The Things I See...

"An artist's concern is to capture beauty wherever he finds it."

~Kazuo Ishiguro, An Artist Of The Floating World

 

Am I an artist? Well, that's quite debatable. I know I love art, and I get really excited when I know I have taken a good photo. But that doesn't really make me an "artist" does it? Will I ever make a living at taking pictures? Not unless I sell them for stock photos, which don't get me wrong, it's perfectly legitimate thing to do, but when I take a really good photo, one that reaches into me, and brings to the top some long buried feeling, impression or emotion, I know I have done something worthwhile. I don't need all the attention, I much prefer sharing the photos that have made my life richer, right here on this obscure blog no one has heard of. I sometimes count on that obscurity to help me express what I feel day to day. Still, when someone tells me that one of my photos affected them in some way, good or bad, I feel like I did good. I got to touch someone's life by sharing a little bit of my life. That's big for a girl who works hard at holding people at arms length.

Mood: Reflective

~Me :)

In The Words Of Ernest Hemingway...

"A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not."

~Ernest Hemingway

 A cat does not hide their feelings! For the most part it is quite wonderful. On the other hand, once in a while they will not hold their feelings back, but they expect you to know, psychically I think, just how deep their feelings go. In an almost childish way of... well, if you don't know... kind of way!

The other night, very late, I got up to check on a noise I heard, and as I walked through the living room, I caught a glimpse of Dylan, sitting on a TV tray, with this look on his face. Now, if you had to guess, what do you think he was trying to communicate to me? Kinda difficult to tell, isn't it?

In The Words Of Paula Poundstone...

"The problem with cats is that they get the same exact look whether they see a moth or an ax-murderer."

And I'll be darned if she isn't right! Especially when it comes to Dylan! Hendrix kind of wears his heart on his sleeve, Dylan expects me to know what he is thinking at all times! This particular look caught me off guard! Now, I know Dylan loves me completely... but... love of owner has never stopped a cat from attempting to smother someone in their sleep! The one thing that all cats communicate well, is that, they don't have to love you! 

LOL.

Dylan and I stood staring at each other for what felt like 10 minutes, but was more than likely, 20 seconds. I wasn't afraid of my little tiger, or anything, but that look was giving me pause. No pun intended! At the point of 21 seconds of staring, he mewed and motioned to his favorite Zhu Zhu pet, Pinkie, and mewed again!

You see, he was asking me to repair Pinkie for him! Poor Pinkie met with a terrible end, one day last spring, when Dylan decided to give him the WHAT FOR and tossed him across the floor, separating him from his insides. Now Pinkie is but a pink fuzzy shell. He doesn't run, or back-up, roll across the floor, or speak, but Dylan loves him all the same. 

There is no way to explain that Pinkie is dead, and a replacement Pinkie would cost nearly $30.00. 

Besides... it wouldn't be the real Pinkie. 

Life is hard sometimes. But a little bit of love makes all the difference. So, after 20 minutes or so of brushing, and petting and cooing, Dylan seemed to feel better, and I always get so much joy out of spending quiet one on one time with him. He is my kitty, and I am his mama. The 4 of us are a family, and sometimes words aren't necessary. 

Just love.

Mood: Thankful

~Me :)

RRC: Express A Feeling

"Your world is a living expression of how you are using and have used your mind."

-Earl Nightingale

RRC: Express A Feeling
Suggested Lisa, of "Lisa's Chaos"

Yep, that's me! Now all you have to do is guess what feeling I am trying to express! Here is a hint; I am NOT upset/depressed/sad/mad/ or otherwise blue! For some reason, I always get that from people. I am not an overly emotional person, which is sometimes misunderstood in one negative way or another. Honestly... all is good! In fact, the day I took that picture I was in the Santa Cruz mountains, enjoying a day in the snow. It was magnificent. It was a photographers dream day! So, care to guess what I am thinking as I snapped a picture of myself?

DING, DING, DING My "feeling" was guessed correctly by Freda... It's "CONTENT!"

I decided to do the bulk of this assignment from a slightly different point of view. You see, I like to express through the subjects I photograph, how I am feeling at any given moment. I guess you could say, if I don't feel a certain way about something, I don't photograph it. For me, it's the difference between being a "point and shoot" photographer and an artist. I like the feelings that come from looking beyond what's obvious. So, below you see a small gallery of photographs, and how I felt when I took them. Let me know what you think!



















One last feeling to guess, courtesy of my kitty Dylan...



Now that you have seen my entry, go see what the other Robins have come up with!

Linking List, as of 12:00 AM Saturday, August 28th, 2010

**Welcome New Participants

Carly... Ellipsis
Posted!

Karen... Outpost Mavarin
Posted!

Jama... Sweet Memories
Posted!

Freda... Day One
Posted!

Linda... Mommy's Treasures
Posted!

**Holly...Easy Living The Hard Way

Ethos... Passion in the Moments
Posted!

Sandy... From The Heart Of Texas
Posted!

Sherrie... Food For Thought
Posted!

Rich... Rich Image
Posted!

Mary... Mary Tomaselli's Photos
Posted!

Dawn... Dawn Elliot Photography
Posted!

Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
Posted!

Peggy...Who Can Discover It?
Posted!

Manang Kim... My Photography in focus
Posted!

**Maria... Maria's Space
Posted!

There is still plenty of time to join us for this week's Round Robin Challenge! Just visit the official RRC blog for all the details!

This is my last Round Robin Challenge for a while. I am taking some time off from blogging, but I will be back on Monday, January 3rd 2011 with an all new Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot. Hope to see you then! While I am away, Karen will be running the RRC all on her own! Be nice while I am away, because I will be watching!

:)

-Carly