7 Days: Day 7 And I'm Spent

Yeah, it's too early for taking self portraits this morning. I went to bed after midnight last night, which I'm regretting today. But there was laundry and ironing and packing and dog delivery to do last night. And then there were all the amazing 7 days pictures to scroll through. I love the 7 days photo project, but every time it starts again I forget two things, one, how quickly the week disappears and two, how much time it really takes to participate. I get so much out of doing this project. And this time even more so.

The idea of taking a self portrait a day for a week always struck me as a little narcissistic. As a blog writer, I obviously am narcissistic to a certain degree. To think that others might want to read and see what's going on in my humble little life, yeah, pretty self absorbed. But 7 days is something different for me. There is something about a camera that changes the dynamic in a room, in a situation, in a relationship. Two of my favorite photos this week were the photos I took with other people. And I think these are sometimes more representative of me than photos of me by myself. Because these relationships and the way I am with other people is such a huge part of me, it is a reflection of how I view the world, of my responsibilities and place here. The joy I feel everyday is so directly tied to my friendships and family, that those photos are the most representative of me sometimes as an individual, through the power of our connections.

I don't think I've ever viewed photography as something that could be healing, but the photos with my mother earlier in the week were exactly that, healing. I was able to view her and our relationship through the neutral eye of the camera, and it just looked so beautiful for a change. The other photo, that I took yesterday, was with a complete stranger. But he had made me smile or laugh several times during my morning commute this week and I wanted to capture that. Plus, I was a little nervous, ok, pretty damn nervous, to walk up to a complete stranger and ask him to pose with me. But pushing through those nerves and just doing it felt so good afterward. The photo itself is average, but James was open and friendly, and he made me more willing to talk to complete strangers for no good reason, other than they have a story to share and a smile for a stranger.

So I'm taking a little blog break over the weekend. I'm spent from the 7 straight days of posting, and I'm sure you need a break from me too, dear reader. We are headed up to Wisconsin for a great family filled action packed weekend. So I'll be back next week with wonderful photos, much much fewer of me and more babies, and plenty of stories to blur your eyes reading. Thanks for meeting me here.