I’ve put this off for far too long. It’s been over two years since I last posted anything and over three years since I last posted consistently. I always hoped I’d be a bit more regular with this and perhaps, I haven’t been putting in as much of an effort as I should have put in. I won’t go into details or make this a long post but a lot has happened and a lot has changed. Here’s a brief rundown including where I hope to take this blog in the future. Before I get to that though, I’ll give you a brief rundown of some of the stuff that’s happened. If you’re interested in just today’s image and the blog, then you might want to scroll down until you see the image again.
God has been incredibly faithful through it all and I have never been more sure of His calling. Don’t get me wrong, I have my moments of doubt and unbelief but I always come to realise that God is always faithful.
My sister had a baby a couple of years back. His name is Ethan and he’s quite literally the cutest baby I’ve ever seen. I’ll probably share some pictures at some point. Today’s picture is from a trip to England right after his birth.
Anyway, along the way, I moved out of home, managed to complete my masters in media and communication studies, started working and living on my own, began dealing with personal issues, among other things. It’s been the most thrilling of roller-coaster rides and also the most scary.
There are moments when I still doubt myself but I’m always reminded of how much God loves me and how far He’s gone to in a marvelous showcase of that love. The last few years have had some incredible low points that I never saw coming (and that’s part of the reason I stopped uploading content as well) but there have also been moments that have been so amazing that they’ve helped me get through those times. I’ve met some incredible people who have been nothing short of inspiring, got to work on some really challenging projects that have made me question my views of life itself, had time to reflect and deal with stuff that’s been plaguing me for years, and I’ve had to unlearn so much that had been ingrained in me as I grew up (I like to think I’m still growing up).
Now, let’s get to today’s picture!
This started off on a rather overcast day (as you’d come to expect from English weather, I was told). We’d gone off into the city of Bristol and I was enthralled by the Clifton Suspension Bridge. I jumped at the chance to walk across the bridge but it took me a lot longer than I had thought since the bridge was massive to begin with plus there were so many things to take pictures of…a photographer’s dream! As I was walking across the bridge, I noticed this little lighthouse (is it a lighthouse?) just on the riverbank. It looked so out of place. For one, there didn’t seem to be a clear path leading to it nor did it look like the classic lighthouses you’d expect from images you’ve seen. It was a quick picture but it was one that stayed with me over the months. I was almost scared to process this for fear of not doing it justice.
When I did process it, it became, in many ways, an apt reflection of my trip to England as well as my life at that point. It’s almost as if I were that singular object in the frame. Isn’t that how life is? The rive could represent your past. All the currents you’ve had to face and one you make it out and onto the shore, you see the entirety of your past and realise that you are only there because of your past not just inspite of it. The waters seem calm now. The broken shoreline of your past almost akin to how you’ve had to claw your way to make to where you’re at right now.
Then you look ahead, at the looming trees, almost like the darkest clouds of the worst of storms approaching you. You stand firm and steadfast on broken ground, ready to face whatever lies ahead. You try and figure out what’s ahead but you can just barely discern one shape from another – a vague picture that could take you any which way. You’re free to take that step but it’s still scary. The shore is safe. It might be broken but it is safe. The darkness begins to encompass you. You long for rest but the future approaches, playing on all of your fears. Making you question your very existence. There is no rest. No. Not in this life.
I also decided to enhance some of the little bright specks on the trees as they reminded of the fleeting moments of true happiness that we all long for and want to hold on to. So, yeah, that was where I was. This trip was a life-changer in more ways than one. Interestingly, a spot not more than a coupe of hundred meters away from here was also where I had one of my most memorable moments as an artist. I’ll share that and the image from that night in the future. Stay tuned!
Now, for this website and my plans. I used to be really active on YouTube with tutorials and other content that tied in to my old blog and I hope to get back to it again. I stopped those years ago and even destroyed a lot of that content but that’s something I hope to work on again. YouTube will tie into this blog again and I’ll do better with the blog as well. One of the things that had been requested a fair bit was how before-afters of photographs. So, I don’t plan on just doing that. Yes, there will be before-afters but I’ll also talk a bit more about my thought process behind those images and why I decided to take them in the direction that I did.
There will also be tutorials headed your way – much more details and extensive than I’d been able to accomplish previously. Perhaps I could work on a regular series or something along those lines. That’ll keep me accountable as well haha.
So, yeah, that’s a glimpse into the future. Let me know if you have suggestions and/or ideas (even if it’s an idea for a tutorial, I’m all ears).
Oh! BTW I’ve got some wallpapers, in case you’re interested. Let me know and I’ll see how I can make them available.
