Reflection – The Image That Ignited the Spark

Reflection….looking back to a significant time when a moment or event, created or inspired the direction of our life. Sometimes these events are of our own doing and sometimes they are not; but good or bad when we reflect on our journey and how it evolved because of that moment, we can learn so much. It teaches us about life, but more importantly it teaches us about ourselves, who we were then and who we are now because of it.

We all have many significant moments in our lives, but the one I want to share is the moment that ignited the spark in me that opened the door to the possibility that I could be creative. I know that sounds insignificant, but up to this point in my life I never felt I had that in me…I was always the mover and shaker in the business world.

The photograph above was the first photo that I experimented with using digital software to make changes to enhance it, to make it look more artsy. It was a small step as I was just beginning to learn Corel Paint, Topaz and Photoshop etc. There is nothing spectacular about the photo, but it was enough to ignite the spark. The painting at the end of this post was the very first painting I created in Corel Paint, it looks like a child’s painting with paint by numbers, but it fanned that spark into a flame. Not so much because of the end result, as you can clearly see, but because of the enjoyment it gave me.

These images were the first ones that I posted in my gallery and they will always be there as the icons of how my journey began. Other pieces that I created at the same time, I have since re-done as my knowledge and skills with digital software has become more enhanced. I quit my corporate job to teach myself how to use this software and to navigate my way around my camera. Today photographic art and the fun of creating is a passion that feeds my soul.

Please don’t misunderstand me here, I am not saying I am great artist…not by any means. I don’t expect to make a living from creating artwork, but by living life creatively, I thank God everyday, that I never have to wear a suit again.