Dear Becky, Can Dry Bones Live?

Dear Becky,

Hey Girl, it’s been a hot minute hasn’t it? First it was thanksgiving, next it was Christmas, then my solo show, and now I’m preparing for a whole list of events this spring. I have felt a smidge flooded. Would you believe I even photographed an image with video and it’s been two weeks and I haven’t even laid the groundwork for completion? These are busy days, but momentum is building and it feels good. 

At any rate, while I was picking up a print in OKC and made an interesting observation while at a stop light. As I sat there my eyes wandered to a 50-something woman hobbling back and forth, with a cane, carrying a sign that said “Family in need, anything helps”. It’s funny the things you notice when you choose to be present. First I observed how she hobbled, carrying a cane.  It looked painful. But then I noticed how clean her clothes and hair looked. I thanked God that whatever circumstances had brought her to this point, she still had access to clean clothes. I also noticed another woman across the intersection, slightly younger and likely related because she had similar build and clothing. I wondered again what sequence of events would lead these two individuals to choose to beg for handouts on a street corner? 

You know me well, Becky, so you must have guessed that I would try to put myself in their shoes; that I opened my mind and heart to the voice of God as I inquired what He might be whispering at that moment. Were these circumstances truly out of their control? Was it a result of their own poor choices? Was it laziness or entitlement? Could it be poor health? You know--all the things —fair or not—that go through the head of a middle-class white woman, who’s never known the sort of circumstance these two were facing. A million thoughts filled my head as I tried to stretch my mind to understand. I could think of at least a thousand things I would choose before coming to a street corner, but is that privilege talking? What cascade of events would drive a person to the point of deciding that panhandling was the best option? I found myself asking if there could be a better way. Granted this is not a profound question—and I am in no way profound for asking. But, if I were to spring into action, what would that look like? What could I possibly have to offer this woman, or any other person for that matter, that might help for more than just a day? That’s when I heard a whisper. What if I could teach her some practical skill, craft, or form of creativity that she could put in the service of others?  What if I could provide a platform for apprenticeships for needy individuals that could turn their products into income? Something that would bend and flex to their particular needs or limitations? Something they might perhaps enjoy? The only thing I really have to give is creativity!--and at first glance might seem to fall desperately short, but does it? Does it really?

For me creativity has been a life sustaining force.  It has offered me an avenue to push past my self-imposed boundaries and explore the wilderness spaces both inside and out.  It has granted me connection and community. Most importantly, the practice of creativity has allowed me to encounter the most tangible, inextricable, and experiential encounter with who I call Jesus.   

Do you follow me, Becky?

Creativity is breath. It is life. It gives purpose. We were all born with it--in the image of it. It is only circumstance and misunderstanding that steals it from us little by little, day by day, until we are left destitute and driven to... panhandle maybe? 

When we are prevented from using our creativity, we forget who we were made to be, Becky! Don’t you see??? Imagination and creativity are the language of the Spirit—that’s why art is universal. By reminding this woman what she was born with and helping her cultivate what’s already inside her, could her dry bones live again? Could flesh and sinews be reformed into lucrative purpose? I wonder what she could bring to the table that this world is desperately lacking? 

I don’t know, Becky. I just don’t know. But by asking these questions, I felt the breath of inspiration wash over me like a bucket of ice cold water. Had an idea just taken hold of me? I think so. Who knows if it's viable, practical, or possible.  I don't even know where to begin. But I know now what I have to give and it's one of the most valuable things I possess.

Creativity.

All my blessings, Becky!

-Lauren

3 Steps for Harnessing Inspiration in Your Creative Process

“I always get where I am going, by walking away from where I’ve been”

— Pooh

When I was growing up, my childhood bestie (and best friend of nearly 30 years) had an infatuation with Winnie the Pooh that I could never fully understand.  In middle school, she carried a Pooh-themed diaper bag as a purse, because that’s what you do when you’re just dipping your toes into your own individuality--and she wore it proudly.  I always admired her conviction of things. But as it was, you might say that my older influences had me prematurely “outgrow” anything that might have been considered “juvenile” in order to avoid any consequential heckling from my two, older, rough and tumble brothers.  But time is a funny thing, and as it would have it, even things you once couldn’t understand can become nostalgic when given enough of it.

When the movie “Christopher Robin” came out, I immediately thought of my sweet friend.  Though, to my greatest surprise I found it impacted and inspired me on so many levels, that I wonder how this was so sorely bypassed in my youth! I mean, how did I not see Pooh’s wisdom?  I suppose my gray hairs have lent me the ability to hear the profound intertwined with the simple, because some of the quotes brought my whole house of cards tumbling down... and those are the moments when I know a new image is being birthed.  A lot of what I create comes very simply from the shaking--the moments that God brings the cards down and clears my line of sight. It’s the pain and discomfort of the labor that births forth a beautiful story to tell. This is how I cultivate my creative process. These are my 3 steps to harnessing inspiration in your creative process and photography:

Step 1:  Recognizing your houses of cards.

Now, you may be thinking I’m nuts. It’s all good--I’m learning to own it.  But hear me out. We’ve all developed little houses of cards--and by that, I mean fragile little ways of thinking that aren’t built from solid wholehearted thought patterns. Nope.  These fragile structures are toxic ways of thinking that are built on lies or false beliefs that come about often because of pain or disappointment. Most of the time, we don’t know they are there until the truth begins to shake underneath them.  You’ve felt it. It feels like resonance; waves of truth that amplify and reverberate deep within your soul when you hear them. Learn to be sensitive to those.

Step 2:  Let the cards fall.

So many people are scared or even paralyzed when the cards fall, because where do you go from there?  But I’m here to tell you, let them fall! Let every last wrong way of thinking come down. Sure it’s unsettling and I am no stranger to it.  But when that big fragile structure is leveled...you’ve just cleared your line of sight. You now have a new foundation from which to build truth upon.  You take that wrong way of thinking, identify what the truth is, and now you have a story to tell.

Step 3:  Tell the story

Now that you’ve identified your shifty house, weathered the storm, and endured the discomfort of the cards falling...now you begin to tell your story.  This is where the magic happens. This is where I begin to think of ways that I can symbolically represent a chapter of my story in a single image. What elements or props could you use to represent your chosen them? What body position, colors, or lack thereof would set the tone for the story you are telling?  Think about ways that you can intertwine literal interpretations with symbolic ones. But tell your story.

In this piece, I wanted to show the sense of vulnerability, joy and melancholy of waiting for dreams to come to pass.  I used the balloons to represent my many dreams, the color red to provoke a sense of strength in vulnerability and my daughter’s bear to represent my choice to approach my journey with child-like faith as I wait for my dreams to come to pass.

As I watched Christopher Robin, several parts struck me in profound ways, but among them is a part when Christopher Robin is trying to send Pooh back to the 100 acre wood in an attempt to protect his own house of cards per-sey.  We all do it. It is only natural to act in self preservation when we feel the shaking. But embrace it. And as pooh steps into the doorway he is met by his disappointment of being sent away and having to face his journey potentially alone.  Instead of walking away from those hard feelings, he embraces them, stops and waits. When Christopher Robin asks, “Pooh what are you doing”. Pooh responds, “ Sometimes when I’m going somewhere, I wait. And then a somewhere comes to me.” This is the moment when Christopher Robin chooses to embrace the shaking and let his cards fall. Upon entering the 100 acre wood, in the quest to find Pooh’s friends, they must overcome the fear of being lost--the same feeling we feel when our expectations have been leveled. Instead of becoming paralyzed in this place, they both choose to move through it, when Pooh offers this invitation...

“I always get where I am going, by walking away from where I’ve been”

— Pooh

Clouded Perspective: How shifting your perspective can shift your outcome

In photography perspective is everything.  As photographers and creatives we make a living from selling our perspective.   We see what others don’t, we make it reality, and people pay us for that. But what do you do when clouded thinking alters your perspective and renders you stuck?  What do you do when your perspective becomes the very thing that holds you prisoner to your circumstance? You have to shift.

If you know or have followed me, you know that walking through brokenness with others is the name of my game.  I’m the weirdo that gravitates toward it. Often, brokenness can bring with it a sobered mindset, which I’ve come to deeply appreciate, but it can also bring clouded perspectives.  As I’ve been walking this out, I’ve found myself chewing on this piece of shifting my perspective for some time. Isn’t it funny how when a theme is planted in your heart, you suddenly see how it relates to everything--professionally and personally?

And to think Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton’s video was the trigger point.  

If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend watching it as it has been a pandora’s box of inspiration to me.  When I look at a work like this, one thing seems clear… you must have an amazing team come together, in one harmonious vision, tasked with only one thing--you do you to further this vision.

When creatives align and have room to freely do what they do--It resonates! Ferociously.

Now, I’m admittedly a little embarrassed that you could lump me in the fan-girl category for Justin Timberlake, because I was the girl who flat refused to like NSYNC in high school.  However, as he matured from his former curly-haired-baby-face-days, JT has shown talent and creativity you cannot deny...and that music video was the tipping point for this blog-post-to-come..

It began with a rabbit-trail-of-thought where as I watched I asked myself what I would do if I had access to the same resources I saw at work in the video.  Which ultimately led me to ask myself how can I get close to creating that thing with the resources I have. Which led me to revisit this piece…

…and shift the perspective to this piece…

Which ultimately has become one of my top performing images to date and landed itself in a permanent spot for Photo Place Gallery’s Online “Altered Realities” exhibition.

Further still, if I could boil all of that down for a 5 minute interview with Justin (because we’d totes be on a first name basis), I would ask him only one question,

“What perspective(s) had to shift to get you where you are today?”  

That’s it.  

That’s all I’d want to know.

Okay, soooo I might ask my buddy Justin if he would connect me to his people so I can share the same creative connections.  Come on, I’d be stupid not too!

At any rate, I’ve been working on this thought-piece of how shifting your perspective can also shift your outcome dramatically, through the simple act of asking myself that question each time I come up against what feels like a road block. But in some instances,  my perspective was so clouded, I could not see it was wrong yet. I was still stuck in the struggle.  I was allowing my vision to be clouded by my perceived failures...failure to produce resources, failure of talent, failure to connect, failure to succeed.

Did you catch that? My vision was clouded by my perceived failures.

You see, I believe perspective can mislead you, break you, or make you.  It all depends on how you approach it and what you do with it.

For me, the right perspective always comes with the renewing of my mind in reading the bible and practice.

This past week I was invited to a private art exhibit where proceeds of sales would be donated to a local non profit.  When the owner of this non profit stood up to talk about the work he was doing, my tendency toward cynicism might have rendered me stuck at  ”here’s another dude with more money than he knows what to do with needing a tax break”. I’ll admit, that tends to be my unfortunate default, but knowing how unfair that is, I chose to shift. Quickly.  

Eleanor Roosevelt once said “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people”.

Brilliant words...so let’s focus on ideas shall we?

A really interesting thing happened when I shifted...Instead of standing in unfair shallow judgement, I was able to hear the extraordinary heart of a man with a vested interest in at-risk kids.  A man who was himself surprised at the exponential change taking place. What began as a relatively straightforward idea of improving sports fields and resources at inner-city schools has been directly reflected in the increase in graduation numbers and teens pursuing higher education, as well as lowering incarceration stats among the teens and young adults in the area. My perspective had shifted.

After listening to that, I had to shake that man’s hand.  So I did. Which I should point out, is a boldness that I did not previously possess due to the misperception that I don’t belong.

Furthermore,he introduced me to his right hand-- a lady who owns a branding and marketing company--also wildly successful by my current standards.  Among many hats she wears, she loves to help non profits reach their full potential by breaking through certain stereotypes around fundraising that cause them to plateau. As I stood and talked to her for a long time, she offered me a very interesting little morsel to chew on.  She said that she believes her company’s success rides solely on her positive perspective about fundraising, which contrasts with the traditional “check the box” perspective the rest of her profession carries. What a funny thing to say, but since we’re focusing on ideas, let me explain how it applied to my personal experience.

This week I heard a fellow creative say that she felt she was invisible to her audience.  It broke my heart. That used to be a HUGE struggle of mine that ultimately caused me to remain stuck in my business and online presence.  For me it boiled down to the lie that I don’t belong. I shared with her a quote I read in “Braving The Wilderness” that was a catalyst for breaking that misperception:

“Stop walking through the world looking for confirmation that you don’t belong. You will always find it because you’ve made that your mission. Stop scouring people’s faces for evidence that you’re not enough. You will always find it because you’ve made that your goal. True belonging and self-worth are not goods; we don’t negotiate their value with the world. The truth about who we are lives in our hearts. Our call to courage is to protect our wild heart against constant evaluation, especially our own. No one belongs here more than you.”

— Brene Brown, Braving The Wilderness,

What a perspective shift!  One that I have traversed personally.  

You see, three years ago I set out to start my photography business and was failing miserably as of late last year.  I believe it’s because I didn’t yet believe that my perspective behind a camera carried worth. I believe God frustrated my efforts to get me to hone in on my unique perspective which cannot be duplicated by another.  If I had not been bored and frustrated to tears, if I had something left to lose--professionally speaking, I would not have found my most honest voice behind the camera. I would not have determined that my photographic perspective was worth the price I command and I would still be negotiating my worth with clients who wanted to spend less.

Let’s hang out here for just a second...

As creatives, it’s a tough business, amirite?  As a photographer, I would sometimes have prospective clients come to me because they love my work/perspective, but they didn’t love my price and they want me to do it “this” way.  

How, pray-tell, does that work?  Who hired who?

Clients, let me tell you this...if you ask a creative to bend their vision to yours, they may acquiesce because they want the business, but the outcome will disappoint because you have quenched the very creative spark that drew you to them in the first place.

And, if you saw and admired the work of a creative...BUUUUYYYYY IT. Don’t run off to a big box store and buy the cheap, mass-produced, not original, wanna-be-art. Because every time a bell rings...another artist starves to death for a bullshit cheap imitation. Trust us, will you?  We’re professionals! ;)

I digress...

My efforts were frustrated, but it brought me to a place of demanding my worth.  Of realizing that me and my work’s worth remains even if it is not appreciated by the masses. Because someone will and that connection is worth everything to me! I believe God orchestrated the frustration of my efforts to show me that I was aiming for the wrong thing.  Instead, I realized I’ve got something to say and the right people haven’t heard it yet. I made the choice to speak my truth even if no one appears to be listening, because my voice matters even if it’s not appreciated by the masses. The things I have to say won’t be relevant to everyone, but they will be relevant to someone.

That is what it’s about amirite?

Just because I personally do not love Picasso’s work doesn’t mean his work doesn’t have worth now does it?

It’s all about the shift.  And if you shift the right direction, so will your outcome.

If my perspective had not shifted, I would still be shedding tears that I did not have the resources I needed to do what I was doing. I’d still be making excuses that my camera isn’t the one I need. It isn’t, but it works doesn’t it? I’d still be complaining that I don’t have a great wardrobe to work with, but as it turns out a tank top and shorts are good enough.  Without being brought to my knees and asking God “what gives?!”... I would not be doing what I am doing. I would not have seen the increase that I have or be connecting with the people I am.

There are so many more examples I could share concerning this oh-so-powerful shift, but what it really comes down to is this one introspective question:

What perspective(s) do you need to shift in order to massively change your outcome?

Is it your belief about your worth? you work? Or something else?

If you can answer that one question. Again and again. I can guarantee you will make a shift in the right direction.