It’s blog circle time again, when I link up with creative women and their blogs from all over the world. This month we are all writing about out favorite quotes. Should be interesting! At the end of this post follow the link to the next blog in the circle.
Anyone who knows me, would know that asking me to choose a favorite quote is a tall order. I’ve been collecting quotes for as long as I can remember. A Kahlil Gibran book that was given to me for high school graduation, traveled to college with me and now sits on a bookshelf overflowing with 3×5 index cards with quotes typed on them. There’s a a red journal from the 90’s in which I carefully hand wrote quotes that crossed my path and I wanted to remember. As the computer and the internet became a larger and larger part of mine and everyone’s life, collecting quotes became even easier. As long as I’ve had a computer, I’ve had a folder with documents full of quotes that I’ve stumbled upon in my reading or travels. Right now, there are five separate folders labeled “Quotes” on my computer(no idea why there’s 5) and quote documents labeled motivational, peace, photo, birthday, graduation, garden, light, heart, number, now, grandparents, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and one giant, ever expanding, 26 page document named “quotes for cards” that I’ve been dumping most quotes into the past 2 years to possibly use for my Inner Aperture note cards. (Clearly I need to do some organizing and purging here. )
To name a favorite quote, I would probably say it would depend on the topic. But that is the challenge for this month’s blog circle…What is your favorite quote? I’m still going to “cheat” a bit and pick two.
The first quote, I include because it pretty much sums up my philosophy of life:
“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” – Ursula K. Le Guin
My kids and husband would tell you that I’ve always said it’s about the journey, not just the destination. That applied and still does to day to day life as well as the grand themes in life. Going on family vacations was just as much about the route we traveled to and from and what we would do and see along the way as it was about the place we were headed. It’s not surprising that one of the first Inner Aperture cards I designed included that quote.
The second quote I’ve chosen is one that is my constant thought as an artist and photographer but it is important for everyone:
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust
More than ever, we are inundated with images of our world. We can get immune to what’s around us because we think we’ve seen it all before. We run the risk of getting to a place where nothing surprises or delights us any more. We see a place or a person, and think, oh yeah, I know this. What I strive to do as an artist and photographer is capture subjects in ways we haven’t seen or noticed before and in so doing show others what else there is to see and experience if you just see with “new eyes”.
I’ve had the pleasure of traveling to Switzerland quite a bit since we have family living there. I love to photograph that beautiful country. Two things could come into play if I didn’t constantly remember Proust’s words. First there is no limit to the amazing grand images of Switzerland and secondly, having been there quite a few times, it might be easy to think I (or someone else ) have already captured all there is. So given those two things, why bother? Because there is so much more if we just see with “new eyes” and that applies wherever you are.
I don’t have a card with Proust’s words on it (hmm, perhaps I need to remedy that) but I thought I would share with you something I created on one of my first trips to Zurich, The Swiss Alphabet. It was a really fun exercise in slowing down and paying attention to details that normally would be overlooked, seeing with those “new eyes”.
As you go about your days, working, playing, traveling, interacting with people, be it family, friends, or strangers, try to remember Proust’s words and have “new eyes”.
To continue around the blog circle head over to the Pacific Northwest in the USA with Debi Minter, a mixed media artist : https://dbminter.blogspot.com/
Gail, I love your quotes and those alphabet photos. Each one represents not only the letter but so much more when you look closely at them…with “new eyes”. Thank you so much for sharing!
I really like your quote about the journey. It’s good to have a reminder. And I love your alphabet. It is amazing!
Gail, I like your quotes, and the swiss alphabet collage is fabulous! So intriguing.
blessings, Nancy Lennon
Gail!!! Your words touched my heart!! Yes, I collect quotes too! And like you I have a TON of different folders with quotes in them on my computer. What IS up with that??? LOL! I need to do some editing too I guess. I’ve Loved Ursala K. Le Guin since I was a young teen. I re-read her books to my children and gathered tons more wisdom than when I first read them myself. And then when I read them to my grandchildren it was like re-visiting special friends again! I LOVE your alphabet collage too!!! Just wonderful to look at each beautiful photo!! Thank you so much for your words and photos!
Thanks so much for reminding me of the JOURNEY! I believe this is such an important quote you have selected! I often get lost on my journey and never arrive at my “destination.” Many times I have just chosen the wrong “destination!” It really is just about the travel time and smelling the flowers (lilacs!) on the way!!!