An online journal sharing my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, spirituality and asking deep questions.
One eye of the photographer looks wide open through the viewfinder, the other, the closed looks into his own soul.
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Looking into our souls is the practice of mystics, monastics, poets, and sunflowers but also includes the photographer. I’m off to meet Mark for breakfast! Happy Wednesday!
Before we can be poets, we must practice: imitation is a very good way of investigating the real thing.
Mary Oliver
I don’t know about you but this lifesize sculpture at the Benson Sculpture Garden looks like the real thing. Please checkout the link about the gardens. There are presently 178 sculptures in this garden. I could spend hours there. My assumption is these artists has been practicing for quite some time.
Each of us is an artist of our days; the greater our integrity and awareness, the more original and creative our time will become.
John O’Donohue
It’s taken a few years to see myself as any sort of an artist. That was primarily because I believed in that voice telling me I wasn’t. And yet, I always had those dreams of what could be. So, I can regretful, remorseful for listening to that negative voice or be the artist of my remaining days. I am doing what I can to be the creative I can be. And, I do that one day at a time, learning from each failure. I also believe everyone is an artist of their days! It is through your shares and your blogs that I know some of you are painting, gardening, flying drones, learning new forms of art, traveling and more. Happy Wednesday!
Nature truly is the artist! It does not need to be some majestic view over a vast plain or canyon but it can be the beauty of a ring-necked pheasant scampering along the road. The details, colors and design in those feathers is amazing. As years increase in my life, I see more and more of natures craftsmanship and gifts.
Male Ring-necked Pheasants are flashy birds with red faces and an iridescent green neck with a bold white ring. The male’s very long tail is coppery with thin, black bars. Females are brown with paler scaling on the upper parts; buff or cinnamon underparts with black spotting on the sides; and thin, black bars on their tails. They hang around open fields and weedy roadsides. And, they have this strange gate where their heads bob back and forth when the walk. Such a majestic, colorful gift of nature! Will leave shortly to have lunch with my youngest daughter. Always a wonderful treat! Have a great day!
Behind the facade of image and distraction, each person is an artist in this primal and inescapable sense. Each one of us is doomed and privileged to be an inner artist who carries and shapes a unique world.
John O’Donohue
Baristas are artists. As artists they are a part of the creation of our day because when we walk into a coffee shop, they greet us by name and then provide the drink we want. I consider them an artist because they can make a latte, while carrying on an intelligent conversation with us at the same time. They are artists because of their craft and skill in creating latte art from the crema of steamed milk: the heart or the rosetta with many leafs. I’ve even found myself not wanting to drink my latte and mess up their creation. And as we get to know each other, we get to see that inner beauty in each one of them, the person they are becoming and gift they are to the world. Go ahead, try and tell me that Keera’s smile is not a work of art.
“Really all we have to offer the world is the gift of our individuality. We can never be just like any other person. Our journey through life is an extremely personal contribution to the work of being human.”
Jane Reichhold
It’s Christmas Eve. Weather app suggested snow overnight but we awoke to overcast skies and a cold north wind but no snow. After my quiet-time I made my way to Mugs in Old Town for some journaling and a mocha. Met a young woman who is an artist and storyteller. I truly do like her work and the idea of storytelling. Her website is called Twelve Little Tales. Faye you may want to checkout some of her watercolors.
What struck me about her was the passion she had for her art, and storytelling, and her energy to offer her gifts to the world. She epitomizes what Jane Reichhold says in her quote. She illustrates the individuality we are all given, our passion, that spark to create and give to this world. I found it exciting! When we choose to not be like other people and are able to let go of the voices of society attempting to tell us what and who are, let go of our self-doubts and fears, we find the gift of our individuality. Thank you Marna for sharing your gifts!
The above image was taken in 2009 while I was living briefly in Columbus, Ohio. I was blessed to live near a wonderful area that was a part of the Metro Parks in Columbus called Blendon Woods. Hoping you all have a wonderful Christmas with family!!! 🌲 🎅 Not sure about you but it’s now time to binge on food.
Wanted to share this morning’s sunrise in a cloudless sky above Dixon Reservoir with you. Meadowlarks joined with chickadees, robins and magpies in singing of this morning’s beauty. Geese and ducks made small waves across the waters surface and joining in the chorus with a quack and a honk every once in a while. There were a few more people joining me with their coffee mug in one hand and their smartphone in the other to witness the sunrise. It’s in these moments I believe in a God, a Great Spirit, a Creator, whatever name you choose to give it, who is love, compassion, creativity, inspiration, and in my books, the true artist in every sense. Hope you have a great day! Happy Easter to those who celebrate this season!