February 21, 2015

Chasing the Light ... by Jocelyn Faire


What do you do to re-energize yourself for writing?

Live creatively, friends...
Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself, Don't compare yourself with others. **Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.** Galatians 6:1, 4,5  The Message

Last summer I shadowed my photographer nephew on a job, as he chased the light in search of the best image. Energy flowed as I spent time with him.
The morning skies tinged with pink ...
The golden glow of the lowering sun
The play of shadows and light
Angles, shutter speeds, aperture and focus
It was a vivid picture for me as we focused on capturing the best light. Just as Joel pursued the right light for his work, I realize I seek beauty, which is also light, to energize my creativity.

Perhaps at the root cause of our reluctance to take the artist date, is a failure to see God as the creator of beauty, as the one who wants to be my date to fill up the (ink)well. I come from a strong work ethic, where productivity was valued over creativity. Creativity and its pursuit would be what happened after all the work was done, and where work was never done, it seemed artistic pursuit time was almost non-existent. At the heart of the matter, though, I still fall for the line that doing is more important than being. In a Martha world, the Mary artistic endeavours are easily ignored, or relegated to time when everything else has been done. Too often I feel I should not read a book, write poetry, craft, or saunter unless I have put in a certain amount of “work.” But if we do not understand the importance of nurturing the soul, we allow atrophy to happen.

I list myself as a seeker of beauty. A journal in hand, a mug of hot tea or coffee on a bench alongside the river, is where I am often found, in all seasons. Sunrises, sunsets are one of my ways of chasing the light. This past week, over dinner with two soul sisters, we oohed and aahed as pinks and oranges blazed across the snowy mountain tops for a full 50 minutes, as the artist played with the clouds.


Sunrise, sunset, subdued or bright,
The light that shines in the dark,
light that brings beauty to myself
and then flows out to those I meet.
If I do not take time to come apart
I will come apart.
As I chase the light in order to write
Spending time in the word, nature and music
The ultimate light to be chased is God.

Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light
Matt 6:22 The Message

Jocelyn is the author of Who is Talking out of My Head?  - grief as an out of body experience
She blogs at:  http://whoistalking.wordpress.com
 

8 comments:

  1. Some very lovely images here Jocelyn!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love your thoughts on chasing the light and how you brought both the arts of photography and writing together. I've worked in a photography studio so definitely get the concept of how light changes the picture but never thought of it in terms of my writing...chasing the light...you've given me lots to think about.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous3:14 pm GMT-7

    Your images are so beautifully lit! It is so important to be just as God calls us instead of striving for acceptance. He already does! Thank you for the reminder.

    ReplyDelete
  4. "If I do not take time to come apart
    I will come apart." - too true!
    Your words are as beautiful as your pictures, and I love the Galatians 6 quote from the Message.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Write to the Light! This will be my new motto. Thanks for being my Artist's Date today, Jocelyn!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your words have re-inspired and re-energized me! thank-you!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I just came back from a date with an artist, Jocelyn, and the artist was you. I jumped over to your blog for a visit and I checked out your book on amazon.com. Thank you for your intriguing, deep, spiritual and inspiring thoughts.

    Hitchhiking on Susan Barclay's blog that follows yours, and paraphrasing Act. 17:28 in ERV, I pray that you will be able to live through him, that you will continue to do what you do, and be who you are.
    Although I do not know the full story of your grief, I see God working in and through you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I too find photography to be a way to draw me to the Creator, Jocelyn, and get pretty excited over nice clouds!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to join in the conversation. Our writers appreciate receiving your feedback on posts you have found helpful or meaningful in some way.