Quote of the day: “May what I do flow from me like a river, no forcing and no holding back, the way it is with children.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke

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Flow…

Create… Keep it simple… Stay in Play… Stop pushing and trying… Listen to your heart

These are the secrets my heart whispered to me during April. 

I planned to keep a spring photo journal in my blog, but spring just didn’t want to arrive. I tired of making photos of remnants of snow, tracks in new snow, melting snow, freezing ice, etc.

While I waited for spring to arrive—and waited…and waited—snowstorm after snowstorm blanketed the Minneapolis area with snow. At first I complained and felt stuck and impatient. “It’s supposed to be spring! If I’d known it was going to be like this I would have stayed longer in Hawaii” I complained.

Then I looked around and saw the amazing beauty that these late-season snows created.

The wet snow clung to tree branches and created amazing sculptures and scenes. The falling snowflakes were huge and lovely, the weather mild enough to be outdoors photographing. And the beauty was so ephemeral. The heat of the sun melted the snow off the branches so quickly that I needed to get up and go out as soon as possible in the mornings to capture the beauty.

And when there wasn’t new snow falling I saw beauty in a coffee mug and journal on the table. I saw lines and shapes and colors that appealed to me, all within my mundane life.

And I realized once again that each day, each moment was a gift.

I began reveling in the beauty of the late-winter snows and stopped waiting for something different to happen.

I taught a workshop on “Photography as a Spiritual Practice” at a retreat. Surrounded by snow, we spent a little time outdoors photographing but more time indoors finding beauty in the lounge where the class was held.

I could see the disappointment on class members’ faces when I suggested the next activity was to find and photograph beauty in the room we were in. For a minute or two, not much happened.

Then suddenly I saw an explosion of creativity and joy emerge as class participants “got it” and entered the flow.

I struggled to create a new exhibit from my Hawaii Walkabout photos.

As I worked on photos for my upcoming exhibit, I planned, created groupings of photos and worked and planned, made different groupings of photos, and worked some more. But the focus of the exhibit and the photos within it just would not coalesce.

Finally I let go of all expectations and listened to my heart…

This photo speaks to me. I think I’ll print it and frame it. First one photo, then another, and another until finally I selected 24 photos from my Walkabout in Hawaii. Twenty-two of them are framed and ready to hang. Two more need frames which I plan to buy today.

I am learning to find flow and follow it. There are no formulas or easy answers. It varies as much as the Minnesota weather varies.

It’s not easy to find flow in our busy lives. Stuff happens — weather, illness, work, cooking, cleaning, and other necessary things keep us busy. Beneath all the busyness, flow is always available. Breathe in, breathe out. Each moment is another opportunity to connect with your heart.

Here are the photos for my upcoming exhibit, Timeless:

[ZFP_PhotoSet id=’918724221′]

 

 

 

 


Marilyn

Photographer sharing beauty, grace & joy in photographs and blog posts. I live in the Twin Cites in Minnesota, the land of lakes, trees, and wonderful nature.

15 Comments

Susan · May 1, 2013 at 6:50 pm

Your exhibition is sure to be a success. Wonderful collection. My fave is the lone broom.
I too shared your sentiments about late winter, late spring. I did not embrace the snow as you obviously did, but do remember one of the last storms we had left the heavy snow-bending branches-and it came at night with a beautiful sunny and clear sky by morning. Some of the best snow shots I got all season. Great PHC post.

    Marilyn · May 3, 2013 at 5:42 pm

    Thanks for stopping by. The lone broom is also one of my favorites.

seabluelee · May 3, 2013 at 2:41 am

I love your Laurel Burch mug! It looks like a cup full of sky. (I have a journal with that same image on it!) Your Hawaii images are stunning. Great post for PHC.

    Marilyn · May 3, 2013 at 5:42 pm

    It is beautiful – belongs to someone I know and when I saw it on the table with the journal, couldn’t resist snapping a photo of it.

mmatuche · May 4, 2013 at 1:17 pm

Ah–so many beautiful pictures! Your experience was righto n target for me, today. I live in WI, and although I didn’t get the recent snow storms Minneapolis did, it has been cold here. I’ve been impatient for spring to come … You remind me to go with the flow and just see the beauty that surrounds us in the moment. Thank you!

    Marilyn · May 4, 2013 at 6:27 pm

    You are welcome! Thank you for visiting my blog.

sarahhuizenga · May 4, 2013 at 2:39 pm

Great post! What a positive you were able to turn winter and snow into. Living in Michigan I had the same feelings you did. Not another picture of snow, but I survived and finally Spring is blooming.

    Marilyn · May 4, 2013 at 6:28 pm

    Still cold here but there is hope. Tomorrow temps are supposed to rise to 60 degrees.

Miriam Rogers · May 4, 2013 at 4:32 pm

Your pictures are very beautiful. Your exhibition is sure to be a great success.

    Marilyn · May 4, 2013 at 6:28 pm

    Thank you! I appreciate your stopping by.

carolynphillipsuk · May 5, 2013 at 7:48 pm

A beautiful set of photos for the exhibit and I love your photo-heart connection photo, one that speaks to you of what this month has meant and taught.

Kat Sloma · May 6, 2013 at 2:12 pm

Your walkabout photos share your journey in images. You just needed to let the story come! I’m with you on flow… you have to let it come, let it go, adjust it with the changing seasons in life. I’m glad you were able to find the beauty in the late winter, so different than what Hawaii had to offer. Wonderful Photo-Heart Connection this month!

Paula · May 6, 2013 at 11:42 pm

First of all, that mug makes me smile! I love this post, this idea of finding the beauty in the everyday, and most of all, that letting go of expectations. When we can learn to do that, so much more awaits us. It’s there all along, but we need to be open. Your workshop sounds wonderful.

Elsie · May 7, 2013 at 6:51 pm

Such beautiful photos, great post

Cathy H. · May 10, 2013 at 11:40 pm

Beautiful photography and such a great PHC!

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