Welcome to another post in a series where I combine original photography with a favorite quote, phrase or thought. Embrace Your Flaws is #21; the subject is a simple berry and bottle arrangement. I have been experimenting with my new camera, enjoying the way it can capture so much detail.
I had no idea when I took this picture that there was a cobweb running between the berries. But thanks to the wonderful macro, there it is for all to see.
No worries. Every house has them, right? Does the cobweb detract from the beauty of the shot? It depends on one’s focus. If I choose to view it as a negative thing that is marring the photo then I am less able to see the way the light reflects off the bottle or the way the cobweb shows movement or the way it depicts real life.
I choose to see the cobweb as a happy accident. It enhances the picture and makes it a realistic snapshot of life. Though I hate cobwebs in my house and am forever trying to get rid of them, I will embrace this one.
I don’t often talk about my husband here on the blog. I tend toward privacy regarding the relationships in my life in order to remain professional but occasionally I think it’s a good idea to let my readers in on some of my personal life.
We all speak our love in different ways. My husband is very good about telling me he loves me verbally. But it’s the quiet little things he does that speak the loudest to me. Recently when I was working on my Maple Seed Butterfly project, I was trying to finish up in time for the Double Dip Flip deadline. I had thought I saved up more than enough maple seeds (a.k.a. helicopters) to complete the project. On the day I should have been photographing it I was scrambling to try to find some more seeds. Some of my stash had torn spots and others weren’t dried out enough and were still too green. I didn’t have enough good ones to finish. I went into resourceful mode and scoured the yard to no avail. We even checked the gutters on the house but found none. I decided I would try to make do and resigned myself to using some of the funkier shaped seeds that I had previously rejected. I continued to work, sorting through the seeds to find any that would pass. I began gluing the first few layers, hoping that I would have enough.
A couple of hours into the process my husband came home from mowing grass at our son’s house. With a grin on his face (that handsome devil!) he presented me with this:
Beaming with pride, he told me how he found the pile of maple seeds under the car port at our son’s house. Can you stand it?! He rescued me. In his quiet, sweet way he provided for me. He hunted and made the kill. He used his hat to bring home the spoil.
I was able to use several good seeds from the pile he brought me and honestly the piece would not have turned out as nicely with some of the seeds I was going to settle for. His gesture was a project saver but more than that it was an act of love that I will always treasure.
Have you ever read the book The Five Love Languages?
I read it years ago and still find myself applying the principles contained in it. One of the five languages talked about, and the one that I have determined is my husband’s language, is “acts of service.” While this is not my love language I have come to appreciate (after many years!) his demonstrations of love expressed in this way. I found the book to be very helpful in our relationship and would recommend it to anyone desiring to be more connected to their spouse, children or friends. (This is NOT a paid endorsement, I just wanted to pass on information that might be helpful to my readers). Have you read the book? Do you know what your love language is? Any guesses what mine is?
I am a sucker for a beautiful fabric, so I love the analogy of friendship as fabric. Some are thick and strong, others are thin and frail. Some are bright and colorful, others are plain and practical. Some are best at blocking the sun, others are meant to let light in. Some can stretch, others are only stiff and rigid.
Reading this quote that I DEARLY love made me think about friendships in my own life. There have been times in my life when I have leaned heavily on the support of a friend. So much so, that I’ve worried if I’m wearing out the fabric of our friendship. But then we share good times together again, laughing after a good cry, and I know nothing could be further from the truth. I know, too, that the time will come when I will reciprocate and be her support. True friendship cannot be worn ragged. The more you use it (not abuse it) the stronger it becomes. In good times and bad.
Being a true friend means seeing all the crusty, peely imperfections and loving in spite of (or even because of) those flaws. Most friends, like my curtains, will come and go. But a few remain for a lifetime. May you be draped in the forever kind of friendship.
Welcome to Phrase Art Phriday, #19. This series is a way for me to explore photography and experiment with graphic design. Combine those with an inspirational phrase and my thoughts and writing around it all and you have Phrase Art Phriday.
This week I have squeezed every drop of enjoyment from my beautiful peonies, in my home and in my blog posts. In my two previous posts I showed you four of my five arrangements. Here is the fifth.
Now onto the featured photo with a phrase that I absolutely LOVE.
The funny thing about this quote is that while looking for the original author I discovered that it is somewhat unknown. Almost all of the references to it that I could find online (and there are MANY) give Anais Nin the credit. But no one has ever been able to document it for a fact. I also came across an article that gives credit to Elizabeth Appell a.k.a. Lassie Benton, along with some pretty convincing documentation to back it up. For this reason I have not included an author’s name with the quote on my photo. This bit of information also served as the jumping off point for my deeper thoughts on the quote itself.
As a creative person, I have had to deal with the protective feelings that creative types feel for their creations. Anyone who is creative knows how it feels to have their work copied or “stolen”, and how the fear of that happening can cause one to hold tightly to their work and be afraid to share it with the world. I absolutely confess to having had those feelings at various times in my life. I have also fully understood what this quote is expressing and have known the freedom afforded to those who embrace its truth. I have discovered that as I share my creativity I am filled again with ideas and designs that I can’t wait to become immersed in. There is no end! Shared creativity never runs out and can never be used up. The ultimate creator, God, has an endless supply! He is an infinite source of creative thoughts and ideas. But if I keep my ideas to myself and hold onto them selfishly they can never blossom.
I find it ironic that the author of this quote is disputed. What a shame it would have been if the person who thought it never shared it for fear of having it stolen.
Happy Friday (or should I say Phriday)! Welcome to the 18th installment of Phrase Art Phriday, where I share my own photography overlaid with an inspirational phrase or thought.
The path of life will have weeds. Period. This photo was taken on the side of my house several years ago. I love the way previous owners of our home at some point in its 160 year history took broken chunks of marble and inlaid a mosaic path. Though I love the path, when I looked at the photo recently all I saw were the weeds. They became the focus and I cringed at the sight, feeling somehow guilty for not being a better caretaker. Then I reminded myself that I have many good qualities and gardening/landscaping just doesn’t happen to be one of them. But I digress. What you can’t see in the photo is what lies at the end of the path. It’s something that gives me great joy each and every spring. At the end of the path are four big healthy peony bushes. Pink peony bushes that yield lush beautiful blossoms every year. What is noteworthy is that those same four bushes sat in a dark wooded area on our property for years, never growing beyond a puny size and never producing flowers. When my husband showed them to me one year I suggested we move them. So he dug them up and planted them in a sunny place on the north side of our house. From that time forward the bushes thrived. The first year it blossomed it was exciting to see what color they would be. I was thrilled when it produced blooms in the perfect shade of pink. The peonies now reside at the end of that mosaic, weedy path and will remain there as long as we are here. It’s their right path.
