. In my personal time, my passion is photography and art in general. I love documenting the every day life moments through pictures and words.

If I have to describe myself, I can tell you I'm quite the dreamer and a thinker. I am a very visual type of person and perhaps that's why photography has always been in my soul. Over a decade ago, I worked as a journalist for three and a half years in my native Mexico. Perhaps part of my photo-journaling passion was started then. However, ever since I can remember, photography and words have filled my world. My dad used to write poetry and much of his work was inspired by the love he had for his family. I remember endless times as a young child, sitting next to him while he wrote many of his poems. He was, and continues to be even after his passing away, a deep source of inspiration in my life.

Whenever possible I love to scrapbook, read, journal, draw, paint, collect and share quotes, learn new things, listen to good music, talk to friends and spend time in my garden. But above all things, I am a mother and that's why spending time with my daughter is the single, most important thing for me to do. And of course one of the things we both love to do, besides spending hours in Barnes and Noble, is spending time with our three four-legged furry babies, a daschund named Mickey, a Pomeranian named Foxy and Miley, a cute little Yorkie.