I'm working with the assumption that the implicit question posed in my post from earlier today is "what am I supposed to learn?" So here I am, same day, with the lesson thus far.
I took a long slow walk around Jamaica Pond mid-morning. The day is bright with startling colors and enough wind to remind you that you live in the world not some astonishingly vivid painting. The work of the rain is over and the leaves, the plants are thriving. The water level in the Pond, not surprisingly, is about as high as I've ever seen it. Trees with water tickling their roots. Gratitude for abundance.
I walked with a sense of exploration, more so than usual lately, since I'd not walked in a while and not walked with the intention of shooting. I enjoyed the people, the air, the energy. I walked up to the ruined Hancock mansion, a short side-trip to a site I've shot several times. Much to look at; little to shoot.
I found myself revisiting old sites of images that have grown to be among my favorites. And then I found something new. It is a reflection - in the water but also in my mind where it reflects some shots I took in Ely Minnesota about five years ago. So there I was, revisiting images as well as places. For a moment, I wondered which is real, my shots or the places I was shooting? It occurs to me now that both are, or neither.
Oh, the lesson? After all this, I'm not sure. It has to do with why I make art, who exactly it is for. Part of the message today is that this is the fabric of my life. Maybe the art-making for me is like the tree falling in the forest. I hear it. Does it matter if anyone else does?
Marco