My friend Dolly Salazar's son was sent to Iraq last month. Dolly was one of the friends who was there for me when my youngest brother, Kevin, was sent to Iraq during the first Iraq war more than a decade ago. I don't think it ever occurred to either of us that her son would end up there all these years later ...
She sent me the following images -- and here is what she said: "Tina, I'm going to cheat this time and send images that I didn't take, but you'll see that these illustrate my only real fear. These were taken by my son, a Marine who shipped to Iraq in February."
The 1-7 on the Bus (c) by J.S.
"The 1-7 on the Bus: My kid and members of his company on a bus in the Middle East taking them to their base in Iraq. A bunch of tough-guy 19- and 20-year-olds acting like tough-guy 19- and 20-year-olds. He tells me it's so quiet there now that he's bored, but I can't help noticing the curtains blocking all the of windows in this picture. So they can't see out? Or so others can't see in? This is the first tour for all of them."
Starbucks, Kuwait (c) by J.S.
"Starbucks Kuwait: Yes: Starbucks Kuwait. Their first stop after flying out of the US was an air base in Kuwait, and the first thing my kid saw upon landing was this building. I always knew 'hearts and minds' was never about democracy, but such in-your-face proof is particularly jarring.
These kids in our armed forces have been fighting this idiot fight for six years now, just so Starbucks can monopolize Kuwait. I never did like their coffee."
Friday, March 13, 2009
"Fear" submission sent by Dolly Salazar
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Lost Soul by Helen Bascom
Lost Soul (c) by Helen Bascom
This submission from Helen Bascom is heartbreaking -- but I am thankful her story has a happy ending. Here's what she wrote regarding this beautiful photograph:
"Hi Tina,
My entry for the word "Fear" is an image I call Lost Soul. I found this little fellow, his mother and his two brothers abandoned and living in a pile of refuse near my home. They were all so frightened it took days to coax them out. Every day I left food for them, and after a while they started to trust me. I found them homes and as far as I know, everyone is happy. I donated this image to the Wildlife Appeal, a group of caring individuals dedicated to raise money to care for animals injured in the recent Australian bush fires.
The link to the group is here: http://wildlife-appeal.redbubble.com.
My image is available for purchase here:
http://www.redbubble.com/people/wildlife-appeal/art/2656417-2-lost-soul.
Thank you for your fine blog!"
Helen Bascom
Bascom Digital Art
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Fear -- what are YOU afraid of?
What does "FEAR" mean to you? Here's how Merriam Webster defines our current word:
1: frighten
2: archaic : to feel fear in (oneself)
3: to have a reverential awe of
4: to be afraid of : expect with alarm
intransitive verb: to be afraid or apprehensive
— fear·er noun
When I was a child, I simply could not sleep if the doors to my closet were left open. I would lie in my bed staring into that closet, and in no time the clothes were moving and morphing into terrible monsters. Nothing could convince me that my mind was playing tricks on me. If that door was open, I was afraid to close my eyes. There is a great acronym for fear that fits here:
False
Evidence
Appears
Real
I was so certain that there were things moving in the depths of that open closet that nothing was going to convince me otherwise. Sound familiar?
"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." -- Joseph Chilton Pearce
This quote gets to the bottom of one of my biggest problems -- fear of being wrong. Fear of looking foolish. I know that this is a HUGE stumbling block for me. As soon as a photographer -- or any artist -- starts asking themselves if people will like their work, that creative spark is gone. I know this, and yet I still find that I am "self-editing" when I pick up my camera. "Is this stupid? Will (fill in the blank) like this photo? Will it sell?" These are thoughts that are commonly running through my head when I am working on my photos. The last one seems really odd considering the fact that I do not make my living with my photography (at least, not yet). So WHY do I care if something sells or not?
As you think about our current word, really consider what it is that you fear -- and then find a way to show us what that fear looks like.
P.S. There is a great article on fear and creativity here. Check it out.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Our New Word is "Fear"
Hedda Fears the Bright Lights of the City (c) 2009 by Tina M. Harris
What are the things that strike fear into your heart? Is it the mere sight of a snake slithering by, or it something deep in your psyche that you can't quite name? Fear is, unfortunately, an emotion that many of us are all too familiar with at this stage in our lives and the life of our country. Fear can be a good thing -- it can protect us from taking dangerous risks -- or it can stop us cold and keep us stuck in one spot afraid to take a risk and venture out.
What do you fear most in life -- and how can you demostrate this visually? Spend a little bit of time thinking about fear and how it affects you -- and then get out there and show us what fear means for you. Your entries are due no later than Sunday, March 15th, so I am afraid there's not much time! Send your submissions soon!
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