Sheila Finkelstein.Picture_to_Ponder

Resistance and Overwhelm - v4-#15: Alstromeria Blend

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos
Blended White and Purple Alstromeria - the two source photos (see Lesson 6), taken at different times, were combined into the single image shown on the top, using Photoshop Elements 4.0.

 Self-Reflecting Queries
Regarding today's featured blended photo, I am delighted with the achievement that produced the end result. I thought you, too, might appreciate the light, airy, as well as almost mystical, feeling that it exudes. The creating of it is actually the outcome of letting go resistance and also taking on something one step-at-a-time.
                  
My resistance was to using the Photoshop program for anything beyond basic resizing, sometimes cropping, occasional minor color adjustment and sometimes touch-up, eliminating small, distracting spots. As a matter of fact, in various issues of Picture to Ponder, a year or two ago, I've written about wanting to remain "pure" to the photography, actually being somewhat defensive and, as I reflect on it now, "positional."
                  
I invite you to look into your life, are there places where you have taken a strong position on what you will or will not do, places where, in fact, if you made a shift, even slight, there might some exciting openings for you? This could be related to tasks and/or relationships.                   
                  
Also, are there places in your life where projects look so overwhelming that you are turning away from them? The alstromeria photo blend almost did not happen. There were so many different aspects to the course, or so I told myself, that I simply stopped, put off completing a couple of lessons I'd started and never moved on to the others. Then at the last minute, the day before the two-week extension ended, I simply stopped thinking about it and got into action, one exercise at a time.
                  
Now I am ecstatic. For the same exercise I also did another combo photo that will be the DVD cover for Banana Sky DVD, soon to be released in an easier to produce, easier to purchase format. I know I will be using this technique, as well as many other small, timesaving tips I picked up in this course, in many more creative ways.
                  
Perhaps you, too, have areas, in your life, where you "know" the answers and don't need support.  I also invite you to step back, look, and consider places where things might become easier for you, simply if you allowed someone else in and took a few lessons.
                  
More on my "Resistance Story," if it will help you.
                  
In the last issue I mentioned taking this online Photoshop Elements course. I've been using an earlier version for some time, simply using it for basics. Some of what I do is self-taught and some I gleaned from the online courses led by Sara Froelich for Eclectic Academy. As I recall, my main reason for enrolling in the course at this time was to start coming out of the state I've been in and get into some more ready, creative activities.

My dear friend, Rebecca Collins, pet portrait artist, whom I've mentioned in the past, is an avid user and promoter of Photoshop and has been after me for years to get into using it myself. I'd been routinely resisting and would simply call her if I got stuck.
                     
Having connected with her when I hired her to do my first web site, I had experienced following her lead with Dreamweaver and other programs. I did finally take on Cafe Press, where our Gift Shop is, well over a year after she kept encouraging me to do that.
                     
Now, I am finally moving a little more into the Photoshop world. After all, many professionals do refer to it as the "Digital Darkroom" and I'm certainly familiar with that, having oberved my beloved Sam spend hours in the darkroom where, for years, he tweaked his wonderful black and white photographs. Thank you both Sam and Rebecca.
                     
Note - If you love pets and/or are interested in seeing some creative work with Photoshop, do check out Becca's artdogblog, where she actually shows you what she's doing. You can also link to her site from there.

Awakening Senses - Paying attention - v4-#14 - Orange Lily

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos
Orange Lily - looking into the black-lit flower close up and then stepping back - The second photo has been selected out and mounted on a different background. The greenery on the right is from a bromeliad plant that sits on the table. Though not related to the lily, I kept it in for balance.
                  
Self-Reflecting Queries
Today's flower photos have gone through long stories as I spent a few hours "playing" with Photoshop Elements, experimenting with some of the tools I'm learning about in the online class that's completing.
                     
The ultimate bottom line took me full circle back to almost the beginning in the third photo, the lily with a view of my patio and the outside behind it. What I discovered after finishing working with the flower alone in the middle photo, was that the liveliness of the photo was with the light coming through. It somehow needed to show the source for the energetic feeling to stay with the flower.
                     
In attempting to cover up what I thought was the distracting background, I lost sight of the essence of the imagery. Now, transferring this experience to Self-Reflecting Queries:
                     
Are there places in your life where you may be losing focus and thus depleting the energy in yourself and/or a situation?
                     
Also, might there be places in your life to which you are totally not paying attention, for no other reason that you're not? If so, I invite you to stop and take some moments on a regular basis to really look around at your spaces and possible people or things in them to "be with" them totally.
                     
Today's lilies happened to be on a stalk growing outside in the bed in front of the front window of my home.  Given that the plant was  full grown with four lilies, it had to have been there for some time, AND I had not noticed them at all until I specifically went out there to see what was available for photographing in nature in my own environment. These are bulbs, I think, that I must have planted last year and I do not even recall that.
                     
If you accept the invitation to look around you with newly opened eyes, have fun discovering some of the things you might be missing in your life.

 

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See TILE KEEPSAKE BOXES in the Gift Shop. Ideal presents for any special occasion, including Mother's Day. See link above, or site, for description. Be sure to open the Tropical Flower and plant link on that page to see 11 additional choices. You can also chose the lacquered black or mahogany for any of the boxes.

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos
Yellow Gerber Daisies - The first us a flirtatious flower and the second is a close-up of one of the flowers near its end.

Self-Reflecting Queries
In the last issue of Picture to Ponder, I wrote about:

PLASTIC FERNS ON A GLASS TABLE
Stiff, rigid, not real.
They lack the softness, the waywardness
Of their live counterpart.

(One person wrote and wisely pointed out that the photographs are not "live nature" either.)

Today's flowers are/were live and "real,", albeit that they were cut flowers purchased in a store. When they were in the vase, flanked by two live plants on my living room table, they felt alive. As I photographed them on another table with a black backdrop (see VASE WITH 5 DAISIES), I didn't really think about this theme of artificiality.

Today, as I selected the photos and then used the new Sharpening tool in the new Photoshop Elements 6.0 that I've recently purchased, I was struck with how almost unreal they look. My being started crying for getting out and photographing flowers as they are growing.

The "sharpening" reminded me of putting on makeup, spiffing up for a date or going out, though I added nothing to the photo other than what the technology was doing. I also began to think of some who appear, to me, to look so artificial with a lot of make up.

Then SRQs for today evolved to:
Where are the places in your life that you are making yourself up for, or acting in, a role that might or not be YOU? Are there times when you are feeling "artificial?" If so, can you grab onto what creates that response in you.

Lastly, when and what are you doing when you are feeling most comfortable and natural? Is that a sensory memory that you would like to retain for easy recall when you might be in a particularly uncomfortable situation? If "yes", what are the cues that will have you remember.

For me, I feel most comfortable when I am not running "should be's" a different way.

In conclusion, I had created the FERNS page for the last issue and forgot to post the link. It shows some other spaces in the plastic fern's environment that had it appear natural.

Happy exploration.

Reflecting Nature via Plastic Ferns - v4-#12

Today's Picture to Ponder Photo
Plastic Ferns on a Glass Table made in High School by my younger son, more than 35 years ago
"Explained" in the poem below, you can also read more about how this came about on my PATIO PAGE - Check out the fun leaning mini-tower of books on that page also.

Self-Reflecting Queries
PLASTIC FERNS ON A GLASS TABLE
Stiff, rigid, not real.
They lack the softness, the waywardness
Of their live counterpart.

“So why”, you may ask, “do they  sit here on your patio
With so much natural beauty right outside the window behind them?”

Spreading out, filling the space
It’s always nature that calls to me –
The openness – the life -
Even the stagnant moves on, ultimately.

Hmmmm.  Then stagnation means I’ll move on too.

In the meantime, these plastic ferns
Serve as a subject for my writing.
They bring life to the space.
“How so?” you ask.

They bring focus to what is behind -
The reflections of the outside onto and through the table

Flowing ginger in the distance,
Live oak.
The tree trunk adds stability and,
In between, pieces of the grey-blue sky peek through.
All framed by the table top
Created by Rob at age 15.

With plastic-glass windows and a screen behind them,
These "ferns" pull in the life from beyond.
It’s the contrast that truly gives the meaning.

Now to look for, study and appreciate
The contrasts in my life.

©2008 Sheila Finkelstein

SRQ's - What are the biggest areas of contrast in your life right now? Are there sections of stagnation?

Guessing Game with Nature - v4-#11: Mystery Necklace or Collar

Today's Picture to Ponder Photo
For the fun of it I am presenting this "necklace" to you as a mystery photo. I'll give you one hint. The "pearls" are cells. You can see what it actually is on my LESSON ONE page for a Photoshop Elements 4.0 course I am currently taking online.
                  
For more fun and to discover where you can find a picture of me at age 11 or 12, keep reading.

Self-Reflecting Queries
At first today's featured Picture to Ponder photo brought to mind the image of a multi-stranded necklace on a blue neck. As I continued viewing it, I began to get the feeling of a "collar." Thinking "collar" suddenly reminded me of my artist friend Judith Schwab's exhibit, "Women Collared for Work."

The latter is a show that Judith conceived, invited several artists to participate in, including herself, and one for which she is currently curator. The artists have used the “Collar” theme to identify women with specific time periods from the 30's to the 80's. Judith's work reflects the 40's and 50's and her "Coming of Age 1, 2 and 3" series features a photo of me, repeated several times, wearing a dress with a Peter Pan collar.

To see photos from the show and to read more about it, go to Judith's site, www.judithschwab.com, and click the Women Collared for Work (Current Show) link. To see the "Coming of Age" series mentioned above, click on the link for 1940-1959 Judith Schwab and then the aforementioned series where you can see the 11-year old Sheila, when I must have been "coming of age."
                        
So, how does this lead into queries for today? I have invited you to check out several links. Whether you do this or not, or how far you go with it, is an opportunity for you to further define for yourself what most interests you.
                        
I had particular fun with today's issue, thinking about it as a creative game of discovery. Making discoveries is one of the things that most lights me up. Games usually do not. Interestingly for me, today I gave myself the freedom to play with you in a guessing game.
                        
Is playfully interacting with another, or group of others, something that you periodically or regularly engage in? If yes, what do you do? If not, is it something you might like to do? What other ways do you have fun?
                        
Are there games you might like to share with us?  If so, I invite you to write about them in the COMMENTS section below. As always, especially today, have fun with this.
                     

Joy and Freedom without labels - v3-#10: AOS Dancing Orchid

Today's Picture to Ponder Photo
Unidentified Orchid in the American Orchid Society Gardens Greenhouse

I was having so much fun enjoying this unusual orchid that I totally forgot to look for the label naming it. Then when I started selecting photo(s) for today's issue of Picture to Ponder, this one popped out at me bringing a huge smile to my face.

She seems to be floating in air, joyously and freely dancing, waving her light green arms. (Note -Her right one is barely visible.) I hope she brightens your day also.

Self-Reflecting Queries
As I stated above, I was so caught up in curiosity and fun with today's orchid when I was in the Gardens last week, the label became irrelevant. It never even occurred to me to check it out.

Reflecting on this now has me wondering how often I allow myself to be experiencing whatever is there in the moment without pursuing it further. Usually, I'll mentally put a label to something and then interact with it accordingly. As I write, I realize that I was not as innocent as I'm professing to be. Despite the fact that I had not looked for it's name, I had labeled the orchid simply by "personifying" it.

Are there places in your life where you are interacting with objects and people according to their names, or your interpretations of them? If they were nameless would your behavior be any different? Can we interact with our minds being blank?

And, in a slightly different conversation, where and when do you feel most free? Does today's photo give YOU any sense of fun and freedom? If so, to what do you attribute this? Can you transfer that to other situations in life?

Lastly, please find a place in yourself - an attribute, a way of being - that you will celebrate today, following the lightness of our dancing orchid.

Tulips open to Contribution - APDA Walk-A-Thon - v4-#9

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos
Tulips, once again being featured in March promoting their beauty, the approach of Spring, and the Annual APDA Walk-A-Thon fund raiser for Parkinson's Disease research.
                  
As I've stated in past issues, tulips are the symbol of hope. A red and white tulip was named after James Parkinson, who did a treatise on "Shaking Palsy" 200 years ago.
                  
To commemorate this, I bought a pot of budding tulips last week to photograph for new pictures to feature in Picture to Ponder this year. For five days, I took photos of them at different times of day and night, in different locations, many on the glass top table in my living room. One of the things I discovered this year, perhaps for the first time, is that tulips close up at night.
                  
Insofar as the two pictures I selected to share here today, I love the contrasts in light and shadows in the upper photo of the backlit tulip. And, of all the photos I took, the one that most intrigued me was the lower one because it looks more like a somewhat abstract painting, or perhaps a design for fabric, than it does a photograph of live tulips. Interestingly, other than for resizing, it has not been altered digitally in any way.
                  
You can see twelve more photos in this series on TULIPS 2008
                  
Self-Reflecting Queries
In addition to the aesthetic visuals of the above photos, I was also struck by the feeling of openness in the flowers, the reaching up and out, especially in the lower photo. Amongst my first reactions was, "Wow. They are an opening for contribution and in the next issue of Picture to Ponder I will be asking for monetary contributions. How fitting to use this for the featured one!"
                                                                                        
Of course my thoughts continued on to how difficult it is sometimes to ask for contributions, monetary or otherwise. Because stamping out Parkinson's Disease has been, and become even more, important to me, this did not present a challenge to me for this issue. Of course, getting the right pictures and the right words continued being at the forefront.
                                                                                        
The intention and the cause is far greater than myself, so I kept moving forward.                                                                                                
Are there places in your life where you could be an opening for contribution, not necessarily monetary, and you are reluctant to ask? Perhaps there is something that in the putting yourself out for it, allowing yourself to be vulnerable, would make a huge difference for you, no matter how small the request might be?                                                                                                
If so, I invite you to take an action. Make a request. Be open. It might help you to remind yourself that you might actually be gifting the other person(s) by allowing them to give to you. So many of us prefer giving to receiving. It seems easier all around, doesn't it.
                                                                                       

STAMP OUT PARKINSON'S DISEASE
We deeply appreciate those of you who have so thoughtfully and generously contributed in the past and look forward to all of you past and present who choose to do so this year. See DONATION page.
       
Those of you who live in South Florida, or have family who live here, are welcome to join us for the Fun Walk, Barbeque Picnic, Raffles, Exhibits and more on Saturday, April 5th in Lake Ida Park, Delray Beach. Registration begins at 9:30 AM. Others of you in the United States might be interested in a walk that's taking place in your area of the country. See the APDA link below for details.
                     
For more information on the South Florida walk, email me and/or to register, call 800-825-2732  or email ggilcrease[a]browardhealth.org. 

BACKGROUND explaining our interest in the APDA national Walk-A-Thons, the one fund-raiser where ALL of the money raised goes to research.

                                                                   

To support the April 5th Walk-A-Thon in South Florida where 100% of your money with go to National APDA for Research, click on the photo for DONATION page.                             Or simply visit the beautiful TULIPS  page and enjoy. (back to top)

                                                               

The GIFT SHOP now has one section with folders of different tulip images and products. Bookmark this page. More to come this week.                             I will donate $2.00 from every tulip product purchased in the Nature Art Gift shop through April 30th to the Walk-A-Thon. ($1.00 on single magnets.)

As most of you undoubtedly know by now, my husband Sam, who passed away in November 2007, had Parkinson's Disease. He was diagnosed with it almost 11 years ago, on the weekend set for a surprise celebration of his 65th birthday.

He did remarkably well during those years, with the biggest toll on him being the challenge in communication that developed, difficulty in the processing of moving the words from his brain out into speech. After contracting a totally unrelated infection in his blood, he ultimately he developed a swallowing problem which is common in Parkinson's. The latter wound up affecting his ability to breath naturally and became the cause of his passing.

Thus, raising funds for research - "Ease the Burden - Find the Cure" - is a cause close to my heart. I will be walking with the members of the Southeast Florida chapter and for the thrid year, I've set up a page through a secure service provided by Amazon.com, where anyone interested may make a donation to Parkinson's research, either anonymously or by giving your name, thereby getting a receipt for your tax deductible contribution.
             
Should you be interested in supporting this activity, you may simply use the Picture to Ponder - Tulips link or, if you wish to send a check, go to APDA's Annual                    Walk-A-Thon page and scroll down the page for our chapter's address or for one closer to you, if you prefer that. (Back to top -Stamp Out Parkinson's)
                
The latter page, with contact names and phone numbers, is also a wonderful resource for any of you who might know someone with Parkinson's Disease, or a family member, who is looking for information and support. We belonged to the chapter in NJ before moving and joining the one here in South Florida.

PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disease experienced by man, Alzheimer's disease being the most common. See Patient Information  on the APDA site for more detailed information on description and treatment.  I've also included a few more facts on the Tulips donation page.

Interpreting Situations - Tri-colored Heron in Morikami Gardens - v4-#8

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos
Tri-colored Heron stalking and catching his prey at the Morikami Gardens in Delray Beach, FL
                     
Despite the restlessness in the reflections we see as we look at the top photo, when I first viewed it in the larger size, I got an overall feeling of peacefulness. The heron seemed to be reflecting as he sat on the rock. Then I realized he was simply staring at the water, intent on spotting his catch. Caught up in the subsequent action, I started chasing him with my camera.

In the middle photo, I like the action of the open wing, reinforced visually with the ripples and reflections. In the bottom photo it appears that the heron caught his fish. It amuses me to think that he seems to be applauding himself. Check out his right foot.  

Self-Reflecting Queries
The description above of my reactions to today's Picture to Ponder photos is an example of how we see things and bring our interpretations to them. Sometimes we make up stories that are fun. Other times we add meanings and interpretations that may be totally off base to what we both see and hear. Actions we take accordingly may be quite counter-productive.
                     
Are there any areas in your life right now where you are feeling unsettled? If so, I invite you to look closely to see if interpretations you've made might be the part of the cause. Could there be different interpretations? Are there others involved with whom you might check out the accuracy of your thinking?
                     
When you finish this exercise, how can you applaud (acknowledge and reward) yourself? Finally, remember to smile as you move along in the process.
                                                                                                

Shadows and Light from a Bridge at Morikami Gardens - v4-#7

Today's Picture to Ponder Photo
Railing and Sheila - Shadows on the water and rocks at Morikami Gardens in Delray Beach, FL
                
I've been participating in a "Healing Gardens Walk" study at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in cooperation with the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Florida Atlantic University. The program consists of several walking visits, with different journaling topics and queries for each walk.
                
In the beginning I kept telling myself to leave the camera in the car, to be totally with the journaling. After some struggle, I finally gave myself permission to be who I am, thus allowing myself to use the camera when something catches my eye.
                
One of the pauses on the 7/8 mile walk is on the ZigZag Bridge. Standing about where the latter picture is taken (click on the link), I was drawn to my shadow, "behind bars," in the water. When looking at the photograph later, I noticed the shadows were also on the rocks. At the same time I saw the brilliant light coming through on the right and began to think that I could use this as a metaphor for my life.
                
Self-Reflecting Queries
Naturally, as I reflect on the above scenario, I am thinking of the current shadows in my own life, with the absence of my beloved Sam. On the other hand, breaking through there is the light of family and friends supporting and encouraging.
                   
Are there places in your life right now where you are in the shadows? If so, when looking beyond, where do you see light?
                   
Also, per my initial comments above on thinking I should leave my camera behind, are there places in your life right now where you are confining yourself by "rules" that you may be making up, where you are constraining yourself from being fully you? If so, I invite you to stand in the full power of who you are and be fully self-expressed.
                   
As always, have fun with this.

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos
a Heart as seen in a Palm Tree Leaf
                
The yellow image in this palm tree leaf caught my eye as I was walking last week. It immediately said, "heart", to me and I, of course, took several photos, knowing that Valentine's Day was almost here.
                
I've included both horizontal and vertical views of the image to demonstrate the different feelings that can be evoked by the changed perspective. To me the top, horizontal photo seems as if it's more embracing than the lower more focused image.
                
Self-Reflecting Queries
This lighter yellow heart configuration is centered in the leaf with the folds of the leaf spreading out from the center, through the leaf and to the edges.
                     
How expansive is your heart? Does it encompass as many different areas as the leaf has? More? The leaf has not changed and is there a difference for you in your response to the two different presentations?
                     
If so, is there anything in your life where this correlation might make a difference?
                     
May you all have widespread love in and throughout your lives.