Growing Inspiration

Growing Inspiration Fine Art Photography Leaf Wall Art

Turning neglect of my raspberry plants into art. Heavy grain and an antique finish pulled these prints together. Blurring the lines between photography and art. There are 3 prints in this set.

Growing Inspiration Collection

Sometimes you can pull inspiration from a negative situation as I did with this set of growing inspiration prints.  When you can look at something that makes you upset and find something good in it, the world becomes a just a little better place.

How The Prints Came About

The other night I walked through my yard and was sickened at the shape it was in.  I’ve been so wrapped up in a rollercoaster of emotions and website revamps and restructures that I let things slide on the home front.  Currently, I have Japanese beetles and planthoppers everywhere I look.

As I sat deep in thought, as I do with most of life’s woos I tried to find a positive.  Let’s face it, life can get you down and make you beat yourself up. In truth, a person doesn’t need to go there, but we do at times. When you are, you just don’t need to stay there.

How Can You Not Laugh A Little At This?

The first sight after my deep thought – How could you not have a little laugh when you see this? Cause you know the Japanese beetles have to be multiplying somehow.  Proof positive, they are.

Still, my raspberry patch is overgrown, the basil is flowering and between the dogs eating their fill of the raspberries and the beetles having their way with the leaves, well let’s just say the plants look terrible.

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Just a side note in case you ever have an insect issue, like Japanese beetles –  I use Garden Safe Neem Oil because it is safe for all plants, including your edibles. It is organic, takes care of many garden pests and it doubles to wipe out most fungal diseases.  Just ordered another bottle because what I have left will not cover all my plants.  UGH!!


Hole-y Planthopper

Then, I found this little guy looking at me with his big white eyes and scorpion-looking tail. Well, that’s something new!  I Instagrammed him because I hadn’t a clue what he was.

He is a planthopper, thanks to the ID from a fellow Instafriend and bug-loving soul.  Even though he was a new to me bug, he wasn’t supposed to be there.


Leaves With A Side of Swiss

While turning my head sideways a few times looking for a different angle to shoot Mr. Planthopper, I noticed that the Swiss cheese holes the insects had created were very pretty. I turned my attention from the critters to the leaves.


Growing Inspiration From Leaves

That is where the magic happened.  The negative thoughts went right out the window.  I knew how I wanted to shoot the leaves and also that the processing was going to be an overly grainy, antiqued finish. Sometimes it is odd that I can envision the finished product in my head before I have even started.

The visions do not always work out as intended but result in excellent thought processes and terrible executions. Perhaps that is why I beat myself up on occasion and look outside for validation.  But, you can’t get validation on feelings.  I’ve had to learn this the hard way.  You feel it.  Looking for validation from an outside source doesn’t make the feeling right or wrong, it is just felt.

Images available on cards to canvas

It took me a while to understand that you have to own that feeling you feel. When asking for validation online or in the public eye you are opening yourself up for hurt.

The feeling isn’t about how I  processed the art it is about the raw emotion that went into creating that piece. When asking for validation all I am doing is setting myself up for hurt.

I’m finally at a comfort level with my three distinctly different forms of photography and digital art.  I’m learning that it is even ok to talk about the emotion that went into creating a piece. Something that is a relatively new concept for me.  I share a lot.  Just not always the emotion.  It was drilled into my head a few years back that sharing emotion through speech was wrong.  Guess what, it isn’t.  It is an emotion that drives an artist. Kill the emotion, kill the art. Simple as that.

When you share the emotion with others maybe they will relate.  Maybe not so much.   Own it. Share it. Don’t make excuses for what you feel today.  That is what you felt TODAY.  Tomorrow, it may be different.

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