Artists Inspired Blog Circle: January | Grey

Hello, dear reader!  Every month (as you’ve likely noticed), I write a blog as a part of a broader blog circle and, each month, we share our take on a different color.  When I started this blog as a whole, I planned to write MORE than once a month.  Then….well, you know the saying.  You make plans, God laughs.  Boy, did he laugh.  I must be a straight up comedy routine at this point.  Life has, more or less, kicked me in the teeth for the better part of 5 months and I’m *still* trying to sort out what His plan is in all of this.  It must be good….or, that’s what I keep telling myself.  So, here we are–a once a month entry (if that!), hoping for something better (more prolific, more profound, even?) in the months ahead.

Grey is a very appropriate color for me these days.  If I could apply a color to how I feel, grey would most definitely be it.  You know that part in Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy steps out of her house when she lands in Munchkinland and the world goes from black & white to glorious color?  Well, that’s me, but the opposite.  Way back in August, I was caught up in a proverbial (and seemingly non-stop) tornado and my world went from color to black & white for a bit. Much like another very famous saying, $hit happens.  And, it kept happening.  “Overwhelmed” might be a good word to use for it, if one were to need a label.  Originally, I’d planned for that to be the focus of this month’s blog (I know it seems like it probably is already!), but, considering that *I* am still trying to figure out what the big-picture plan is here, it didn’t make much sense to try to rationalize it in blog-form just yet, with pictures attached, no less!,when I’m still sitting and waiting and looking and hoping that all the color will soon return.

So, neither myself nor my mess of a life are the subject of this particular blog (because, frankly, that’s just me whining and that’s kind of boring.).  Instead, I did a u-turn and chose to focus on something I love:  the beach.  Which, as it so happens, can be a pretty freaking awesome metaphor for life kicking the crap out of you.

I love (LOVE) a good beach day and I’ll take it any way I can get it.  Of course, most people assume that a “good” beach day is warm and sunny and those are great!  I do so love laying on the sand and soaking up the rays in the warm, warm sun. Ha.  Just kidding.  I’m a mom–I never get to lay on the sand and soak up rays, but you know what I mean.  Good beach day = postcard weather.  To a crazy person (me) with a camera (still me), though, a good beach day means big waves and a moody sky.  There’s a peacefulness that comes with watching the tide ebb and flow, the waves crash on the sand, and the clouds swirl above as they morph into a new shape in the blink of an eye.  There’s also that metaphor:  a day can start out calm enough–a greyish sky, some gentle waves–and before you know it, you’re out in the water, caught in the swell with the clouds deepening and the wind picking up.  You pretend you’re ok, even though it feels a little bit like you might drown.  But, if you’re lucky, you get your feet back on shore and you see that the wind has calmed, the clouds are parting and the sun is returning again.  That’s where I am right now (I think).  Back on the shore.  Taking a breath.  Ready to turn my face to the sun again.

PS.  I’m aware that I referenced God & swore all in the same blog post.  I’m imperfect.  He loves me anyway.  ❤

Next up in the blog circle is the incomparably talented Elizabeth Willson of It’s Still Life Photography.  Click here to see her take on this month’s theme and then make your way around the circle to see how each of our talented artists tackled this challenge!

The Artists Inspired Blog Circle is made up of an exceptionally talented group of photographers from all walks of life, from all over the world. They are wives, mothers, friends, daughters and visual storytellers who draw from their own experiences to create art that is inspiring, unique, beautiful and thought-provoking.