Project 365

I have been taking photographs for quite some time with my point and shoot. For some reason I am totally captivated by capturing moments and expressing myself creatively through photographs. I used to paint and draw and sometimes I think photography has been my lazy way of continuing my creative streak.

Anyhow...
This weekend a former classmate of mine came across my flickr page and checked out some of my work. He favourited a couple of my captures and tweeted me about how much he appreciated discovering my shots.

Unexpectedly he wrote a blog post on them and direct messaged me the link. I was so flattered and I thought I should share on my blog. I never considered my work to be spectacular or extra ordinary in any sense (I still don't)... I just loved having a creative outlet and quite honestly my flickr contacts kept me inspired.

Here is Bart's or B.art's piece :

Inspiration

I feel moved to record my absolute awe for the creativity of a young friend of mine. Earlier I came across the photography of Sheba (well “♥*★ShebZ*★• (rediculously busy)“ to be accurate) and I was doused with inspiration like I haven’t felt in a long time. My initial reaction was to run the 5 miles to my sisters house where I left my point-and-shoot and atrophy the empty space on the memory card in celebration. I was that inspired.

Her photos (like this and this) are somewhat muted but not in a way that makes them dull. Rather, they have the stop-and-stare effect. The effect is not wrought of the shock and awe, attention-whore approach that is typical of her generation. It strikes me more as photos with that irresistable lure of untainted honesty.

This unblemishedness, perhaps unwittingly, strikes a contrast with her technique. Much of her photos have a treatment that strikes me as stills taken from old, dust-speckled footage. Purity expressed in grunge and dirt. Beautiful.

These shots, when taken together with the text descriptions beneath and sometimes in the pictures themselves, serve as a poignant and personal diary of an obviously well read, sensitive woman. Maybe the footage I imagined the photos to be taken from was a love story?

So right now I guess i should say thank you to my Grenadian friend for through her own photographic explorations, she has left me completely re-energised and inspired.

On a deeper level my discovery of these photos highlight the value of those rare moments when the element of surprise (aka the unknown) and human creativity collide. Balled up in the moments when people like me see pictures like Shebz’s for the first time in a long while is the sum total of her diligently (somehow I’m sure she’d disagree with me using that word to describe her photography) developed craft. Put another way, if we have a talent and we keep working on it, unaware to others us around us, whenever they are exposed to that particular talent of ours a second time, they are bound to meet upon something more splendid and inspiring than the first time.

My intuition tells me the odd sense of joy I felt at seeing the amazing photos she’s been taking all this time had little to do with the beauty of the photos themselves. It was more of a confirmation of an awakening I’ve been feeling - a calling of sorts - about engaging with the notions of diligence and discipline in my own life. Working at taking my own beautiful photographs (both symbolically and literally) until I’ve done enough to inspire others with my own work.

I’m going to take charge!

Here is a link to his tumbler blog: Bartandlife thanx again Bart...Like we say at home "Ah feel nice"