Light of The Morning After

It's only natural for an artist to explore different mediums. Everyone's an artist. Everyone's exploring different mediums.


Yesterday I attended the first of a six session photography class. A college sweetheart had dabbled in photography and taken me into the dark room for processing. That was my first exposure.

There was one photo he'd taken of me smiling at him from his bed. I was fully dressed! It wasn't the Mona Lisa, but he had captured a mood, a smirk and a look of love. That was when I first recognized that the artistry of photography was available to anyone who took an interest in the subject. Expertise increases the odds, but the art is in the eyes. Anyone, everyone can be an artist!

I was nearly forty before I owned the artist in me. I'd written a book, attempted decoration, painted my home's interior, created jewelry and perfected the delivery of lectures to high school seniors...but I didn't consider myself an artist until a housekeeper came in, walked around a bit and offered an out loud observation of the obvious, "So you're an artist?".

Yesterday, this artist took her first photography class. This morning, as I headed off with Chocolate on our morning walk, the haze created as light plays off tiny particles in the air caught my eye. I've always taken moments to marvel at light. Today, the morning after, I ran back for my camera.

When you own being an artist, there's freedom to see what others don't, to marvel at it, and attempt to recreate it. Makes me acknowledge that all artistry is a testament to the divine, an effort to mix our creativity with God's in homage to magic.



I wouldn't submit this shot to photo world magazine for technical merits, but I share it here because I saw myself as an artist, as someone attempting to capture a moment marveling at the divine.

We are all artists. Chefs are artists. Most housewives, too. The usual suspects are painters, sculptors, musicians, graphic artists, photographers, authors, journalists, decorators, speakers, and so on. We forget about electricians, plumbers, salespeople, nurses, doctors and all the other professions whose members' products or performances incorporate artistry in less appreciated ways. There are electricians who take pride in how the finished product, the wires, the connections, the conduits, flow, look and function. There's artistry in efficiency, too. There's artistry in conversation. There's even artistry in bad art, whatever the medium.

We are all paying homage to the Light!