it’s the end of april so that can only mean one thing…
…that i’ve taken approximately 1,467 pictures of my iris and salvia.
one of my favorite things to do is go back and look at some of my old photos. so this morning i thought it would be fun to go back through the years and see them all….see how my photography has evolved.
April 2011
April 2012
April 2013
April 2014
April 2015
from an objective standpoint, i think my more recent shots are sharper and better composed. plus i think the use of light adds a certain magic to them. and finally, thanks to improved post-processing skills, i think my photos have a bit more polish.
i can see my photographic development in these photos…for me they are sort of a benchmark of where i started out. and it gives me great pleasure to see how far i’ve come.
but my iris and salvia also speak to something much more profound in my life….my spiritual development.
april 2011 was a turning point for me. kelsey was weeks away from graduating from highschool. the beauty and color and in my garden was a welcome relief from many dark days prior. but it was this little epiphany that finally set me free from the nagging fear that best years of my life were coming to a close.
When I thought about it a little more, neither the Iris nor the Salvia really tries to do anything to fulfill their purpose. Just being an Iris or a Salvia is quite enough – expressing their essential Iris-ness and Salvia-ness is their purpose and God uses each one according their particular design and unique qualities.
I may or may not ever truly discover what my purpose is on this earth. But I think I am done with trying to do things to have purpose. Because the truth is that worrying about whether or not I’m doing enough to fulfill my purpose is just wearing me out. So instead, I have humbly offered my gifts and talents to God (gifts that I received from Him in the first place) to use as He sees fits. And from now on I am going to concentrate on just being. Expressing my essential Kelly-ness in all its tenderhearted, messy, hormonal, sentimental, womperjawed glory.
April 19, 2011
on april 19, 2011 i made my first step towards discovering my {A}rt.
two weeks from today my daughter will graduate from college. and this journey – well it has not always been pretty…this blog bears witness to it. but i am here today as living proof of hope and God’s faithfulness.
there is {A}rt in my garden. thank you from the very bottom of my heart for letting me share it with you.
How wonderfully you’ve recorded your growth, both artistic and spiritual. Very moving.
I loved your post so much Kelly. It was neat to see your progression. I am really drawn to your photography, that certain light and the way you process your images.
I must say I connected with your words as well.
I so love your photography. It’s amazing to see the progress through the years. I must try that too. Be is my word for the year and it may just end up being my word for life. So much easier…