Tuesday's post showed images from the amazing display of public art and healing called "The Kindness Flag Project" in Vancouver, Canada.
There now is a blog devoted to the project. Check it out:
www.kindnessflagproject.wordpress.com
It may sound simple, or even simplistic, but the concept is profound:
Thanks to Ingrid Tamboline and everyone who participated in the Project for reminding us.
It's a Blog! Beginning with the first labor pains over the weekend to today, our blog is born. Frank acknowledges that while he is ready to give out cigars, I have been the one laboring. And it has been quite a labor. Those who know me know that to call me "technologically challenged" would be a kindness. I am, in a word, a luddite. I have joked that candles were perfectly good sources of light. Still, I am slowly emerging from under the rocks to reach out into cyberspace.
My first steps into the unknown came with the development of our photography website, which we invite you to visit: www.VisualOvation.Zenfolio.com. I have to say that the folks at Zenfolio are fantastic: They have put together a beautiful product, reasonably priced, with lots of options and very, very user friendly. Their technical support is extremely patient and kind (Thanks, Laura). It was a wonderful way to get my little luddite feet wet. And so the next step was a blog - not quite as easy to set up, but here we are.
So what is Visual Ovation and why are we here? Over the years, and in part coming from Frank's struggle with leukemia, we have developed a heightened appreciation for life and for living it as fully as possible. It is no accident that "Carpe Diem" is on our banner (it was a sweet delight and surprise to find a boat with this name in Amsterdam). There is nothing like being in a reverse isolation room hooked up to an IV for chemotherapy (or to witness the person you love the most in the world in this situation) to make you feel that when you get out you'll "seize the day" every day. And when, because of the skill and grace of a wonderful oncologist and team of oncology nurses (truly angels on earth); the love and support of friends and family; and serendipitous timing of medical advances, you become blessed with good health, well, you are not going to let that blessing go to waste.
Part of seizing the day has involved trying to see more of the world. But to seize the day doesn't necessarily mean leaving home. It more reflects a process of noting and appreciating the beautiful, the artistic, the interesting, the curious, the surprising and the humorous as we find it. Sometimes we are able to capture these moments in a photograph, sometimes in words, and sometimes they just will reside within us for private sustenance.
So for us, the name"Visual Ovation" represents the experience of seeing something and being filled with surprise or delight or interest. The idea of "applauding the artistic in the everyday" reflects our view that there is beauty and artistry everywhere, if we just can let ourselves see it and acknowledge it and "applaud" it. Visual Ovation Photography allows us to explore such images and it is in our website and this blog that we intend to share our views. If you are interested in musings about photography - (a new love and passion), travel (an old love and passion) and life - well, we hope you will keep on coming back.
The following picture comes from a recent trip to Amsterdam. We are not sure if Amsterdam is filled with what we call "urban wisdom" of if we were just ready to see it. But we kept finding images in the streets that spoke about life and celebration and living. On our first day, Frank took this picture. Words to live by, though we didn't expect to see this wisdom in metal letters on a storefront. So here's to celebrating life, new adventures, and the Birth of the Blog. - Stephanie
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao Tzu
This entry is the first step into a new journey, one of many made over the last year. It takes courage to leap into something new, but that is the excitement of it, as well. Here is an image of Spring-time beauty and renewal to symbolize this new beginning. In their vibrant color and simple, elegant form, these tulips embody the idea of the artistic in the everyday.
