One of the reasons why I love creating anything is that the final outcome usually takes me by surprise.
In the images above, what do you see?
A bird? A plane? Some faces, maybe?
The above images are created from photos of trees from the forests of the Shenandoah Valley, taken in a moving car during sunset. Initially, that’s all they were – photos of trees.
I wanted something more from them. I decided to experiment with Photoshop, a program that I am not familiar with. I had installed Photoshop a few months ago but I made excuses to never use it. I would think to myself, “It’s going to take time to learn and it’s intimidating!” or “I have a perfectly fine editing program, why learn another one?” I always felt like I would never get anywhere with it.
Over the last few weeks, I began to realize that I was my own bottleneck. I would continue to feel like a “beginner” and would never advance if I kept giving in to my terrible excuses.
With these photos, I told myself that I was going to try something different and use techniques that are a little more unconventional. I decided that I would create without fear. I allowed myself to be free from my own judgment. As a result, I created images that I never thought were possible from these photos.
What I learned from this process is that where I begin does not determine where I end up. When I step outside of my comfort zone and apply a new technique or use a different medium with an open mind, the final result seems to unfold before my eyes, as if it is creating itself and I am just along for the ride as an active observer of my curiosities and a gentle implementer of my intuition.
It is important to let go of your fears in order to see what your imagination has in store for you. Allow your art to manifest itself.
We are the Living 
