Mirrors

“It’s important to pay attention to the times when we see something that we admire in another person. If you feel excited and motivated, there’s something in them that resonates with you. This spark could be indicative of a seed of potential in you that’s waiting to sprout.” 

I wish I wrote down who said those words. But I was reminded of this idea after being inspired by the work of another artist. Scrolling through Instagram I was immediately drawn in to these images by Nichole. (click to see her incredible IG page)

I commented that I loved these. And she replied: “they are very you so to speak”.

I knew I wanted to create something inspired by these images, and I asked myself what were the specific pieces I was drawn to or inspired most by. Then it occurred to me, like a little lightning bolt, connection. A feeling of inspiration and admiration passed back and forth. Of seeing and being seen. Mirroring.

“Just as there are parts of our bodies that we cannot see without a mirror, likewise, there are parts of our psyche, our self, that we will never see directly – that, indeed, like the small of our back, we will never see without a mirror. And what kind of mirror is it that can reflect back to us our own hidden psyche? Only one kind. A human mirror.” -Stephen Cope, Deep Human Connection: Why We Need it More Than Anything Else

I returned to some readings on human connection, curious about the connection between creating art, sharing art, and human connection. Related to the therapeutic process, I was reading about Winnicott’s perspective on how the basic sense of self is formed within relationship. In this theory, the patient is viewed as powerfully self-restorative, coming to the therapeutic relationship seeking the experiences necessary to strengthen the self. This concept can be applied to really any relationship. It can be applied to how we develop our artistic style over time, being inspired by the work of others and incorporating that inspiration to our own. It can also be applied to those experiences with others that reach more to the core of who we are.

I planned to try a few things with slow shutter but didn’t have an idea fully formed to get started. Thinking I was putting these ideas down for now, I switched gears and created something with what I did have immediately available. On a recent drive, I noticed this little house and tree and pulled over to photograph.

As I drove a little closer, I pulled over again but this time photographed through my windshield instead of getting out.

Just a simple edit on each, I was interested in the difference created in photographing through the windshield. Like a filter. I played around with a few different things in iColorama until I felt a spark of some kind.

This was it. I liked having the house and tree more in the center of the frame. I didn’t make the connection until a while after finishing this image, the potential significance in how I just created a mirror. I was still processing these ideas maybe.

I am so deeply thankful for the mirror-like encounters I have had in my life. The ones that seem to reach the core of what experiences are needed at exactly the right time. These special types of relationships do not always follow the ordinary or expected conventions of ‘friends’ but hold profound transformative power. You know them when you feel them.

“You can find these mirrors, as well. They’re all around you. And in order to grow into all of you, indeed, you must find them, and you must use them.” -Stephen Cope