How I picked Up a Camera (and have yet to put it back down)
I grew up with an amazing photographer, my dad. Spending countless hours in front of his camera and beside him in his darkroom was my bliss. I was completely smitten. For my 12th birthday my parents gave me my first camera; a 35mm Kodak something-or-other.
Within a year, my family would move, my dad would give up his darkroom, and my life would plummet into the chaos of adolescence, magnified by the drama of my parents’ failing marriage. I never saw my first camera again. Somehow it vanished. And with it, my passion for photography.
But you see, I’m an artist. And ultimately that means I’m a storyteller. So while I never stopped tellIng my tales, I spent years focusing on words and music as my primary tools.
Fast forward to about six years ago: I’d seemingly settled in to a mind numbing, soul crushing corporate life. And while I’d somehow managed to carve out a niche for myself which allowed for me to tell stories, something was fundamentally missing. I was telling other people’s stories...or at least twisting my own to serve their agendas. I got lost.
Then, within a two week period, my mother died and my company closed. Nothing catapults you into serious self reflection quite like a major life crisis and I was simultaneously thrust into the center of two! I had no idea anymore who I was or what I wanted to do...I only knew that I had to find a different path. And that path had to be true. I had to tell my stories.
There I was, without a job, without direction, and I couldn’t find my voice. Until one day, someone almost took it all away. On June 7, 2013, I found myself in my worst nightmare: a school shooting.
Life throws us some beautiful lessons wrapped up in some really crazy ways. Surviving the shooting, the loss of an eight year career, the death of my mother, and the culmination of all the tragedies and wounds and setbacks of a lifetime pierced deep into my shroud of self defense and preservation and all the stories trapped within me suddenly demanded to be told. But they wanted a new vehicle.
And so on the first day of August in the year 2013, I picked up a camera. And I haven’t put it down since...
I am a born storyteller. It is the one thing I do best. And it’s where I feel the most comfortable in my own skin. It’s what ties me to everything.
For me, nothing is real until I can create a story around it and send my vision out into the world.
It can be lonely and isolating. And I often feel as if I’m out of sync - in my own dimension - while I am creating.
I can spend days and weeks with no real direction, feeling exposed and raw and completely insecure.
While many of my story attempts wind up never hitting their mark, occasionally I’m right on target and DAMN! it feels good!
That’s when everything becomes glorious.
And that’s when I remember the depth of my purpose and my true love.
I get it. I am very similar although I didn't experience your trauma. I had different things, different paths but the same feelings, I think.
I am sensitive. I think you are as well. Maybe that's the artist, the storyteller part. Instead of words though, I like to use my photos, and someone else's words - quotes. Maybe this exposes something about me. Hiding behind my photos and using someone else's words.
I love what you said
Thanks for being vulnerable in this post.
I love your photography in this post - I haven't looked at your other ones yet.
I came here bc you like peanut butter smoothies (from Dan's blog).
Nice to meet you :)
Bonding over peanut butter milkshakes may be just about the most profound way to go. Nice to meet you, too. 😊 And thank you!
If we can't bond over peanut butter....what has this world come to? :)
I think this is the beginning of a sticky, nutty friendship. 😄
A nut I am. As well as a nerd.
I married a nerd. Does that count? 🤪🤣
Yes, it helps you understand nerdiness hehe
😂 So are you a nerd by birth or by choice?
I'm glad that the two of you finally met each other :))
You’re my Steemit social director, Dan. 😬
I so get this. I have always been an artist at heart. Loved the darkroom when I was younger when others thought it was such a chore. I would get so lost in what I was doing that I would lose time, often days, and it seemed no-one else understood.
I went into medicine but gravitated to radiology and did well, because lets face it, its just looking at pictures for a living. Its the only thing I would feel comfortable with in medicine.
I am still a frustrated artist and really can understand the getting lost in your work while using your creativity. It can be exhausting and exhilarating, and there is nothing, not money, sex, or rewards that feel as good as the satisfaction when you hit that mark you were going for.
That's why I love seeing all the creativity being let loose here on Steemit. Its a great outlet.
Thanks for your post.
I believe we are all artists. And I agree, this is a wonderful platform to both be creative and also to be recognized. Thank you for being part of my Steemit story. 🙏🏻
Wonderful post, Lisa!
Thank you, Ilana 😊
The journey of life is very beautiful lisa, and finally can produce works as beautiful and as good as this friend. This is indeed a remarkable result of your talent. Success is always for you lisa, happy to commune with you and our friends all. Thank you lisa.
Thank you 😊
Wow, those pictures are incredible! You really are a great storyteller. And not just in the pictures, your writing is great as well :) Resteemed!
Thank you so much. And welcome to Steemit!
Thanks!
Oh! Em! GEEEEE! Your talent is incredible! I am also a photographer and if I go too long between shooting, I feel off. I feel like there is something about the act of creating a photo that feeds my soul, I can't imagine how people lived before cameras!
Thank you! I can totally relate. I wasn’t kidding about not putting my camera down. I’ve not gone a single day without taking at least one photo since I started. And many days I take hundreds.
That is nothing short of admirable! ❤️ the story and the photos, Lisa
Thank you, Dan! This post is actually a contest entry. But I think it’s a pretty cool idea. We should start a challenge. It’s awesome to hear other people’s stories. 🙂
Congratulations on being among the winners! :) Yes, we should. A photography challenge?
Thank you & Yes! Let’s do it. #photostory ?
It's a good hashtag.
The guy with the sign in this post is free lensed.
Lol, yesterday I endured a little teasing because I didn't bring my camera to work....I'm pretty much never without it so my boss was shocked that it wasn't in my bag.
Oh no! Where was it?
It was on the arm of my couch...I had been out shooting the day before and it didn’t make it back into my bag.
😄 Oh the horror!
I know, right!?
You are such an amazing storyteller, whether it be words or photography. And usually best stories appear when life hits us hard or when we feel lost. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much. 🙏🏻 And you’re so right; great stories are born out of adversity. And there’s something so magical about using the stories to transform and transcend our sorrows...instead of getting stuck there.
Some days I actually pull that off. 😉
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Nic post
nice..
Thank you 😊