The entire surface of the pond is covered with green stuff that has begun bleaching to light yellow. It’s not a very pretty sight but it’s a part of pond life.
Pond Life
And oh, the life that this pond supports! Even when the pond is covered with ugly gunk, I find beauty in it, on it, and around it. It’s always changing from moment to moment.
Yesterday we saw a new family of mallard ducklings on the pond. The way they swim and dart about always makes me smile. Sometimes they all seem to head in opposite directions and the mama duck looks like she’s not sure which direction to head. Then at other times they stay close together, a little fleet of ducks looking like they are on a common mission.
I haven’t seen them so far today so it is likely that they migrated to the pond down the hill. At least that is always my hope. I’d rather not believe that all of them lost their lives since I last saw them. Nature is fierce sometimes and though many ducklings are born, not all survive.
Creative Life
I’ve been in a creative lull this week.
Because I’ve been having one of my periodic gut upsets, I haven’t been out with my camera much. The upset slowed me down and made me feel so-so, not bad, but not good either, and with no energy to spare. So I’ve been taking it easy and giving my body time to heal again.
“If nothing’s working for you, if you feel as though you’re pushing forward against the grain, the most productive and proactive thing you can do is nothing. Nature is turning you inward, to gain power through peace, rather than outward to gain power through activity.”― Martha N. Beck
Yesterday I pulled out my copy of zen camera: creative awakening with a daily practice in photography, by David Ulrich, and finally finished reading it. Today I plan to look through the chapters and find a project from one of those he suggested. I really love his approach to photography and though it took me a long time to read it (I would read a chapter or two, put it on the shelf, and then come back months later to pick it up again) I recommend it if you take a contemplative approach to photography.
“Edward Weston refers to this ‘flame of recognition’ in his work. Minor White speaks of ‘the moment of revelation.’ And Henri Cartier-Bresson articulates his intent as seeking ‘the decisive moment.’ All of these phrases relate to the recognition of a certain coherence and presence found through an attentive interaction with the subject.
Two forms of presence commingle in photography: your own and what is found in the world of the image… The presence we perceive in ourselves and others can be translated and conveyed through photographs.”
— David Ulrich, zen camera
I seek that sense of coherence and presence in my work as a photographer. All too often I fall short, but continue to make it one of my primary creative goals.
What do you seek in your creative life?
May you walk in beauty.
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