Wednesday
Jun232010
New ways of seeing...a secret life
June 23, 2010 * * * * * Posted by: Eliza 
For a while now I've been feeling totally uncreative, not spectacularly uncreative, but noticeably so. A tad dull, somewhat weighed down, no soaring bursts of inspirational thoughts leaping out of my skin, nope...sadly not one.
But then one morning I woke up thinking of a friend of mine; an extraordinary photographer over at Shutterchance (Nostalgia), and the amazing, not quite of this world way (and I mean that in the nicest way possible) he has of seeing his surroundings. I think his eyes see in macro, forget the camera lens he looks through; he spots the things that most of us, including me, would just pass by. You know how it is, I'm so often out there being awed by skies, big, blue, in your face 180 degree all the way around skies, and of course that rather large mountain at the bottom of my garden.
And so with him in mind, I went out into the garden. Closed my eyes to the mountain's charms, no not interested in you today thanks very much, and I thought only of the smaller things. Those that I pass by every single day without a glance. The dogs and I strolled out into the vegetable garden behind the house and I looked.
And I looked and I looked again. I thought of his "Tales from my Garden". I can do this, I said. I walked through the maize growing way up over my head, back-lit against a blue blue sky. I lost myself in there, could only hear the dogs as they chased each other and their tails. I kept going, further in, feeling enveloped but in a good, safe way. I wanted to sit down in the dirt and study ants, seek out colourful beetles. I looked for butterflies, I looked for intricate and exquisite leaves. But i found this. In the midst of the maize stood a sunflower, one single solitary sunflower. A sentinel of gold and green. And in its midst a plethora of bees, doing what bees do. And so I stopped and I got close, and I peered into the heart of the sunflower. This one is dedicated to Nostalgia - from my garden to yours.
Reader Comments (11)
Such a lovely tribute to 'Nostalgia'..and to the art of finding ourselves and our voices in the quiet unexpected places and spaces that surround us.
You have the most beautiful way with words and self-expression!!! A gift. Thank-you.
Since I have met Nostalgia twice in real life (in Atlanta), Eliza, I am quite sure he'll be delighted to know he has helped you "see" things differently from what/how you normally do. I'm guessing we all could reap rewards from venturing outside our comfort zones...and would benefit by doing it more often. Thanks for the inspiration to do that myself. It's so easy to get into a pattern and not color outside the lines! Good for you.
Well, I felt as if I had fallen right down into that sunflower along with the bees! very cool
Lovely image and beautifully written post. Thanks also for the link to Nostalgia's page. His photographs are amazing :)
a wonderful way to see the world.
So wonderful to get inspired by someone and refresh your own view on your work through that inspiration!! What a lovely photo Eliza! I can nearly hear the bees zoom!!
And what amazingly perfect timing you had, I would say that you are feeling quite creative. And I must go and check out Nostalgia, since I tend to love the macros myself! Beautiful...
You are so right about Victor, he really does have a special way of looking at the world but so do YOU :)
Oh, wonderful, Eliza!! A beautiful image, excellently done. Good for you getting outside your comfort zone and doing something different. We all should do that every once in a while - it freshens things up and wakes up the creative juices.
superb shot!! wonderful post !
I echo what the others have said in their comments, but want to add how much I admire you in having the vision to show in black and white.