Getting Grounded

Every once in a while I find myself feeling drained of creativity. I begin to get sucked into the whirlwind of everyday life and I feel the vibrance and creativity drain from my bones.

I begin to think there’s nothing original left to be done. An image is an image. It’s all the same and it’s been done a million times. I run out of ideas. I wonder why I bother anyway.

Then, inevitably, something happens. I witness something shocking. I meet someone who inspires me. I find a plant growing in a sidewalk. I watch my children play together. Whatever that something is, it wakes me up and reminds me that life is amazing: its wonders abound! I’m instantly filled with emotions and I have a million things to say!

I’ve been “waking up” more often lately – noticing when the mundane is pulling me off track – but sometimes there are experiences that just smack me over the head. Spending an afternoon in Mount Rainier National Park was one of those experiences.

It may seem backwards to say that these events help me get grounded when they spark such emotions, but to me “emotional” is exactly what life is. It’s rich, vibrant, broad, and unexpected.

If you’re life is monotonous, without an array of wonders to savor each and every day, then I would guess you’re being sucked into the whirlwind that has been created by people. People, that is, who have forgotten what it means to live.

It’s time to wake up. Ground yourself in the reality of what surrounds you. It’s the stuff that matters. I’ll keep making photographs to remind you, but really you don’t need my images. It’s all right in front of you; see for yourself.