Sharing Myself with Others

"Flower Twirl"
Digital Photo

The flower above is what I have been feeling like for the past two weeks. Printing, matting and framing photos for a gallery exhibit can make your head spin around. Don't get me wrong, I love the experience of sharing my work and most of the images were created in the last 6 months or so. I think it's more like the after effect that really gets to me. I feel such low energy today after the fun and excitement of meeting old and new friends at the reception last night. I suppose I need to deal with the cyclic emotions that occur during these times, still.....it would be nice to ride on the feelings I felt last night forever and ever.

It was so packed in the historical house that there was little elbow room. That's a good thing, of course. All my fellow writers from the writing class were there, which really touched me. A teacher from the Center who teaches quilting and a very creative watercolorist who I've met at the Center also honored me with their presence. It was fun to talk writing lingo and watercolor shop during the photo exhibit. All creative passions welcomed, right? A librarian from Frankfort with her mom and kids added to the excitement of the night. And of course, mingling with fellow photographers and learning their unique creative perspectives gives me food for thought and expands my horizons. Support for one another is what it's all about and we creative types like to stick close. There are so many believing mirrors out there if we allow them in. To be alone, for me, is to stay too much in my head where monkey mind likes to cause havoc.

I had so much fun sharing my creative process with those who wanted to learn about it. Just talking about my various images seemed to energize me. I think I really am embracing the passion of who I am and not stifling it anymore. It feels good. The more and more I talk about myself as an artist, the more and more I believe it. Visualization is a very empowering.

I had brought along a little photo album of some of my images and was staring at the squirrel I had recently finished in watercolor. It's on the most previous post I wrote here. I noticed it has no tail. I hadn't even noticed that before. Hm, should I add a tail and hope it fits into the rest of the image or will I be in a different creative zone and not be able to match what I had previously done? One gal said to me "Who cares about the tail, I'm loving its eyes. Who could resist it, it's adorable". So that seemed to soothe me for a little while, anyway. Ah, how I love the input of others!

In a few weeks, I'll be taking the photos down from this show and bringing them over to the local library. Yes, it is Bev's traveling exhibit. I'm glad I get to share my gifts with others. And, I suppose, if I look at the twirling flower one more time, I'll see it now as energy whirling around, looming towards my interior, longing for my passion to once again unfold.