This project, this project, this project... This project has been a double-edged sword. It has shown my weakness and my strength. It has caused tension with my spouse while also bringing us together occasionally. Looking over the course of the year in pictures as I did just now almost brings the pain that I was experiencing at the beginning of the year too close to the surface. Those photos bring back memories that in my memory happened longer ago than a year so to see that they are still within the past year is strange. I am thankful that time truly does heal wounds as long as the scabs aren't constantly ripped off. What I see happening from the beginning of the year until now, too, is healing taking place not just in me but in my whole family. Never would I have guessed that all five of my kids would be gathering around a basket of gifts taking turns opening them laughing and giggling and later playing Nintendo together. Were Christmas's different in the past? Not exactly but this Christmas I saw more cohesion than in the past. Thanks be to God. I am happy to have shared my pain and joy with my old online friends and my new ones. Peeking in on everyone else's life in photos as opposed to only in words has been nice for me as well.
On an artistic level, I was able to produce a few portraits and a few other photographs that I am proud of. At the beginning of the year, I felt more compelled to experiment and to create while mixing in family photos. I also felt pressure to perform since many of my online friends know I have a Bachelor's of Fine Art. I feel that February held some of my better shots. My self portraits were especially important to me since this was such an emotional rollercoaster year for me. My weakness of becoming bored with a single endeavor reared its ugly head during this project as well. It became burdensome to have to take a photo a day. Breaking my ankle and having my dear G3 ibook die early in the year also affected how I felt about the project. Either way, I feel like I have a (old)new tool for creative expression in my arsenal. The sky, while always beautiful to me, has become even more so.
I have no idea what the future holds in regard to this blog. Posting here and there as I have been for the past few months will probably be the extent of what I do. I'm ready to tackle new art projects, finish that studio of mine, and throw a few more sticks into the fire because that's what I do best.
I love you all!
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4 comments:
Dalissa --
I have very much enjoyed your photos this year. Your artistic abilities have shone through beautifully and have inspired me to experiment, try new angles, play with lighting and color. So thanks for contributing to my very amateurish photography with my very first camera.
You rock, girlfriend!
Dalissa, I have loved visiting your corner of the world. We have shared our hearts with each other, through our photographs. A picture truly does paint a thousand words.
Love you,
Susan
Oh, Dalissa...what can I say? So many of your pictures spoke of true, raw emotion, and you know how much I identify with that. Like you, there are some of my photos, from the earliest part of last year in particular, that bring me near tears just looking at them, knowing what I was thinking when I took the picture and titled it. That has been a real gift for me, though; learning how to express emotion through pictures. Since I have zero artistic ability, I didn't have the pressure you did to succeed. And yet, you did succeed because you shared of yourself. That meant a great deal to me. xoxo
I thought I had responded to this post. You have such an artistic soul! I loved all of your self-portraits (especially the feet in the air). I learned about composition and depth of field from you. And I love the sheer joy of so many of your kid shots. Thanks for posting as often as you did.
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