Creative Blocks
Life fell apart five years ago. Remember 2020? We all seemed to experience this period of time differently and yet, there were commonalities. Slowly, I recovered. How about you?
Life was not like it had been before. I was recovering from surgery and still grieving. Yes, maybe not the same way but grief was there nonetheless. By now, I talked to myself about how everything was different. Friends were understanding but had their own issues to contemplate and believe me, it is difficult to explain great loss to anyone who has not gone through it in some way.
By now, I had packed away all my darkroom equipment and camera gear. I no longer made "pictures" as I drove, locating spots to return to or stop at now, just to shoot an image. If my friend, Joanne, had not agreed to be with me at the studio tour, I would not have participated, or been on the Art Walk. Both those events take hours of preparation, set up, and tear down. The 7 hour days on your feet, speaking to a couple of hundred people, is exhilarating and tiring. But I don't seem to do things half way.
So in early June, I put my house on the market. As you might imagine, during the 24 years since moving north of Toronto after retiring and setting up my studio, I had accumulated a great deal of photography equipment, framed photographs, enlargers, darkroom chemistry and then there was all the gardening equipment. It all had to be cleared out but thankfully not till after the house sold.
For the next four months, that was all I thought about and all I did.
There was no energy left over to be creative except when it came to packing. And I am still discovering how crazy that was. The move happened and I started a new life. I am still finding my way.
But I longed for the quiet moments in the woods with my cameras or the chance to scan the horizon and find the perfect shot.
It was not until late winter that I took a picture.
As I drove back to Thornbury to visit friends, I was inspired to pull over near a wonderful swamp, ice covered with a dusting of snow. I felt my heart open, grateful to be there at the perfect moment.
That's what creativity if for me. It is not about manipulating the camera or the digital image. It is about sensing the moment when I can capture something beyond the ordinary, an image that inspires me. I can only hope that some of these images touch your heart.
Life was not like it had been before. I was recovering from surgery and still grieving. Yes, maybe not the same way but grief was there nonetheless. By now, I talked to myself about how everything was different. Friends were understanding but had their own issues to contemplate and believe me, it is difficult to explain great loss to anyone who has not gone through it in some way.
By now, I had packed away all my darkroom equipment and camera gear. I no longer made "pictures" as I drove, locating spots to return to or stop at now, just to shoot an image. If my friend, Joanne, had not agreed to be with me at the studio tour, I would not have participated, or been on the Art Walk. Both those events take hours of preparation, set up, and tear down. The 7 hour days on your feet, speaking to a couple of hundred people, is exhilarating and tiring. But I don't seem to do things half way.
So in early June, I put my house on the market. As you might imagine, during the 24 years since moving north of Toronto after retiring and setting up my studio, I had accumulated a great deal of photography equipment, framed photographs, enlargers, darkroom chemistry and then there was all the gardening equipment. It all had to be cleared out but thankfully not till after the house sold.
For the next four months, that was all I thought about and all I did.
There was no energy left over to be creative except when it came to packing. And I am still discovering how crazy that was. The move happened and I started a new life. I am still finding my way.
But I longed for the quiet moments in the woods with my cameras or the chance to scan the horizon and find the perfect shot.
It was not until late winter that I took a picture.
As I drove back to Thornbury to visit friends, I was inspired to pull over near a wonderful swamp, ice covered with a dusting of snow. I felt my heart open, grateful to be there at the perfect moment.
That's what creativity if for me. It is not about manipulating the camera or the digital image. It is about sensing the moment when I can capture something beyond the ordinary, an image that inspires me. I can only hope that some of these images touch your heart.
Creating Beauty 2024
18/04/24 15:30 Studio tour 2024
“Whenever you are creating beauty around you, you are restoring your own soul.” Alice Walker
These words resonate with me. The past few years have been difficult for all of us. For some, a deep sense of loss of life as we knew it before epidemics.
For me, personally, during covid, the loss of my partner of many years, turned life upside down.
I could not create. It was all I could do to get through the day. The sense of being on my own was overwhelming. I had to learn to do tasks that I had never paid attention to before. I was responsible for everything, for my happiness, for my well-being, for my joy, Gradually, life evolved.
I still couldn’t create. My cameras were packed away. For the first time, I never took one with me in the car—I no longer looked for those wonderful shots as I drove. My garden became a chore.
At least, it still grew without my assistance.
In March, the email about the studio tour remained unanswered. It didn’t interest me--until the organizer called, “Are you going to be on the studio tour this year? It’s last minute but I can change the rack card to include you.”
Something stirred inside. Could I do this? Would Joanne join me? I was not ready to go solo. But, when she agreed, I knew the desire to create had returned. It isn’t the same as before, but it is there, and it will grow.
This admission is another step towards recovery.
These words resonate with me. The past few years have been difficult for all of us. For some, a deep sense of loss of life as we knew it before epidemics.
For me, personally, during covid, the loss of my partner of many years, turned life upside down.
I could not create. It was all I could do to get through the day. The sense of being on my own was overwhelming. I had to learn to do tasks that I had never paid attention to before. I was responsible for everything, for my happiness, for my well-being, for my joy, Gradually, life evolved.
I still couldn’t create. My cameras were packed away. For the first time, I never took one with me in the car—I no longer looked for those wonderful shots as I drove. My garden became a chore.
At least, it still grew without my assistance.
In March, the email about the studio tour remained unanswered. It didn’t interest me--until the organizer called, “Are you going to be on the studio tour this year? It’s last minute but I can change the rack card to include you.”
Something stirred inside. Could I do this? Would Joanne join me? I was not ready to go solo. But, when she agreed, I knew the desire to create had returned. It isn’t the same as before, but it is there, and it will grow.
This admission is another step towards recovery.
Art Walk in the Blue Mountains
Saturday, July 8 from 10 am - 4 pm
Joanne Purchase (Jewellry by Joanne) and I (Cory Stickley Photography) will participate in the first ever Art Walk.
We are excited to be part of this celebration of the arts, showcasing artists, businesses, restaurants and galleries. The Art Walk stretches from downtown Thornbury to downtown Clarksburg. Artists will be stationed along Bruce St. at homes and businesses. Read More…
Joanne Purchase (Jewellry by Joanne) and I (Cory Stickley Photography) will participate in the first ever Art Walk.
We are excited to be part of this celebration of the arts, showcasing artists, businesses, restaurants and galleries. The Art Walk stretches from downtown Thornbury to downtown Clarksburg. Artists will be stationed along Bruce St. at homes and businesses. Read More…