Keeping It Real

“Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; 
they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.”
—Botanist Luther Burbank

I came across some old issues of Kinfolk magazine from 2012 in a thrift shop, and I’ve been enjoying the stories and photographs. The magazines have held up well in terms of style and substance. The Kinfolk style of photography has influenced my own in meaningful ways, and it’s been fun to reflect on how my creative work has evolved. My pictures from this year have been largely floral still life vignettes, and I’ve grappled with how to keep things original but still sincere and authentic. It was good to be reminded that this is entirely possible; I just need to stretch.

Exploration

This is what I love about creative work. It’s not linear. You don’t march methodically from beginning to end.

Instead, it’s improvisational. You make decisions and respond to the environment second by second.

How can use these small galvanized buckets in a way that’s less obvious than simple vases? Will they stack and stay balanced? Look around the garage . . . What can I use to add texture and a hint of color for a surface? Ah, the roll-up mat I use for re-potting my house plants. That might work. Okay, my first attempt looks pretty good. Now, let’s try adding another element. Potting soil. Should it be in arranged in a pile or spread out. Okay, that idea is pretty good. But what if there were more flowers?

There will be revision, additions, subtractions. Ideas evolve as you engage with them. This exploration is how we learn to see. It’s what keeps my mind young.