On my last post I wrote about how I sometimes don’t like what I see when I’m shooting a still life. A lot of you told me that you also struggle with that self-doubt, and I appreciate your encouraging comments. I guess we just have to accept that we are not going to love every single thing we create. But the key is to keep creating. Show up every day, do the work, and then share it (or not)!
When I came across this chippy enamel spoon in my favourite junque store, I was instantly transported back to my childhood. I saw my mom standing at the kitchen counter making supper for 6 hungry kids, and memories of how it felt to come home to the smells of bread baking, and some kind of hearty meal simmering on the stove washed over me. There was no doubt that that spoon was coming home with me.
As I was looking at this little scene, I knew I loved it, so I sat there and wrote down every reason I could think of as to why I loved it. I was creative BIGstorming; a technique I learned at my blogging convention. Then I spent about half an hour on this shoot, focusing on the top 5 things on my list.
So here are 5 reasons why I like this vignette:
- It’s simple.
- It makes me feel something.
- Late autumn sunlight is streaming onto the table, and I love late autumn light.
- The spoon is resting on mom’s cookbooks, and that feels right.
- The close details of the rustic edge of the spoon, and the soft worn cover on the cookbook, are comforting.
So, although there was really nothing wrong with my previous still life, I guess I just wasn’t feeling it. It may have been my mood that day, or perhaps I was in a rush to just get something. No matter what though, it was totally worth the effort and I’ll continue to show up and do the work. You never know what will come of it.
Friday Finds at Kim Klassen dot com
