Week 4: Minimalist Photography and One More Light

So for those that know me, music is a big influence for me.  I have, and will continue to listen to several different genres of music.  From old hymns such as Love Lifted Me, or Lindsey Stirling's Shatter Me, Enya's Orinoco Flow or Linkin Park's Paper Cut, each one has a significance to me or my life or I somehow relate.  To this day Queensryche still takes me to a dark place and Cinderella makes me want to head bang.  But this blog is not about the different variations of music I listen to or don't.  Ginger read me something yesterday about anyone can take a picture but a photographer is able to see the picture before he/she takes it.  And that describes my creative process.

For example, during this week I have heard various songs on the radio, Spotify, others playing their music.  In the midst of those songs I heard Collective Soul's Shine.  I've always liked this song and it has a lyric that goes, "Heaven send a light, let it shine on me."  And a picture came into my head.  This is that picture:


I have taken to loving minimalist photography.  And though that is my interpretation, others may see something completely different.  Having come from the past I have, there were times I would never have dreamed Heaven's light would shine on me.  But I have had a chance to reflect this past week while attempting to help someone and realize in the past 11 years how much God has really shined his light on me.  I am blessed.  He brought a light in the darkness and showed me the way.  And though at times the way seems dark, He always shines His light to show me His way.


Another song has a completely other meaning.  It comes from Linkin Park and it is quite a slow song (some of you are going, you listen to slow songs?).  It is called One More Light.   Haunting because not long after this song was released, the singer/author died. 

So here are part of the lyrics:

If they say
Who cares if one more light goes out?
In a sky of a million stars
It flickers, flickers
Who cares when someone's time runs out?
If a moment is all we are
We're quicker, quicker
Who cares if one more light goes out?
Well I do

And so this picture came to my mind:


So what does this picture say to me?  We never know how our words or actions affect others.  Do we hold the fate of someone's light in our hand?  And do we protect that light or flame or do we extinguish it? 

For some of us, who care for those who suffer from mental disorders, who are caretakers, those flames, those lights are precious.  They suffer and we want to shield, to protect to help keep the light bright and alive. 

And there are others who suffer from depression, addiction, or a myriad of other ailments. For them there are people who help protect our light inside and tragically there are others who want to extinguish our light either through indifference, ignorance, or just utter hate. 

Isn't it interesting how just a picture of a hand holding a candle and another hand shielding it can bring such interpretation? 

You see my favorite creative endeavors are the one's that make people think.  If all you see are two hands and a candle, that is okay too, I just invite you to look deeper.

Baa

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