My creative lesson of week 19: the rhythms of a textured life
I was at the small nature reserve of haBonim for this week’s photoshoot. It was my birthday and I often celebrate another spin around the sum with a walk along the beach.
The reserve sits along a very rocky bit of Mediterranean coastline and it is extremely picturesque. Everything, from the seaweed to the rocks to the seashell are beautifully textured and three-dimensional. I had an awesome time looking for all the different patterns in which the light and shadows play with each other.
It is the shadows, or the dark bits, that add texture to a view or photo. Sometimes the shadows were thick and overbearing and other times there is just a smidgen of darkness. When there hardly any shadows, the views were flat and not very interesting.
As I walked and took photos, I realized that the hike itself was textured with ups and downs. We continuously had to clamber over sharp rocky outcrops to reach the next sandy cove strewn with shells and other interesting bits. The textures weren’t just in the rocks and waves that I photographed but also in the terrain that we walked. And then I realized that the textures spiraled out into a higher level.
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My husband got pissed because he was wearing the wrong shoes and I was taking photos of EVERY single thing.
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It was a gorgeous day and everything was just so beautiful and photographable.
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A woman was also taking photos and just didn’t move out of MY frame.
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I realized that the woman’s clothes echoed the background perfectly and got some nice shots of her in the frame. She started to talk with me about my camera when I reached her spot and we bonded over the beauty of the day and the lovely place we were standing.
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A strange man tried to chat me up about some odd flower or something that I just HAD to come see. I brushed him off saying that I am looking for my husband but he continued walking along with me on the trail.
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I caught up with my husband and the weirdo vanished into the ether.
I once read somewhere that it is an insult if a Chinese person wishes you an “interesting life”. If your life is going to be interesting, it means that there are going to be hard times and difficult challenges.
I do not think that one has a choice though. The shadows, or hard times are going to be there if you want them or not. Maybe they will turn out into something cool but other times one is just going to have to struggle along until you reach the light again. Or the sandy beach :)
Sometimes a stranger will turn into an instant friend and other times they will make your skin crawl. You cannot have the one without the other though.
I think my creative lesson for this week is to know that life has ups and downs. It is a law of nature just like the fact that the earth spins around the sun every year. Sometimes life is going to be difficult and sometimes it is going to be easy. Sometimes you will have a great photo shoot and sometimes you will not. Sometimes the photo shoot will be filled with sandy beaches and other times with craggy rocks.
Appreciate and enjoy the good times as much as you can and remember that the bad times never last forever.
