Expression

Welcome back to the gallery of my self conducted photo shoots!  I want to share more of these expressive pictures with you, hoping that in the process I can encourage you to find outlets for your own emotions.  Having a safe, effective way to process what's going on inside our heads is astoundingly important.  For me, this looks like photography.  But this space might also take the form of journaling, art, dance, music, games, getting outside... the options are endless!  The most important thing is that this safe space be just right for YOU!

For this blog post, I'm going to match each picture I present with an emotion or a chapter I've gone through in life.  To me, this practice proves quite valuable because it allows me to match abstract feelings with something concrete and controllable.

"Pause"

I love the texture in this photo, and the ones similar it to follow.  The mixed blue and purple of the sky simply take my breath away.  And the corn stalks close the camera give depth and meaning to the background.  

I've named this picture "pause" because it reminds me of times when I've been going, going, going... then something forces me to STOP.  At times, this literally means dropping to the ground and taking a period of time when I just don't (or can't) do much.  It's difficult!  But these spaces, I've found, also give quality time for contemplating life in deep ways.

"Grief"

The body position speaks it all for me here.  Loss makes me want to curl into a ball and let the world pass without me.  I desire things to stop so that I can collect myself before moving on.  Unfortunately, this doesn't quite happen.  In times when going onwards takes everything I've got, I'm so thankful for good friends who speak affirmation into my dark days.  In fact, one quote from a friend recently astounded me.  He said, "It doesn't matter whether or not you feel brave.  You are moving on, and that takes courage.  A lot of people would give up".

"Empty"

To me, this photo seems to bear an emptiness.  Yet at the same time it's wonderfully abundant.  This paradox often reflects the trickiness of self-doubt.  We get extremely fixated on what's "wrong" with us, that we lose sight of the many talents we possess!  A friend helped me visualize this in another way.  Draw a blue dot on a white paper.  What do you see?  Did you say "a blue dot"?  BUT what about all the white paper?  Didn't you see that?  Don't get consumed with one blue dot in the middle of your abundant, wonderful white space!

"Dancing"

Thank goodness for seasons of life where peace, friendship and love thrive!  In those days, be thankful.  Dance to the music of a nonturbulent chapter.  Even if some things teeter, or the big picture seems uneven, there's still beauty to celebrate.

"Moving on"

Change is hard, that's a given.  Moving on requires loosing things from the place where you had been, saying goodbye to the familiarity of that space.  On the other hand, you would never experience the beauty of new terranes if you never ventured out of the space you stand now.  Courage often means moving on, one step at a time.  After a "walk", you will come upon new wonders.

"Revealed"

Showing who you really are creates a space of vulnerability.  It often brings feelings of being laid bare for others to see what's inside, behind our façade.  Surely, a good chunk of people don't deserve to know these intimate things about you, because they haven't proved themselves trustworthy.  However, sharing your burdens with friends who do reach out and listen can bring freeing release.  Instead of keeping pain inside, the load can be shared.  The release requires traveling through those moments of vulnerability first, but is worth it in the end.

"Unheard and Hidden"

Even if you live in a wholesome family, have a caring group of friends and get along with community as a whole, days come along when your opinions go unheard and your emotions unseen (or so it feels).  These lonely spaces prove hard to wrestle your way through.  But with every frustrating minute, reminding yourself that it's only one season, or even just one day.  You will come through.  

"Confidence"

Although this emotion occurs rarely, true confidence comes through being at peace with who you are, where you're at and what you believe.  Such peace then allows for you to move forward, take action and make decisions with confidence!

"Support"

Human pride is vicious.  It bathes your brain with hostility towards admitting when you can't.  But every person has times when their own capabilities become exhausted.  We have days when we simply need others to come in and give a hand.  That's OK!  It's normal!  It's courageous to reach out for help!  

"OK for now"

The title of this photo comes from a book I once read.  I love the concept of recognizing a status of peace in the moment.  Maybe you won't feel OK tomorrow, or maybe yesterday was terrible.  But if there's OKness right now, then recognize and embrace what this moment means.

"Contemplation"

As a younger teen, I clung to questions which had right and wrong answers.  I wanted to know I was correct.  However, hand in hand with that comes intense dread of failure.  Although there are definitely times when right/wrong questions have their place, I'm now more attracted to "open end" questions.  These wonderings help me explore my beliefs, history and world view in deeper ways.  Questions from friends such as "where does this point of view come from" give a good example of self reflection in which there's no correct answer.  Every thought holds possibility and only you know what truly affects you!