Life moves as quickly as the clouds that pass overhead. Sometimes when we look up we notice their hues, their softness and the stories they inspire. As our busy lives push us along, to often we don't tell the people whom we love how we feel, or how they've helped shape our lives; how inspiring they are to us.
We can easily speak about them in the third person, but to tell them in person face to face or in a message, how important they are to us, often seems like an awkward thing to do, until it's to late.
I've already told these beautiful souls how I feel about them and their children, and as uncomfortable or as comforting as it made them feel I don't worry. I am simply satisfied that they know how much I adore them. How much they have shaped my life and continue to, as people who stand by me, who stand by one another and as people who are simply there continually inspiring me.
I met this group of people around the same time that I met my husband. I was only 20! He was only19. I will tell you more about my love story in another blog post, but through meeting my husband Eric, I was immediately fused together with a group of wonderfully-inspiring people. People I feel I have always searched for. I recall and still feel a wonderful sense of belonging when being around them. I call these type of connections celestial, because they move me past my own logic and make me feel vastly connected to something bigger.
Maybe I feel this way about these wonderful people because each of us share a common heart in that we are driven, we love creating, and/or are passionate people who speak from a real place stopping at nothing to get to where inspiration moves us. And, all of this has grown as we have. We've watched one another through varying careers, applauded and danced with one another during varying performances, art shows, concerts, sat back and listened to speeches being made in honour of another's work, got tearful as we heard wedding vows being spoken, met newborns, walked on new projects together, watched homes be erected and sold, traveled to other parts of the country and/or world to meet one another, and on, like this, continuing into our present day.
As I see my life at 40, I can only say how much I have appreciated this journey with these people, coming in and out of one another's lives, seeing one another when we can. How much, even if they aren't present in my everyday, they inspire me. Their hearts, their openness, their realness, their passion, their smarts, their humour and their sheer beauty on the inside and on the outside continues to move me beyond words. There are a few people who I feel the same way about that are not in these photographs unfortunately, but that I met around the same time. When I have a chance I will let them know how much I missed having them be a part of this photo series. Or, we will just have to do it again with everyone present.
These images were captured on the Mitchell Family farm. I place that is truly beautiful for so many reasons.
These images were a collection of captures I took, as I always do, to capture memories for my children. I didn't realize the impact they would have on me visually or the steps closer they would take me to find my own photographic style. Maybe it's because there was more magic in the air that day. Maybe it's because our children felt all of this beauty that we carry as friends. Maybe it was the way the sun shone behind the clouds...maybe it's all of these things. When I captured these images I felt nervous and excited, simply because, as you know, I struggle with the balance of documenting and not documenting. Being present, or being with camera. As my photography continues to grow with me, I am finding documenting with my camera in hand less intrusive and more playful. I feel more present as I document now. It's truly wonderful. There is less of a separation for me. My camera is just an extension of myself, and helps me to document my life in a way that I would want my children to remember. In the way that I want to remember years from now; these days, this time. These little moments held here that would have been forgotten otherwise if I hadn't captured them.
So, these images really came to life for me and I am sharing them here, with all of you.
This is a welcome to a new beginning for me, with my art, with my photography. I can feel a shift in me and it's exciting. It's that feeling, as an artist, you strive to get to that place where you are somewhat happy with the results of your work. And, as I grow closer to this, I feel that these photographs pushed me over to the other side, that side that makes me feel good to publish photographs without being a little disappointed. There is still so much that I know is in store for my work, but these photos are the beginning of my photographic style, one that makes me feel proud, and not frustrated.
I hope you enjoy this series.
I am so happy that these special people were a part of this milestone for me.
I hold them all in such high-regard and respect each of them as artists, as people, as parents, and as dreamers.
Love: Jo
xoxoxoo