Flowers in pots on doorsteps or windowsills are favorite subjects of mine. I love the angles of the architecture as a backdrop for the curves of the plants and the pots. There is often interesting contrast in textures and colors of ground, wall, door, pot and plant. I love the care that the inhabitants take in creating the little scene on their doorstep or windowsill. Each one is different, unique, like the people who create them. So I keep being inspired by them; I keep photographing them and sharing them here.
This morning in reading Simple Abundance, one of my favorite books at the moment, I came across this thought from the author Sarah Ban Breathnach, “…While you are offered many dizzying opportunities in a lifetime, Spirit only comes once for each Work seeking creative expression through you, then moves on. The bottom line is that the Work must be brought forth. If you don’t do it, someone else will.”
Interesting thought to ponder… that these ideas that come along to us are only “ours” as long as we do something with them, make them real. If we don’t, someone else will get the opportunity to be inspired by the same idea, and we’ll be left in the dust saying, “Hey, I had that idea first.” Which, as we all know, doesn’t count for anything.
So the “work” I’m doing with my art and the creative inspiration I receive for this blog – whether it’s sharing the art of doorstep gardens, the little everyday details I see as we travel around, the ideas that come to me for my Exploring with a Camera series, or the insights into my creative process – are only “mine” as long as I actually use the ideas. Make them into something real.
There is a a saying I love in Italian, “Tra dire e fare c’รจ di mezzo il mare,” which translates roughly to “between saying and doing there lies the sea.” I want to be on a boat, crossing that sea, as much as possible. I don’t want to lose out on all of these wonderful opportunities that inspiration brings along, even if it’s as small sharing the image of a few potted plants on a doorstep. Thanks for joining me along this journey to turn these ideas into something real.
