June Challenge: 30 Days of Photos

One of my goals for the summer was to spend more time being creative–specifically, making art. I think that goal was inspired (at least in part) by last month’s 31 Acts of Courage challenge. That list of goals encouraged me to be much braver than I normally am in my daily life. (I actually struck up a conversation with a stranger at the grocery store! Trust me, it was a big deal.)

I really enjoy making art, but I’m very self-critical. That in itself often keeps me from even getting started on a new project, since I’m certain it won’t turn out the way I want. Why spend time and money on something I won’t like in the end? When it comes to being creative, it’s hard for me to be brave enough to take the leap.

So this month, we’re taking a creative challenge: 30 Days of Photos.

For each day, there’s a prompt (often just one word.) You can interpret that prompt any way you like. There is no wrong way to complete this challenge, so just tell that self-critical voice in your head to calm itself down. I’ll be doing the same.

In the spirit of fairness, and since yesterday was the first day of the month, here’s my faceless self-portrait:

This is a photo of a vision board I made several weeks ago, as part of an online art class I took with Allyson Bright. It reflects the way I’m thinking about She Dwells right now (and the direction in which I’d like to take it), so this is pretty much a picture of my thought process–a portrait of my inner workings, if you will. I have it in my home office, where it reminds me to stay focused on my blogging goals.

Of course, the minute I took this photo I started being critical. You need to take another picture–the light is glaring off the top right corner. Also, you need to glue down that peeling corner before you show this to anyone. Good grief, it looks like it was made by a 12-year-old. You’re really just going to put it out there in the world?

But instead of second-guessing myself and taking another photo, I’m taking a risk by revealing both a piece of my art and my plans for the future.

I encourage you to hold on to the photos you take this month; I’m going to try to think of creative things we can do with them, perhaps transforming them into other objects or using them as a source of inspiration for various projects. I have a blank canvas here beside my desk, just waiting to be turned into something.

I plan to hold myself accountable for this challenge by posting some of my photos on the She Dwells Facebook page. (If you haven’t joined the She Dwells community yet, now would be an excellent time!) I invite you to share your own photos as you take a peek into my life.

Remember: you bloom where you dwell. So let’s get busy dwelling in our own vision of the world.