It's About Process...

131 • 7/20/2026

It’s about Process…

“Sometimes we find that as we are working on a project, things begin to happen with a seemingly complementary aspect. In the process of putting together this issue of the starter, that is exactly what happened.””

The above paragraph was written for an earlier “starter,” and went on the describe how certain issues almost seem to form with little physical effort from me. Sure, my fingers are doing their dance on the keyboard, while my head is conjuring up visions of words and images.

Issue 131 of “the starter” began with a discovery in my email inbox that came with a poem from someone who has never sent me a poem! This, from a publisher who sends out regular posts about photographers… never a poem. Never. Once you read the poem by Pablo Neruda, at the bottom of this issue, you will see there is no mention of photography, which I think is a cover.

Besides being a publisher, however, he also releases his own books and they are among my favorites because his products do contain a certain amount of poetic sensibility. So, I guess it’s not too far of a stretch, is it?

The rest of this issue just seemed to drop into place of their own volition.

For the “Read here” section I was looking for a certain subject or some kind of idea that would serve to point me in a direction that would make some kind of sense. I was led to one of my peers who surfaced in this newsletter on more than one occasion. Maria Popova never disappoints.

I had narrowed my choices for the “Watch here” section to four and as I watched each one I could tell within a few minutes if it was in or out. One thing I really don’t like about some videos is when they are too perfect and the presentation looks like more of an act, rather than a simple offering of a certain knowledge. Watching Michael describe his life kept a smile on my face and I truly enjoyed his “offering.”

Featuring photographer Jeff Schewe in the “View here” piece was a no brainer because he had died only a few months ago. To my amazement I only met him once in person, but we shared many emails on various aspects of photography. He is one of those presences in life that will never be forgotten.

So, what happens in your life that causes you to wait a moment. Where did that “voice” come from? What does it mean?

Our Muses work in various mysterious ways which we really shouldn’t spent too much time in analyzing.

“The greatest benefit to me in producing each issue is that when one is completed, my shoulders seem to relax, and I feel an immediate sense of peace. As you read this each Monday morning, I hope you feel the same as I do when I complete the process.”

Even though the above was written a couple of years ago, it is still very true!

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Please pass this along to others of like mind. We do need to spread the positivity around! Know that I will be working hard to make the starter better with each issue. It will come into your inbox at 8am, each Monday morning. Comments are always welcomed! Enjoy!

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“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swamps of the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real.. it is possible.. it's yours.” Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

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David Whyte on Anger, Forgiveness, and What Maturity Really Means | Maria Popova: “ANGER is the deepest form of compassion, for another, for the world, for the self, for a life, for the body, for a family and for all our ideals, all vulnerable and all, possibly about to be hurt.

“Stripped of physical imprisonment and violent reaction, anger is the purest form of care, the internal living flame of anger always illuminates what we belong to, what we wish to protect and what we are willing to hazard ourselves for. What we usually call anger is only what is left of its essence when we are overwhelmed by its accompanying vulnerability, when it reaches the lost surface of our mind or our body’s incapacity to hold it, or when it touches the limits of our understanding. ” ©Maria Popova (ed. Popova and Whyte… you can’t go wrong there!)

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Before it’s too Late | Reflections: We don’t always get to choose what happens to us. Plans unravel, circumstances change, and life has a way of interrupting even our most peaceful moments. But we do have some say in what happens next, and in how much power we allow those moments to hold over us. Acceptance doesn’t mean pretending that everything is fine, or denying the frustration or fear that may be present. Sometimes it simply means taking a breath, letting go of the fight with what already is, and choosing how we want to respond from here. It’s a daily practice, and we won’t always get it right. Some days we fall back into resistance and old habits. But each new moment gives us another chance to pause and choose again. ©Reflections (ed. this is one my favorite videos from Reflections. Michael Canfield is a role model for me, now.)

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Shadow & Light Magazine Archives | Jeff Schewe, Black & White in Antartica: “I’ve had the good fortune to have been able to shoot in Antarctica three times. Each trip was a trip of a lifetime and the sheer quantity of images captured (36,029 to be precise) during those trips has made it hard to get a handle on. I’ve got a lot of images that were obvious, but it really wasn’t until the Covid Pandemic lockdown that I directed my attention towards images I’ve already shot vs planning and traveling to new locations to shoot.

The thing about Antarctica is the light, which is ever changing, and the textures that light produces. There were some images whose light and shapes and texture were more pronounced in B&W than in color. As I started selection editing with B&W in mind, I found many more images that literally begged to have the color removed and the light and shadows enhanced.

I’m not done yet…but putting a folio of images together has been the beginning of mining a whole new body of work. I’m pleased to share these images with the readers of Shadow & Light Magazine 2023.” ©Jeff Schewe/image (ed. 1954-2026. Jeff died a few months ago and has left a huge space in the world of photography. I only met him once but he has been in Shadow & Light Magazine a couple of times. Fortunately, for us, a huge body of work will continue to honor his legacy.)

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Poetics | Pablo Neruda: I wasn’t looking for this poem when it arrived in my inbox, this morning. It came from someone who has never sent out a poem in the many years I have known him. But, there it is and I would like to share this gift with you, this morning.

If You Forget Me

I want you to know
one thing.

You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats
that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.

Well, now,
if little by little you stop loving me
I shall stop loving you little by little.

If suddenly
you forget me
do not look for me,
for I shall already have forgotten you.

If you think it long and mad,
the wind of banners
that passes through my life,
and you decide
to leave me at the shore
of the heart where I have roots,
remember
that on that day,
at that hour,
I shall lift my arms
and my roots will set off
to seek another land.

But
if each day,
each hour,
you feel that you are destined for me
with implacable sweetness,
if each day a flower
climbs up to your lips to seek me,
ah my love, ah my own,
in me all that fire is repeated,
in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,
my love feeds on your love, beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine.

©Pablo Neruda

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