My regular photos are meant to capture the souls of flowers. My art photos are different; they are about the artist inside me, hoping to come out and touch the world somehow. My idea of flowers is deepening and expanding, and that, I hope, is reflected in my pictures. I hope to capture the mysticism and feeling of flowers in the art pictures.
I don’t see them as one thing but one thing among other things. Flowers are a community, just like people would like to be. One depends on the other, is connected to the other, and is part of something larger than itself. Flowers are sometimes pretty, sometimes ugly, often dying slow but beautiful deaths.
My job is to capture all of that and the feeling it generates in us. It’s certainly shaking me up.
In my art photos, I look for a center to focus the camera on, not the whole thing but a small part of the thing that calls our attention to heart and soul. That is what I am trying to reflect. I greatly appreciate your support of this work and your encouragement.
One woman posted a comment on my blogs the other day saying she had followed my blog for a while but was getting sick of my pictures. Too bad, I said, you might want to go somewhere else for the next few years. I am not so foolish that I expect everyone to like my work, which is not something I need.
I’m still learning why people like that need to say it rather than go away like I do when I don’t like something. That is a Rubik’s Cube for me; I’ll never get it. I will learn to live with it.
This is not entirely new. I remember you posting some incredible, deeply touching plant, leaf, and even flower pictures back in 2008 or so. I recall many comments about color and light, as well. The flowers seem to be your artistic destiny.
Thanks, Gretchen, gratefully said. I remember the plant leaves back then; I think they reflect my crack-up and depression that. I thank you for remembering them, they were my first photo graphs.
I am learning, Jon………to begin to see the difference between your flower photos……and your *art* photos. It is a learning experience for me to start to look at these in a different way than what I am accustomed to…..to perceive something different than what I am used to at first glance…….and that is called *learning*………and means growth. Many thanks!
Susan M
Thanks to you..
I thought I had read all your books and just last week discovered one that was new to me – The Second Chance Dog: A Love Story. At the end of the book you provide a website address describing a video where the reader can meet Fareeda. I entered that address but it says the link is no longer available. If that is a mistake can you let me know? If it’s not a mistake I’m sorry as I came to deeply appreciate Frieda through your story and would have liked to meet her – even in a video.
The link isn’t up and hasn’t been for years now, thanks for the good words…
Thank you John. I love your words about flowers and your flower photos. I take flower photos too and have done so for years. I love weeds and leaves also and if there is a bug on one so much the better. Cheers from someone who appreciates your work.
I enjoy your flower pictures, Jon, and if there’s something I don’t like, I merely scroll on. I have learned that other people aren’t here to satisfy my needs and desires. When they do something I don’t like, I don’t get offended or huffy with entitlement, and point the finger of blame at them, saying, “Fix this!” My counselor taught me that children see the world that way, not emotionally mature adults. Now I can for sure behave like that, so that’s my work – to mature emotionally, and be responsible for how I feel.
I think when they need to complain about your blog they are trying to make it their blog. How rude. I agree with about ninety percent of what you say, but it is the other ten percent that makes me think. I must then look into myself and examine my own values. Understand them better or heavens, maybe change them. It is the differences that make life interesting. Sameness can be boring.
I do find it rude, but it also seems an offshoot of our new technology…when you never see people or even have to know them to tell them what to do, you can easily slip into this stance of knowing more than everyone. I am not looking to be cruel, but it does anger me. It invases privacy and disrespects individually and is stifling when it comes to ideas..Thanks for the message, Barbary..
Jon, everyday I look forward to what you write whether I agree or disagree. I learn either way.
Often, fine wisdom comes from the comments.
Today it’s from a wise learning lady, Karla Kuriger. (I paraphrase.) Her counselor says children get huffy and want their own way and see the world this way.
Emotionally MATURE adults DON’T.
Karla says her job is to mature emotionally and be RESPONSIBLE for how she feels.
I. JoyDawn, am working on my emotional maturity too.