7.14.2009

Life, photography & Kiera


I came across Kiera's blog by happy accident, but after I had perused her images, I continued to follow her blog intentionally. I loved the way she experimented with mood, light, shadow and composition. I enjoyed reading her thoughts on life, motherhood and photography, too. We occasionally emailed back and forth, sharing inspirational ideas and thoughts around photography and even though we had never met, I felt like I could relate to her and I was hoping to meet her in person. We arranged a get-together when I was visiting my hometown and, thankfully, all the stars were aligned in order to make that happen.

I'm so grateful for that experience because it filled my cup in so many ways. It has been way too long since I've let go of my expectations around the art that I produce and allowed myself to explore my practice of photography, unfettered by a fear of 'failure'. It can be a real stumbling block for me at times, but I'm making progress towards freeing myself from that perfectionist drive. I have noticed that one of the great gifts of my yoga practice is that the lessons I'm learning 'on the mat' are slowly infusing into other areas of my life 'off the mat', like photography. I am learning that I don't have to be great or the best or always better. I can let messy, inconsistent life be what it is and I can even find delight in that on my good days. I can explore, create, and imagine without being so tied into the outcome. I can focus more easily on the process and the transition, which shapes and refines me in wondrous ways.

Kiera, you are a gem and a beauty and I'm so thankful I finally got to connect with you. Your open-hearted and generous spirit was so much fun to be around. Thank you for sharing yourself with me! Looking forward to next time!! :-)

P.S. Check out my Flickr for more images from this sesh ... http://www.flickr.com/photos/28577570@N05/sets/72157621326772235/
Pin It