One summer some many years ago, I took a photography class. Each week the teacher gave us a specific assignment to go out and shoot. He didn’t instruct us to take pictures of specific objects, rather, the assignment was for our pictures to “say” something specific. And the words, as simple as they seemed, made for a vastly different experience of photography for me.
The first word was shoes. Simple sounding, right? Everyone brought in pictures of closets full of shoes, a pair of shoes on a headstone, I even put a boot in the refrigerator next to apple juice. Surely that said shoe (or boot in my case). Not… each picture spoke to the instructor like a closet full of shoes, shoes on a headstone and whoopee, boot in the fridge. I got a thumbs up when I hung different kinds and colors of horseshoes on a welded wire fence just above a pair of boots. He told me that said shoes. One brownie point made.
The next word was soft… now go figure that one out. How do you photograph soft? I was beginning to understand the perspective our teacher wanted us to convey, but soft? There were pictures of slow-moving water (you know, when it looks like cotton), baby’s bottoms and Q-Tips, fuzzy puppies and rose petals but, did any of them say soft? Nope, I didn’t get that one. I cloned a teddy bear several times and spelled the word ‘soft’ in teddy bears on a plush navy-blue blanket. He laughed and at least gave me credit for it saying soft even though the photo didn’t really “say,” soft.
The last word was water… now picture a beautiful waterfall or a mirrored lake, the rolling tides on a beach or a dripping faucet. These are all pictures of water, but did they say “water”? Not according to the instructor. He called them out for what they were pictures of, not what the pictures said. Interesting perspective, yes?
When I went on a drive about to shoot “water”, I came back with droplets falling off the end of icicles, rain falling in a puddle, sprinkler water on rose petals, a waterfall splashing into a pool, mist and all. When I printed them out, I certainly thought water, each photo showed me what it was, but they didn’t say water to me. I think I was getting it, what the teacher was trying to convey.
I put an Evian water bottle in the dog’s water bowl and turned the faucet on over it. It sort of passed muster, but the winner was when I dropped a half empty bottle of water upside down into the spa and captured it plunging in as it created ringlets and bubbles and droplets. For that one, I got an attaboy. My photo spoke water.
Isn’t it amazing how we perceive things? What stories our “pictures” tell us and how all that can change in an instant when viewed from another perspective?
Changing perspectives may offer you a vast array of new experiences, insight into otherwise unexplored ideas, or gift you with a new point of view (realistically and metaphorically). It is an opportunity to broaden your horizons, challenge old inherited beliefs, and maybe, just maybe, begin a new dialogue with yourself in “your” story.
How about actively seeking out viewpoints that challenge your own, exploring different opinions, and maybe stepping outside your comfort zone by opening yourself to learning something in a new way (like not what a picture shows, but what it says).
What if you allowed yourself to accept that you have a unique point of view that has been formed by your own individual experiences, beliefs, and values, BUT… allow that at any given moment, your own perspective can change, and that’s OK.
It’s like putting on a new pair of glasses, you are seeing with new eyes through different lens that allow for the evolution of your perspective and perhaps, a greater understanding of the world you live in.
What does your favorite picture “say”? I’d love to know. You can reply here or post it under this thread.
Have a super weekend, a fabulous Father’s Day (Dad’s Rock!) and a bountiful summer…
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Vicki Dobbs is a bold and adventurous warrior walking a path of heart to manifest spirituality in everyday lives. She opens existential gateways for individuals to face their challenges and embrace these tests as the great teachers that they are.
Her goal is to see everyone walk in beauty and balance every day of their lives empowered by the voice of their own authentic truth.
Through Wisdom Evolution and Sacred Wisdom Workshops, Vicki creates opportunities for others to make deep personal changes through experiential classes, ceremony, sacred art and story. She endeavors to inspire others to create their lives intentionally. Vicki is an Inspirator of everyday awareness, an Instigator of spontaneous stories and a Connoisseur of Creativity. Gratitude and grace sprinkled with humility and humor are the medicine she brings to the world.
As an Elder, Teacher and Entrepreneur, Spiritual Coach, Ordained Minister and Crafter of Sacred Art and Tools, Vicki perceives life’s journey as an ever-upward spiraling ascension of the human spirit leading her to wisdom, wholeness and authenticity.
Her experience includes being trained in the Harner Method of Shamanic Counseling and the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition of Cross Cultural Shamanism. She is a Graduate Teacher and Mentor with the Lynn Andrews Center For Sacred Arts and Training and has been the Administrator and Writers Guide for Writing Spirit, the School.
Vicki is also an Artist of the Spirit Certified Spiritual and Energetic Life Coach, a Graduate Mentor in the AoS program and a founding member of HeatherAsh Amara’s Warrior Goddess Leadership Team and Facilitator of the Warrior Heart Practice.
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