Project 365, 2007: April Retrospective
Monday, April 30, 2007
April Mosaic, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
As this month wore on, I felt I had lost my mojo, my photographic eye, my ability to "speak" through images, my ability to see the world around me in any sort of creative way. Some of the photos from this month are technically fine, and some of them are even interesting, but overall, I do not believe they represent my best work. But as I look at the body of images from the month, I've decided that this is just fine. I gained something else.
As I look at this retrospective, I'm reminded of the very difficult journey of self discovery and evaluation that I'm on. This journey-- to be clear-- wasn't something I set out to take, but the path was before me, and I had little choice but to follow that path. Sound cryptic? It's not really. Part of this journey has been my mother's death, my daughter's growth, my own sense of mortality. I find-- in retrospect-- that I have taken pictures of things that allow me some sort of connection to the world outside myself, and these images help me remember times and places in my own life. I've taken photographs that remind me of family, friends and colleagues. I've taken photographs of strangers caught in moments of their own lives and the beauty and the power of nature.
In this retrospective, I primarily see connections to time, this commodity that is so valuable but that I take for granted. Some of this time depicted in the photos is fleeting (the life of a flower, the kick of a soccer ball). Some of this time is long lasting (a father/daughter hug . . . a father/son playing baseball). Some of this time demonstrates the potential of life (the birth of a baby). Some of this time remembers the end of life (my mother's china). Some of this time in the photos allows for natural destruction and renewal (the aftermath of the tornado or the flash flood waters).
When I saw the tornado and flood damage, I was reminded of the Scripture that states in part, "the rain falls on the just and the unjust." This became a recurring thought. What I've experienced these past months-- the good and the bad-- happens to us all. We all get the rain and we all get the sun. We all have tornadoes in life (literal or metaphorical). We all experience floods of some kind. But the flash flood waters soon subside. The destroyed houses can be rebuilt or we can move. We can spend our time wisely or we can waste it. The point is that we can choose. We can choose to move on.
As hard as it is-- as hard as it's been-- it's all been good. Time changes everything.
Cross posted at Parts-n-Pieces.
@ 10:26 PM
Your comments weave beautifully your experience and your photos, finding common themes and drawing a meaningful conclusion. Blessings for the journey.
You may not have chosen the journey of self-discovery, but I think it takes courage to embrace it the way you have.
Are you kidding? You haven't lost your mojo at all. Your photos continue to be wonderful!
I agree with Ianqui. I always learn something from you about composition.
Also, I'm impressed with how much you get out of reflecting over your mosiacs of the month.