December 2009

As I trail into the end of the year with the onset of winter, I can genuinely say I have moved deeper into my compassionate embrace of the polarities inside and outside of me.

Wakeup calls seem to abound and it is my own snail pace and slow determination that keeps me lingering in the grit pacing the demonic sidewalk.   

And then one day miraculously out of the sweet hues of morning light comes the simple statement, “lighten up.”  I sigh, remembering I do have a choice.  I loosen my tight fist stuck in the muck and give a casual nod to its utter gunk, quickening my own pace toward the opposing force. Light.  

It is with this light that I am continually guided through my artistic endeavors to speak out through the lens and express pure beauty, simple being-ness and sheer joy.

My photo studies have forced me to look at the opposite of what I shoot and in so doing, I have been steered to face up to the darkness with a new lens of understanding.  This new dimension has transported me to more creative levels of expression and a deeper compassion.  And the journey is only beginning.

To the light
To the dark
And all the teachings in between...

 

I used to live so much of my life in longing, and then I turned 50. Miraculously, my longing transformed into gratitude, and now, I listen more.

This new stillness I have found is wrapped in golden treasures of learning. I know that true learning happens when I allow my own vulnerabilities to surface – purely, simply, nakedly. I shed the outer pictures and let the awkward self move forward.

When I hold my camera, I become a new force. I dialogue with my light-god to move in and through me, to unknown places and tap into a luminosity that ignites my work. An energy magically moves me toward brightness. When I photograph, I illuminate a sparkle inside my subjects and make my way to the core of who I feel they are. Through their life force, I spotlight my own.

At the ocean – my heartbeat is magnified. In the city at dusk, my senses are heightened, and when rain pounds on my roof at home, I feel held in a showering of grace. I close my eyes, listen, and in just a few moments, I am in tune with the bigger elements. It is then that I know – I truly know – we are together on this journey.