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Aug 11
in Photography Teachings

Fourth “P” ….. PRACTICE !

“The Artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.” Emile Zola

 

 

Every day I am a little different to who I was yesterday. Every experience I have…. everything I see.. everything I do… everything I hear… or touch in some way creates a new perspective…. a new way of looking at things… a new understanding…. a new ability…  a new idea to investigate.

During this evolution I need to strengthen the new skills and deepen my understanding of new ideas and competencies and to do this I must PRACTISE.

It is only when I have committed myself to PRACTICE, that I can develop a certain level of mastery with something…. and it is through this mastery of something which provides the strong platform for further exploration of something else.

 

“Often I have lamented how many hours I’ve labored, the frustrations I have felt as I practiced, practiced, measured, measured, squinted, squinted, compared, compared. How rewarding it is to assimilate it all and feel the resulting joy.” (Ann Manry Kenyon)

 

I found myself often in amazing environments; excited about what I was feeling and what I wanted to capture through my images. Often I would come back and look at my images and they did not portray the sense I thought they might – purely because I did not have mastery of my own equipment.

 

 

I decided to get out my manual… dive into the internet…. learn and experiment and PRACTISE using the different settings and environments and conditions…. and how wonderful it is now to go to different situations and environments and know competently how to use my tools… so that I can have the freedom to use them without being hindered by incompetency.

 

 

I decided I needed to PRACTISE using Photoshop, and Lightroom. I practised processing and developing images and compared versions to see the different resultant effects.

I PRACTISED printing using different printer settings and different papers. I PRACTISED using my pastels…. my watercolours …. sewing my books …. pasting my covers. I PRACTISED drawing in my sketch book. I PRACTISED writing words and thoughts whilst I was on location before I took any images.  I PRACTISED to develop my skills and my mastery of them.

 

 

The most important thing however was that I recognised the importance of MINDFUL PRACTICE…. and I needed to be PRESENT while I was practising. I  committed myself to PRACTISING being PRESENT. I made a conscious decision to commit to witnessing myself and practised focussed attention… through dedicated daily practices as well as during the things I did.

 

“As a mindfulness practice, become the conscious observer of your thoughts, feelings and actions today. Notice how much of your energy is being stolen from you by the time-bandits of the past and the future. Make a conscious choice to step into the Now, and do so by breathing consciously.” (Dennis Merritt Jones)

 

I committed myself to PRACTISING being PLAYFUL. Although this was a much easier one…I still committed to practising and trying out new things. I PRACTISED pushing the boundaries. I PRACTISED experimenting.

 

“You can’t hire someone to practice for you.”                    (H. Jackson Brown. Jnr.)

 

I had to do the work. My gift of creativity, expression and intuition is nothing without the work.

 

What PRACTICES can you implement to develop your own mastery?

 

Next post… the 5th “P”…. PATIENCE

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About the Author: Julie
I am a Journeywoman. I live my life as an explorer. An adventurer. An Observer. An Artist. There is no differentiation between how I live my life and the art that is an expression of it. It is through my experience adventuring the unknown, that I learn more about myself. My aim through this connection is to live where my expression is fully in alignment with the essence of who I am. “In the field of Fine-Art Photography, Julie stands apart from others with the way she sees the world and expresses her connection within it. Julie Stephenson’s photographs are sublime. Her work is an expression of her deep connection; and a gift to the world.”

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skeinydipping

I looked down and saw my hands. Hands which have t I looked down and saw my hands. Hands which have touched; have loved; have created; have worked; have nurtured. My hands.   

I looked down and saw on my wrist and fingers items from around the world which have so many stories; items which have all been created from the heart and made by the hands of others. 

I looked down and saw beautiful yarn. Yarn which has been handled carefully through shearing, dyeing, skeining, balling; and now being knit in my beautiful hands. 

My hands are one of my gifts. This year I’ve really missed the touch of another with my hands, to feel the heart of another through my fingertips; but so grateful and love my hands which touch and feel; work and play!

What do you see when you look at your hands?

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Knitting a fabulous  #slipstravaganzamkal by @westknits .
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#gratitudeattitude #westknitsarethebestknits #westknitsmkal2020 #knittersofinstagram #knittersoftheworld #knittersofaustralia #indiedyedyarn #handmadewithlove #handmade #handmadejewellery #fromtheheart #createeveryday #livetotravel #healing #healinghands #creativehands
My life is wonderful… and I have so many stories My life is wonderful… and I have so many stories. I’ve had adventures on all continents. Slept being rocked by the sea; felt the ice on my skin in both polar regions, and felt the silence of the deserts. I’ve walked stone steps in monasteries at altitudes where each step I’ve taken consciously and mindfully; focussing on treasuring every molecule of oxygen in the rarefied atmosphere. 

COVID has paused those adventures, but I draw upon my experiences as I navigate adventuring my days in a different way, on our ‘home range’. 

I recall my steps in Tibet as I walk through our bushland. I am mindful and conscious of my surroundings. I listen. I feel. I feel happy here. I am content.

My new stories may not hold the same experiences of connection with others; and may not be of extreme challenges or crazy things  (which I am rather prone to doing! 🙂 ) but they are not less wondrous… as I smell the warm eucalyptus waft from under my feet. 

I weave my stories, and this story is of my personal journey on my daily walk through our bushland. 
You can see some of my other woven stories on my website - link in profile. 

How do you express your life’s stories?
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#weaversofinstagram #indiedyedyarn #indiedyed #rigidheddleloomweaving #ashford #inspiredbynature #contentcreator #emotionalbalance #homedeco #handcrafted #makersmovement #creativelifehappylife #wellbeing #travellerlife #journeywoman #weavingaustralia
“....The Assookinakii cowl was created for those “....The Assookinakii cowl was created for those times in your life when you need a meditative and healing knit. Assookinakii (ass-s-oo-kin-uh-k-EE) means ‘healer’ in the Blackfeet language, thank you to Cut Woods School in Browning, MT for the tradish language support”. –  Candice from @thefarmersdaughterfibers 

Knitting this beautiful cowl by Candice from @thefarmersdaughterfibers for @sistersunitedmt ; WAS healing. 

As my hands gently formed the repetitive stitches I reflected on the word ‘Assookinakii ‘ - healer. I am a healer. I don’t understand it. It’s something unseen. Something within me which has been recognised by Ngangkari and ‘clever men’ here in Australia; and shaman and healers around the world as we travel. This recognition always has caught me by surprise; as I seem to walk a line between two worlds. 

As the stitches slipped from one needle to another and the beautiful colours of @spincycle_yarns revealed themselves; in the pauses between the stitches I heard a voice whispering to continue to seek connection with the natural world and listen deeply. 

What has been healing for you this year?
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#healingjourney #meditationpractice #dyedinthewool #assookinakii_cowl #knittersofinstagram #knittingaddict #livinglifetothefullest #happydays #shaman #healer #healersofinstagram #listentoyourheart #indiedyedyarn #handmadewithlove #knittersgonnaknit #knittersoftheworld
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2017 All photographs created by and property of Julie Stephenson.