I have a new book project. A photobook, to be precise. A good friend of mine, Ken Goddard, is a talented photographer and I am often inspired by his work. His images have made it onto my blog more than once (thanks Ken!), and on one occasion, I just had to set down what it inspired in me or at least try to capture its essence.
As I said in that post, which began by comparing the photographer with the writer, while we will never truly do our subjects justice, the quest is always rewarding. Like all true artists, we are quite selfish in that we are really pursuing this holy grail for ourselves – yet we live in the dichotomy of simultaneously craving, or at least thriving on, the positive reactions of others to our efforts.
[You can read the post, which itself inspired up my main blog category in my latest website rebuild, Life and Reflections, in a hat-tip to Ken, who’s passion in outdoor photography is light and reflection, is here: Light and Life…Reflections]
At the time, I was hoping it would be a series, but I’ve learnt that simply writing “I hope” is a highway to failure, as it basically says “I want to but I know I’m going to get in my own way”. It’s feeding your sub-conscious with doubt that you really want to or can do it and since the non-conscious mind dominates, it finds every reason there is for you not to do it, no matter how much you consciously want to.
SIDEBAR: Paul Scheele, of Learning Strategies, my favourite personal development company, points out that most information comes to our brains under the radar via the non-conscious mind, at a ratio of 10 billion bits to 1, so beware being unaware of the power of your non-conscious mind! See my Resources page for more about Learning Strategies./SIDEBAR
Well, that was then (2014!) and this is now, and with my goals for 2019 and my new writing discipline I am confident I will deliver this time. No hopes or wishes, just ACTION!
I began last night by searching through Ken’s portfolio until I found an image that leapt out at me. I am a very instinctive person, more so as time goes on and I learn to trust that instinct. So while I loved browsing through the images, from anonymous people through curious lines and shadows to spectacular landscapes with burning sunsets reflected in placid seas, I kept searching until my gut stirred, telling me I had found the one.
For the theme of the photo book is Inspiration. My idea is to combine Ken’s beautiful photography with inspiration for life. I want to create a piece of art that speaks to the senses and lifts the soul, through which I can use words and my own inspiration, channelled through me by my Muse to gently draw others to their own joy and meaning. A piece of art and inspiration for life that you will want to revisit time and time again, and one that can take with you, not staying still weighing down a shelf or coffee table, as welcome as it may be there.
The other twist, since it is a joint project, is that Ken will mirror my posts on his blog, giving the original inspiration for the photo, along with a few “behind the scenes” details that should appeal to keen amateur photographers too. If we can, we’ll include some shots of the camera/photographer to give some visual context too.
So there it
is. I’ll be posting the first one soon, and regularly until we have
enough for the book. I’m really excited about the project and I hope you
will be too!