questioning, abandoning, enclosing
081 • 8/04/2025
On Creative Vision: I have been teaching a photography class at University of New Mexico/Continuing Education for a few years, titled: Photography, Developing a Creative Vision.
I just returned from a wonderful vacation with my sons and their families who live in Washington State. The one thing we did most was hike on woodland trails, through beaver habitats, and popular tourist sites. Over the length of the trip I averaged more than 10,000 steps a day, with the most being logged at Discovery Park (Seattle). I tracked in at 19,735 steps winding in and out of narrow forested trails and wide vistas that opened up to expansive views of Puget Sound.
One of the most interesting discoveries I made was walking with my youngest son, Ryan. As we were walking on a trail he said, “Do you hear that?” I strained and barely heard a series of chirps. Then he removed his cell phone from his pocket and tapped on a few buttons and said, “That’s a red-tail hawk!”
Ryan is seriously connected to the electronic world and I was proud and pleased that he identified the bird. Both my sons are very much into nature and its sounds, as well as the flora and fauna that populate our wetlands and forests.
My class about developing a creative vision allows one to be able to take a moment and take in those sounds of nature. Even the laughter of children is a joy to hear in an urban or natural setting. I am beginning to realize that my class might not be limited to photography, specifically.
I am not writing this as a promo for my class. It’s simply a reminder that with all the stress, pressure, and demands we live through on a daily basis, maybe it is time to take a moment and open your eyes a little larger and “unplug” to see with a creative vision and hear the songs of birds and other natural things.
Image: Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, Seattle (view). ©Tim Anderson
*******
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, free or paid. Comments are always welcomed! Enjoy!
The act of questioning is the only way to find truth — maintain your curiosity. “Dare to know! Have the courage to use your own intelligence.” — Immanuel Kant
The Good Girl: Being 'the good one' — quiet, kind, agreeable, always putting others first. It’s praised, rewarded, expected. But over time, the weight of it can settle in the body like something unspoken. What happens when being ‘good’ means abandoning parts of yourself? When pleasing others comes at the cost of your own voice, your own needs?
There’s courage in choosing differently, in making space for your own truth, even when it’s messy or misunderstood. And with that choice comes the possibility of something softer, freer, and far more real — a life shaped not by who we think we should be, but by who we genuinely are. ©Sarah Beckett/Reflections (The youth and wisdom of Sarah Beckett is surprising. I do know at that age I hardly knew how to spell “wisdom,” let alone incorporate that into my life. Now, at this point, I accept wisdom, no matter the age of the source.)
Out Beyond Ideas: “I’m a great fan of thinking — thinking as clearly as I can, grounded in the most reliable facts I can find. Which is to say, I’m a great fan of sound ideas.
But when I look at the way our conflicting ideas of “what is” and “what ought to be” lead us to dismiss, demonize, and even destroy one another, I yearn for the “field” that Rumi points to in this well-known poem — a field that lies “out beyond ideas…” ©Parker J. Palmer/On Being.
Shadow & Light Magazine Archives: Nikola Hackl-Haslinger, The Invitation: “Everyday life, constantly enclosing us, holds a wealth of treasures, waiting to be discovered by us, perceived in a moment of silence. In times like these, it might seem quite a challenge to give in to this deeply felt yearning for harmony and see the beauty that surrounds us.
On walking through a landscape, my senses can open up to moments of exactly this beauty, often unheeded and lying in secret, notice them and give them artistic expression. Pressing the camera shutter button, which opens the lens shutter for the moment I choose, is comparable to the symbolic act of opening a portal. It is exactly this act that creates a link between the objectivity of the perceived and my subjective interpretation.” © image: The Invitation I/Nicola Haskl-Haslinger. (-ed. I have long been fascinated by doors, windows, anything that might lead to a better and deeper knowing.)
Poetics: Mary Oliver, Storage: I need me some Oliver! Most of us can relate to the word, storage. When I was researching to find a poem for this issue I came across a wonderful little book from Oliver, “Felicity,” that is full of poetic gems. I picked it up and fanned the contents and stopped. Storage was waiting for me. Over the years I have had my challenges with storage. At this point in time, however, I do not have a storage unit. As a result I do feel a bit lighter.
Storage
When I moved from one house to another
there were many things I had no room
for. What does one do? I rented a storage
space. And filled it. Years passed.
Occasionally I went there and looked in,
but nothing happened, not a single
twinge of the heart.
As I grew older the things I cared
about grew fewer, but were more
important. So one day I undid the lock
and called the trash man. He took
everything.
I felt like the little donkey when
his burden is finally lifted. Things!
Burn them, burn them! Make a beautiful
fire! More room in your heart for love,
for the trees! For the birds who own
nothing–the reason they can fly.
©Mary Oliver
the starter is a reader-supported publication. To produce this newsletter it takes a bit of time, research and effort to create. If you would like to receive new posts and support my work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.