Tag / simplicity

by Janet

Soldier-on

Barefoot traveler,

Wears her knapsack like a crown,

Bleeds beauty and grit.

I’m really excited about this image and haiku because of the thought process I went through from start to finish. Originally, I began working on the photograph for my emotion images. It was the beginnings of tranquility, or serenity… or something like that. Something calm.

I took the photograph on one of my beach trips. I have hundreds of beach trip photographs, and if ever I wanted a real challenge, I’d love to do something creative with all of them. I guess you could call me a “photo hoarder” because I hate discarding them, even when they are terrible.

I sent it through PS Express and BeCasso on my iPhone to tone down the colors and add the paint effect. I really liked it, but I decided it wasn’t right for the series. So, it’s been sitting stagnant. I stumbled on it again today while looking for ideas for Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge: Crown and Grit.

While putting the haiku together, I couldn’t help but want to be her. Not necessarily the girl in the photograph, but the girl in my haiku, traveling the world with minimum baggage, no shoes… and not a care in the world.

Of course, this woman was at the beach so it’s probably safe to say that she’s carrying a towel and her shoes in that backpack, and maybe even a magazine, but that’s the cool thing about art and photography. What’s that popular quote?

Art isn’t what you see, but what you make others see.

Edgar Degas

That’s one of them anyway. I’m pretty sure there are many like that. The point is that even what is seen in the viewfinder may be different from reality. The photographer’s mind fills in the blanks, putting an imaginary story together.

The other funny thing about my desire to be this woman in the haiku is the fact that I won’t fly. I’m sure I have plenty of places to see here in the states, but to be consumed by wanderlust is a BIG dream for a grounded individual.

I don’t know… I just started wondering if all of these thoughts were the result of something stirring in my soul, telling me it’s time to take the plunge (NO, not plunge!!). I mean time to spread my wings and fly.

That’s the cool thing about being my age, though. I think that once I hit a certain place in my life, I began to find dreaming and imagining almost as exciting as real adventures. Sometimes it’s just a state of mind we’re searching for, and we can attain it anywhere. That’s my two cents anyway.

I guess that’s about all for now. Lots of thoughts for one evening and it’s getting late. I will say that I’m working on my little Road to Happiness Photoshop tutorial, but it’s WAY harder to do than I thought. I began taking screenshots as I went through the process and there are about 12, and now I need to sit down and figure out how to write the steps out. I’ll get there.

In closing, I found another quote to finish things up here…

Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.

Elliott Erwitt

Until next time,
Peace & Love!

by Janet

Lost at Sea

I’m keeping my words to a minimum (or trying to!) so that I (and you) can enjoy the peace and quiet of visual ideas. I’ve noticed that when I look for inspiration, I’m always drawn to the female body. I love that fact because, for one, I’m going to put together a vision board to help me stay excited about my goals—one of them being to get fit and stay fit. I dropped the ball on the “New lifestyle, New me” series that I had going on, but that doesn’t mean that I should give up. I think that one of the wisest things you can do as you age is continue to work on your whole self… mind, body and soul. I’ll be 60 in 2 months, so there is no time like the present to take care of me.

Anyway, I was inspired by a watercolor that I saw and thought, “Hmmm… what a fun way to celebrate summer – with illustrations of women on the beach!” So this is the first of what I hope will be many during these warm months. We’ll see…

I hope you enjoy the image, and that you find a little tranquility in it.

If you get tired, learn to rest, not quit.

Banksy

Have a beautiful day or evening… wherever you may be!

by Janet

Simplicity

Simplicity boils down to two steps:
Identify the essential.
Eliminate the rest.

LEO BABAUTA

Welcome back to my series Life: From A to Z and the word Simplicity for the letter “S.” And just for the record, you have no idea how excited I am that there are only SEVEN letters left! Don’t think for a second that I’m finding it easy to write through the alphabet. But, I’m proud of myself for sticking to it. The last thing I need on the blog is another unfinished series.

Anyway, I love simplicity. I wish I was able to live simply, but I have a little too much craziness in my blood. A perfect example is my featured image. I had the word simplicity in mind today and then I took my mom to Hobby Lobby. I found a simple piece that made me think “yes… that is perfect! It is nice and simple.”

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