1/12/2020
“It is a State of Mind”
I am not afraid of the camera, and I do not hesitate to share with the world what the camera captures of me.
People are always surprised by how much I love to be in pictures. I will admit, there is definitely an ounce of selfishness in its’ nature, but beyond that, there is a craving for remembrance. A remembrance of all the things that have been.
What an unusual feeling to look at pictures throughout the decade and realize every single one is of a different version of yourself. You see the terrible haircuts and silly smiles. The heartbreaks and the moments of triumph. All these moments tell a story of someone who loves profoundly or craves adventure. A person who cares about the outcome of the photo or never knew it was being taken. It gives that moment an identity, something to hold on to.
In my series of photos over the decade, I watch a woman who learned how to love people with more intention. I learned that being the perfect version of anything is overrated and that it is the people who sit with you in the moments of the unknown that will bring out the very best in you.
Those photos also help me remember the moments of lostness, the moments where I allowed my passions to grow stagnant, the moments I hurt others, and the moments that made me rethink character and love. Each photo teaching me more than the last. There are reflections we see in those pictures that otherwise would be forgotten. The mundane moments that now hold our attention.
I wish I could remember every smile I have ever made. If only I could tell the story of every time someone made me laugh or held me tight. Even if I tried my hardest to recite them all, I could never come close. Photos give me that comfort. The comfort to see how crazy in love with that moment I was. The power to remember people for what they were in my life versus what they are now.
It is a powerful thing to know that we have so much ahead
that was developed from all the things we left behind.
We are not meant to make a home of the past.
The beauty of its’ purpose, though, should always find room in our minds.
When you look at your photos from the decade, what do you see? What stories do they tell? Did you take enough pictures to remember those moments?
I hope you know that you have come so far and have so many places to go, so don’t be so afraid to document that journey. You don’t have to look put together or posed to honor a memory or a time in your life. Let people take pictures of you when they see something beautiful or silly about you. They are doing you the biggest favor.
