Photo by Cynthia Staples
"Reach out to other people in your life."
By Chris Dunmire
From her very first essay published on Creativity Portal in 2005 (Feeding Imagination), I have relished in Cynthia Staples' artistic take on life through her unique experiences in words and pictures. Listen to how she describes sating her imagination when starved for words and ideas while paging through a picture book or browsing an artist's Web site:
"I see a field of lavender in Provence, purple stalks bent under a hot summer sun. Shadowed valleys carved in the face of a black woman picking cotton in the pre-Civil War South. Modern color. Antique black and white. Each picture holds a thousand stories. I only need one."
Yes, each of Cynthia's photo essays are a gift to read if you have only a few minutes — her powerful writing is magnified through the visual synergy of photographic snapshots. You'll have to experience it to truly understand what I mean.
And, there's more — the latest creative delight from Cynthia comes in the form of an exclusive Q & A with Molly Anderson-Childers for C-P's 2010 Creative Careers in the Arts interview series, in which Cynthia talks about seminal experiences that shaped her journey as a fledgling writer and photographer, including her influences and inspirations and advice to others, wherein contains this nugget:
"So if I were to give advice to others it would be to reach out to the people in your life. Share with them your hopes and your dreams and your challenges. Not everyone will respond in the same way, nor should they. But each can be a vital resource to carry one forward in exploring and living a creative life."
I'm so tempted to write more about what this one little paragraph opens up in me, but I want to keep the spotlight on Cynthia. Perhaps as a teaser for another time, the wisdom contained in these lines about reaching out and sharing our lives with others is gold. Connection, support, and validation are vital things we must have to thrive, not just survive, in every aspect of our lives. Thank you, Cynthia, for that reminder.
Read Cynthia's entire interview here and be sure to visit her blog and photo gallery for more visually stimulating and inspiring stuff. •
© 2010 Chris Dunmire www.chrisdunmire.com. All rights reserved. |
