For many of us January is a time of reflection, full of hopes and dreams for the future. The potential of the new year, and a(nother) new start, can be exciting or simply overwhelming.
The purpouted January blues can be tied into this state of reflection. Often to move forward we must negotiate our present, or even our past. Tackling the unsatisfactory aspects of our lives may help us to gain a greater insight into our desired future and therefore the pathways we must take. This therapeutic approach can weild positive results, but it is a rocky road, one which takes us through our past journeys in a Christmas Carol esque manner.
In looking to the future we hope to dream, and we should DREAM BIG, but often many of us are scared of those dreams. Fear of failure is potentially the biggest cause of people not achieving their dreams. All in all this is a pretty tough month, One where we can feel simultaneously locked in negotiation of the pathways behind us and those in front.
Have hope, even if like this Holly leaf you are feeling like a shell of your former self, remember firstly that there is beauty even in ‘this shell’ but also life is not only cyclical but it is also a series of journeys. You can not change the pathways which lead you to today, but you can choose the pathways leading you into the future. If you think of life as, at the very least, your next step then all you have to do is put one foot in front of the other, right?
When I am in a state of reflection I often pick up the camera, by framing the world and freezing moments I step outside of myself in a way which allows me to objectively view the world, and my intended role within it. Another mechanism I use for connecting with my hopes and dreams is to return to my roots. In my case “returning to my roots” is more of a literal reference than a metaphorical one. I am a ‘child of the forest’, born in The Forest of Dean. So I’d like to share with you the visual part of my reflection process. In keeping with this post, one of the aesthetics that inspires me about the Forest is the pathways laid out in front of you. Sometimes you can search for a path in life, and in the forest, simply to find you were already on it.
Click on any image if you would like to see a larger version.
