A Story and an Invitation
The story: I was given the enormous gift of time on my own, with my camera, in a city that I adore - Paris. My husband and our twins were sailing across the South Pacific, and I suddenly had a 37 day solo journey ahead of me. Not wanting to wander randomly, I gave myself an assignment. I planned to look inside my head and photograph what I saw there. Wellll, it turns out that the sight was shocking. It felt like the first time I actually focused on that little voice yammering on inside my head, and it was not pretty. At least not that day. I had taken on the assignment, though, so I proceeded to photograph the ugliness.
I eventually realized, though, that many of the negative things I had just photographed had a flip side. My critical mind calling me, for instance, “mute and unable to speak or contribute” has a flip side–I am a pretty good listener. I listen with my eyes, my ears, and my gut. People have noticed and appreciated this. Similarly, the hallmarks of age got me down in a city of youth and energy. I flipped that around to acknowledge that the wisdom that comes with age, and the increasing ability to connect with others and come further out of my shell as I age is beautiful to me. Precious.
Sooooooo, day two was dedicated to the flip side of each of the previous day’s photographs. I came home in a better mood, and with a million photos. My intention was to take both sides and create one photo–which was a new image that acknowledged the fullness of my being, my uniqueness. Not perfect, not terrible–but beautifully me.
This little game helped me see myself in a fuller way. It helped me see that in every negative, there is also a positive. When I am low, I look for the flip side and it shakes me out of it.
The invitation: I would like to invite you to see what you can see for yourself in these images. I am very interested to hear the personal story that you would put with each one. If you feel so inspired, I would love to hear your thoughts. Please write me : ). Also, if you have any Flipit pieces that you have made after seeing this, I would love to see them.
A. Scared to leave land. B. Made liferings and jumped.
A. You have taken a reckless path. B. I am grateful for the beauty I have seen along the way
A. Bushwhacking through life. It's me under here. B. Rainbows all around. I will find them.
A. I'm in so much pain and all I can look at are the leaves on the drapes next to my bed. B. This is temporary. I will soon be back on the boat, supported by the water and close to the horizon.
A. Feeling confused. B. Something strong and beautiful will come out once the path is chosen.
A. Hiding on the hiking path, inside of my camera, looking only at the tiny things, while the scorching hot scary world awaits. B. I see things that I can delight in sharing.
For 13 days, the world was dim, painful, and frightening
Stretching to stay alive, to reach the ground. It all feels tenuous. This feeling fueled my return to the arts and get my hands back into the earth, clay, nature.
A. It took a lifetime of hard labor to carve only tiny windows into my introverted self, one by one. B. Now you would never know it, and life just keeps getting richer.
A. I was never feminine enough for my mother. B. We are all of us fancy in our own way. Mother nature, decorate me unlike she did.
A. The light is leaving sooner than I thought. B. The nadir quietly holds a gift in the dark.
Wrecked journey and dashed hopes of life lead to beautiful life in my veins and in front of my eyes.