When you cease to fear your solitude, a new creativity awakens in you. Your forgotten or neglected inner wealth begins to reveal itself. You come home to yourself and learn to rest within. Thoughts are our inner senses. Infused with silence and solitude, they bring out the mystery of the inner landscape.
John O’Donohue
I consider myself a landscape photographer because I enjoy moments of solitude whether I’m in nature or not. That inner landscape has been an interest for many years now. I enjoy spending time in nature or the inner landscape and what I’m discovering in those two landscapes.
I’ve discovered the power words have to tell a story from my experience of journaling, reading books and writing and reading blog posts. Words have the ability to touch something within the writer and the reader. I’m seeing words as lovely seeds within each of us that make these stories. And, these stories come to fruition only when they are nurtured to life through our actions of writing them and sharing them. This blog post would not exist unless I write it and post it. Whether it’s content is good or bad is irrelevant. So at this time in my life, I’m comfortable to sit before a blank page in my journal or sit before a blank monitor and ask for words to share. It’s all a creative pursuit. Have a great week!
Morning fog shrouding the dam at Hoover Reservoir in Westerville, Ohio
“A great photograph is a distillation, a reduction of the chaos of our wider experience to a visually satisfying essence where what is excluded is as important as what is included.”David Ward
I have no clue as to why I took this image almost 10 years ago. It’s lost in time. It could have been my creative voice within or my attempt to duplicate an image I’ve seen before or the mystery it evokes or all the above. Today it makes no difference because I see this image taken almost 10 years ago with my eyes of the present moment. And, how it will speak to me in 10 years from now can only be know then.
So, what do I see now after 10 years? This image popped out to me immediately. I find this image to be very minimal as much of what could be seen is hidden within mystery. It has soft visuals line leading me into that mystery. There is someone standing on the dam seemingly lost in their thoughts, gazing into the mystery and yet there is a serene and peaceful feel to all of this. What it evokes is an awareness of how I feel much more comfort in living with mystery than I did 10 years ago. Enough rambling. Now what are your thoughts?
I am a man of solitude who enjoys and relishes the silence I find away from the crowds. Yet, I’m aware the journey through life is not to be traveled alone. There are times in life we will need to walk alone while at other times we will travel with others. Some of those travelers will be family, friends and some will be strangers. Some will share similar visions and dreams. Some will support us in times of need while at other times we will support them. My hope in this time of unrest that is we do not see one another as “other than” and erect walls. For when we’re free from the shackles of our fear of others we will not need to build walls.
“May we believe that as we create relationships with all of creation we are also in the act of creating our world.”
“Each moment is an opportunity to create. We can see this in each sunrise, sunset, flower, rainbow, snowflake, as they are a series of creative moments. We are all gifted to create. We can create new views of and for the world. Why do we waste our creative moments? Is it fear of our creation to be flawed or rejected by others and ourselves? Yet, our art is not intended to be perfection but a chance to offer a gift. And, what about sloth? Sloth is another reason and closely related to fear. Sometimes it is easier to daydream and fantasize in our safe little world than spend the time and effort at creativity. What would the world be like if we all overcame our fears? What would it be to experience such a world?” An excerpt from my journal 1/13/2015
“Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with dry, uninspiring books on algebra, history, etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the ‘creative bug’ is just a wee voice telling you, ‘I’d like my crayons back, please.”
― Hugh MacLeod
Yep, some days are like this. The mind is blank, empty. No creative juices are flowing. What was in there yesterday has been moved out. Where’d it go? I have gone through those times when I needed to fill the empty garage with new tools. Give me more camera equipment, I shouted. Now I will admit a new tool can help stir up creativity but creativity by itself is not going to be found on those same shelves as our tools, it’s in another department. Well, those times in my life when my mind seems empty I have learned a few things that will help refill it.
Taking a walk in nature will fill with my camera will refresh me quickly.
Finding quite time for myself: meditation/prayer.
Journaling. Using a pen and paper to write will help me to slow down, gathering my thoughts.
Giving myself an assignment or maybe have someone give me an assignment.
Shooting with a fellow photographer.
Checking out another photographers portfolio.
Eating chocolate (Okay maybe it doesn’t help in creativity but there’s always time for chocolate.)
I also do some of these things to refill and refresh all aspects of my life. What are some things you do to refill the empty creative garage?
