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Jun 01
in Inspirations, Karijini 2012, Uncategorized

Just an ‘ordinary’ photograph – acknoweldging moments and the purpose of a photograph.

I received a lovely email last night from someone who said “……It is so good to see your journey through some ordinary photos. Thank you for not ‘prettying them up’ and not only showing your stunners! I feel like I am in the car with you……. ”

Through this blog I made a commitment to open my heart and share my life through my photographs, words and any wisdom which I can offer which may be of use to others. For me it is about being real, and exposing the reality of my experience. Part of doing this is sharing my exhibition work and poetry; but also those ‘ordinary pics’ which provide a narrative of my path. These are the ones with blown out highlights, crooked horizons, blocked shadows, a bit out of focus; clumsy composition etc…. and are the ones which just simply illustrate some of my experience. They may not have the postcard blue sky and the perfectly placed cloud…. but recognising and still taking notice of the ‘ordinary’ is an important part of acknowledging every moment in one’s life – not just the ‘pretty bits’. Where we drive, camp and walk isn’t always like a postcard; but for me still needs to be documented as part of my experience. My little video clips are the same – low key, simple, fun and form a part of a real story.

Photographs can have many different purposes, and sometimes it is a good idea to clarify in one’s mind which purpose certain photographs fill. I was speaking with a couple one evening at Karijini and this man said to me that his ‘Deleted folder’ was always bigger than his ‘keepers’…and then his wife said in a very dismayed tone, “And we don’t have any photos to show the kids or our family when we get back.” I asked him why he took photographs and he quickly replied – “To have a record of where he had been and to show others some of the places he had been to.” I asked him why he deleted so many…and he said “They were crap and they weren’t ‘very good’.”

We had quite a lovely discussion and he realised that in his endeavour to have photographs “to show the kids and others where they had been” – he was really expecting of himself to create works of fine art ‘like the top landscape photographers’ and wanted to create really ‘pretty pictures’; and that he was actually creating a terabyte of ‘deleted’ photographs and had nothing to fulfil his aim of sharing with others where he had been to and was not keeping a record of some of the ‘ordinary’ moments of his life which were actually meaningful. He was judging and comparing his photographs with other photographers and in doing so denied his family and friends the opportunity to share his journey with him – which was his intention for taking photographs. He then realised and said to me and laughing with his wife that he was now going to have a “Sharing folder”…with images which told a narrative of where he had been, and these ones he would not be so critical of for their technical or aesthetic proficiency and not compare them with ones in the Australian or National Geographic.

So… I have my happy snaps in which others can feel like “they are in the car with me” and are an acknowledgement that I have observed and acknowledged ‘ordinary’ moments as being worthy of giving my focussed attention to and to share as well; and then my artistic exhibition work – which is a whole different story!!! 🙂

 

 

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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.