Reminiscing (Part 1)

This morning I was going through some old files on my computer and found lots of creative projects from my past. Everything was more than a year old (honestly, I think it's been that long since I've done anything "creative"). Some of the things were more than six years old, dating back to my junior year of high school.

Not wanting to completely lose my creativity, I'd like to use "Holding the Life" to look back at these artistic expressions from years past. Some, in my opinion, were pretty darn good... others, not so much. But that's not what matters. We'll look back once every couple weeks or so and get another glimpse into what makes me tick. This will be a learning experience for me, too!


Figure 1: "The Fall of the House of Usher" (Spring 2005)

Appropriately, I'll start with the chalk drawing that made me decide that I like doing art. I did this as a junior in high school for an assignment in a literature class about Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Fall of the House of Usher." It's nothing special, but it's definitely (and sadly) one of the best human figures I've ever drawn.

Figures 2 & 3: "Anthem"  (Fall 2008)

The church I went to in college puts on these awesome nights of worship twice a year called "Anthem." This is where I discovered I love taking pictures at concerts. The lighting is always phenomenal and the emotion bleeds into the pictures effortlessly. (Taken with a Cannon 5D)

Figure 4: "Holding the Life" (Summer 2007)

For a different crop, just scroll up. This photo is the banner for this blog. To me, it represents being all in. As the sun sets on my life, I want to be completely spending myself for the glory of God. (I don't mean to be morbid. I know I'm only 23, but each one of us is closer to dying every day.)
When I die, I don't want to have earthly treasures stored up in my clenched fists. I'd rather die with my hands open, just like this dead weed's seed pod, having completely surrendered myself and all I "own" to the Lord.
On a purely photographic note: This photo was extremely hard to capture with my point-and-shoot camera. I literally watched the sun close in on the horizon as I tried and tried to get the seed-pod in focus and not the background. This was the last shot I got before the tree line swallowed the sun!