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Aug 10
in Photography Teachings, Uncategorized

Second “P”…. PASSION!

Ok….  I’ve shared about being PRESENT… now the second principle which I have found  really important in not only being able to ‘hear through my eyes’, but an important element in my life – is to have PASSION!.

To be able to really see, one must open not only one’s eyes, One must above all, open one’s heart.  Gaston Rebuffat. French Alpinist

 

fire-in-the-sky

 

The above image is a happy snap I took using my iPhone the other afternoon and posted recently on facebook….sharing how amazing the sky was this afternoon. While not a technically proficient photo,  it exemplifies for me – PASSION.

Whenever I see this image I recall how excited I felt when I saw and experienced the colours in the sky….how overwhelmed I felt with the beauty and wonder of nature… how much gratitude I felt for being alive… how full of life I truly felt…. how much I had this visceral
feeling of my heart and my insides just opening up!

I wanted to view the sky form different positions. I wanted to explore seeing the shapes and colours from different perspectives. I was curious about the changing colour from crimson, to orange, to pink, to grey. I was inquisitive how the light fringed the clouds and observed in awe how the colour change was so fluid and subtle yet powerful.

When I see this photo, I don’t want to feel the same things again… because I can’t. Each experience is unique and therefore has a unique feeling or emotion. I don’t want to remember to replicate or hang on to those feelings of excitement…. I see this image and use it as a reminder of the PASSION I felt; and the intensity of emotion…. the excitement and energy of my body whilst experiencing the clouds and colours of the sunset.

My PASSION is the excitement which drives my curiosity to explore. If I am not passionate about my life it is revealed through my photographs. If I am not passionate about my subject matter or the vision for my photographs, they will have little meaning; not only for myself – but for others as well.

I recall the PASSION and excitement I had when I saw for the first time my photographs of a vortex in water. I could not contain my excitement. I felt the fire in my belly. I felt alive. I was sooo excited about them. I knew something had stirred that flame in me which I had to explore further and express. I connected with a child-like wonder and the fascination where the sense of mystery and excitement was tangible in my body.

Sometimes it could be easy for me to let the PASSION for representing the world which I experience be taken over by the passion for my tools… which are beautiful cameras and lenses. For me, my works must have meaning…even happy snaps…. and these must be driven by my need to express something through my images… my curiosity to explore….my curiosity to experience….my curiosity for learning about myself.….rather than just the excitement I have for my tools.

Sometimes I’m not certain about what I actually want to say through my images…. but if I am guided by my PASSION, by opening my heart….by observing my visceral response to something; then I can listen and learn…. learn more about myself, and have a clearer understanding about what I want to say through my images, and what they have to say to me.

 

“And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Anais Nin

Next post…. 3rd “P”…be PLAYFUL !

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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.