The Power of Conviction

Faith

“Faith makes things possible, not easy.”

In all aspects of our life, we are tested. We fight with our loved ones, we make mistakes at work, we miss an opportunity, we don’t grow at the pace we think we should. People are quick to judge, but there are never enough hugs and pats on the back. For me, there is also a shortage of time.

Just like anyone else, there are moments when I feel tired, run-down and discouraged. Like most entrepreneurs, I juggle too much and I spend a lot of time reaching for the stars (while still striving to nurture the “right now” with the people I care about). In those moments, when I struggle with disappointment and focus, faith is the only thing that keeps me going.

I have to believe that things with the people I care about will get better.

…that mistakes will be forgiven, and that with hard work comes more opportunity.

…that I will find the time to study more, to practice more, to network more and to grow both professionally and as a person.

…that my efforts will yield results, and remember to be thankful for those results, big or small.

…that people will appreciate my photography, the way I see the world and the way I make my path through it.

…that I will continue to make progress towards the professional goals of traveling with a camera, and the personal goals for long-term, continued happiness.

I have to have faith.
Conviction doesn’t make my journey any easier.  Life is about balance, and for every good day I have, every laugh and smile, there will also be sadness.  People will disappoint me, I will fail at things, tears will be shed.  But on the days when I question myself and my choices, it is faith that will motivate me to keep moving forward.  Belief makes my dreams possible.

Quotography Submission #2

Grace and Faith

As I’m sure all of you have come to realize, Quotograph images don’t just represent a set of words.  They represent how you feel about the words, and more importantly, they tell a story.

The last of my two submissions come with a story, for sure!

My second quote was a verse from the Bible, “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. [Ephesians 2:8]”

My first, obvious thought was to include an image of something involving a church, a Bible, a cross, rosary… something along those lines.  However, as with the last quote, I felt this deserved more.  I have an inherent respect for all things religious, regardless of the religion, and wanted to do better than just a shallow, surface representation of this.

I talked with another creative about this image, trying to come up with ideas worthy of the quote. At the time, I had a trip to NYC planned, and we had discussed photographing some of the famous cathedrals there, and somehow involving someone who was down on their luck.  Fortuitously, while in NYC I stumbled upon just such a scene and while I grabbed a few shots, they didn’t speak to me.

We continued with our agenda for the day, which included a visit to Chinatown to see a Buddhist temple (which was closed) and the 9/11 memorial (which was closing as we got there! Haha).  As we made our way down to the waterfront, we stumbled upon a gentleman in prayer out in an open space.

This was the moment I had been searching for.  It felt right to me. He was completely lost in prayer, and that alone spoke volumes. The fact that he was out in the open, (figuratively) naked to the world resonated with devotion to his religion. This was a man who was so invested in his beliefs that could forgo the trappings and icons of religion, and still find his connection to faith. It was an inspiring scene.

I hope you, regardless of personal philosophy, are able to find something meaningful in that moment for yourself.

Quotography

"Faith becomes a bridge between where I am and where I want to go." ~ TD Jakes

“Faith becomes a bridge between where I am and where I want to go.” ~TD Jakes

When I first saw that quote, I felt the weight of it. Thirteen words that I could identify with, that felt true based on my experiences in life. And being a ‘visual’ person, those words brought images to mind – an unassuming bridge with a dramatic sky to add interest. (Yes, even my imagination is well-composed! I’m a photographer, afterall. :p) once I had a visual impression of the quote, I set about bringing that image to life.

I admit, this is not the first time I have created a photo inspired by a quote. It started as a personal journey, which I then opened up to friends. I began making quotagraphs of words that were meaningful to the people that touched my life. It was a nice gift, but also, a way to flex my creative muscles.

I recently talked to my friend Nick at Nick Exposed about my quote images, with the intention of sharing some inspiration. The conversation rapidly turned into a plan – we want to share the creativity with both our fellow photographers, but also, with you…the people who support, encourage and inspire me.

So, Nick and I have planned a creative quotography adventure and you are all invited. You do need a camera of some sort, and more importantly…the desire to learn, to grow and to have fun making art with other creatives. If you think you’d like to join the party, leave a comment below, send me an email at seespotsphoto at yahoo dot com or find me on Facebook…and make sure to like my page while you’re there!

As always, thank you for your support! It gives me faith that this bridge will take me where I want to be. 🙂