Nature as Artistic Restorative

We hit the trail this afternoon, despite the 83 degree heat and the 55% humidity.  Sometimes you've just got to get out and feel the earth beneath your feet, no matter the weather.   We went to a woodland not far from home, but new to me.  After a bit of scrambling up a rocky slope, and making our way through hundreds of blueberry bushes, we took a breather to enjoy the quiet, the scene, and to take some photos.

The ground cover was most interesting; it was very mossy, and dotted with all sorts of mysterious fungi. I am always a pushover for a well formed mushroom shot, admittedly, but there was something so compelling about the nearby 'shrooms today.  Most of them were smallish, and almost sweet looking.  There were red ones, fetid ones, and cute ones with little ruffles around their edges.   I could hardly take a bad photo--they were that wonderful!

      

        See the rest of the set from our walk on my flickr page

One of the best parts about it was that I was excited.  Creative juices were flowing, and it didn't feel like a chore. Sometimes, even when I am motivated, shooting does feel like a chore.  I have been shooting for over 25 years, have sold cameras, worked in labs, worked in darkrooms, shot for papers, and much more more. needless to say, one can get weary.

It's important to keep finding the big and little things, especially in nature and in the simplest moments, that tickle our fancy and make our souls dance.   It makes us feel alive.  It makes us happy.