It's Good to Stretch
You know how some mornings when you have had the greatest night of sleep and you wake up and stretch your muscles. It feels so good! I feel like my body thanks me, and all I can do is smile. In the same way I am finding it is good to give myself space to stretch and grow in general areas of my life. This year I have taken more of a lead photographer role at the farm. If you don't know what "the farm" is, it is where I work year round. (To find out more you can visit here.) There is great joy that comes with my job because I get to do what I love, this covers many areas but I am going to focus on photography. I am taking photos all the time. Events that happen, when the 18 Inch Journey school is running, and now I am being stretched into photographing in areas that are not my normal. Areas like merchandise photography, banners, stylized shoots for books. It is amazing to say that I am doing all of this but it does not come easy for me. I have learned the greatness in giving into learning while being on the job.
Photo by: Rachel Rittman
I get to work with amazing people. They inspire me and push me to become greater in all that I do. I am stretched. By stretched I mean I am stepping out of my comfort zone regularly and asked to photograph in ways that I never have. I am in a huge learning curve. I consider this a blessing and the great thing is that I am trusted. Even though it is not my normal. I feel covered in the work I am doing because I have leaders who are guiding me and helping me as I grow. The stretching is leading me to growth. I am becoming a more well rounded photographer. My leaders are calling the greatness out of me from areas that I wouldn't have chosen to step into on my own. This is one thing I love about my job. All of us are giving our lives to all sorts of dreams but we are not allowing each other to be satisfied and plateau. There is always room for growth. There is always room to learn. I am embracing the places that they are speaking into and giving myself grace and space to grow.
There seems to be an expectation that we should have it all together, or get something right the first time. If we don't, we are a failure. Not true. I wonder what we could accomplish if we really gave ourselves space to learn and continue learning. Most of my influences and people I look up to are constantly learning, even generations far ahead of me still desire to learn. It inspires me and brings me freedom. I am thankful for this time that I have to learn and to have people speaking into my life. Those to encourage me and to also help me see how I can improve. Is there space you could give yourself to grow? Space to step out and try something new? It is liberating. If you haven't in a while I encourage you to!
The Blue Ridge Mountains
One of my favorite parts of the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is when the photographer has been waiting to capture an image for hours, maybe even days, and when the times comes to take the photo this is the conversation Walter and Sean have:
Walter Mitty: When are you going to take it?
Sean O'Connell: Sometimes I don't. If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don't like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it.
Walter Mitty: Stay in it?
Sean O'Connell: Yeah. Right there. Right here.
This weekend I was in Boone, NC driving the Blue Ridge Parkway and hiking with my friend, Rachel. We were recommended a lookout spot to visit. On the way up and once we arrived I was taking photos, normal. Beautiful shots everywhere. Once I felt I had captured enough I walked up next to Rachel who had just laid down on the rock face. She said, "Lay down Syd, it feels so good!" In my mind I was more like, "Okay, I have experienced this lookout lets go to the next." As I continued to stand and she responded laughing, "Just lay down." So I laid down. "Isn't it warm?" Last time I laid in nature was in a tent and there was snow on the ground, but to my surprise the rock was warm. Quickly my mind it felt like I was laying on the beach on a warm day. At least that until the next wind gust came and I was glad I wasn't in a swimsuit on this mountain.
I LOVE laying in the sun, but it's not normal for me to lay in the sun on a mountainside. Instead of prematurely leaving, we laid on this mountainside and talked for hours, looked out over the Blue Ridge and watched small clouds form and disappear right in front of us. Simple and memorable. The invitation to slow down had welcomed me and I was taking it in deep. We could drive for hours looking at all the lookouts, taking hundreds of photos, and getting the feeling of "experiencing it all." I think in the slowing down we were truly able experience this mountain view. Letting creation effect me not just by seeing something beautiful, it was marking me because I gave into fully seeing it. I love photos and the way the tell stories and the way they capture beauty, but I also think it is easy to be distracted by a camera or a phone that post photos. I also think there is honor to be given to creation that is in front of us and letting God speak in the moment.
There was an invitation to slow down and fully take in the moment. I chose to give in to this one and I'm glad I did. Do you ever feel the invitation to slow down in moments? This weekend I looked into the expanse of the Blue Ridge Mountains like I would if I was at an ocean front and it changed me. What moments are you allowing to mark you? I always thought I was an ocean front girl but now I will never see mountains the same after today.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
I am not one for writing blogs but I have been highly encouraged to begin writing a blog a week, and I feel up for the challenge. I’m great with a blog full of photos that I have taken and letting the photos speak for themselves, but writing out a blog a week is something that feels very stretching for me. I can’t say there are many times when I think I want to sit down and write with the choice of sharing it with others. I can see many benefits that I have found when I give time to writing but it is not my first instinct to write about something that has happened. My first instinct is to take a photo to remember what happened. In writing my weeks out I am exited to allow the moments to sink in deeper. I want to receive the fullness. There are photographs that I have taken over the years that hold significant meaning because they symbolize a specific season I was in.
“A picture is worth a thousand words.”
Like these shown below, one from when I traveled for 11 month to 11 different countries and this photo captures what happened in my heart through this time. It is one that has marked me and I look back to frequently. Then my beloved Grandpa, who I have many photos with, but this one is special to me and signifies a specific season I spent with him. Each of these photos hold a more meaning than I could explain but in different seasons I have found a different thousand words to describe each of these photos. If I had not written my thoughts for the season I was in I would know a change happened but I wouldn’t be able to recall how deep the moment truly effected me. I can pair my photos with my writings and remember the whole story of that time and the difference I see in them now. I can clearly see the difficult, the grand moments, the emotional the simple, and cherish them all deeply.
This is a space for me to express what is happening and keep a dialogue with all who are interested in knowing what is happening in my life here in the woods of Sophia, NC. I am excited for this journey of giving time to writing again. I feel so much joy because I don’t know what will come in my week to week but I know that they can only benefit me to write more of it out.
I feel we all experience areas where something could be beneficial but don’t want to take action because it is not appealing or the first choice. I hope that over time or even today this would be something that encourages you to step out of the box and try something new and stretch yourself. I am not doing this on my own but have friends who are supporting me and we are accountable to each other. I hope to hear the ways that you have stepped out and challenged yourself in something new. It is really refreshing if you give the time to it and value your choice.
- Sydnee Rae
Wells Blog
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