“The gradual realization of self takes place concurrent with the discovery of the world around us. It is a reciprocal, relational process.” ~ David Ulrich – Art and Self-Knowledge
Can we ever really know ourselves? In his book, Consolations, David Whyte says no in his essay on the word “self-knowledge.” We are always in a process of becoming and, hence, knowing; “half of what lies in the heart is potentiality.”.
I believe that your photographs hold clues to that potentiality, or at least that part of you that is unspoken or hidden. The image above is a visual representation of this reciprocal, relational process. It is also a metaphor for the self, with some parts clearly revealed and some parts still hidden or blurred.
There is a knowing in the mind and a knowing in the body, your intuition. Sometimes you can know something in your body before you know it in your mind. That knowing is sometimes revealed through your photographs in the form of metaphors or symbols or subject matter. By writing about your photographs, you can uncover meaning that will help you to better know yourself.
“What we are – that is – a moving edge between what we know about ourselves and what we are about to become.” ~ David Whyte – Consolations
What does the photograph above reveal about me? What I know for sure is that this type of photograph, highly textured with no clear subject, is a theme that comes up over and over again for me. It shows how all of the many pieces of me and my interactions in the world come together into one whole, coherent life. The hidden or blurred pieces are those where it’s not yet known how they fit.
“So may we, in this life
trust
to those elements
we have yet to see
or imagine,
and find the true
shape of our own self,
by forming it well
to the great
intangibles about us.”
David Whyte, Working Together
What do your photographs reveal about you?
If you’d like to practice writing about your photographs, please join me and Sally Drew in this online, group experience – Once Upon a Time: Your Photographs have Stories to Tell. The first session begins February 27th.
And, listen to David Whyte’s conversation with Krista Tippett at On Being – it’s rich and inspiring.
** Books mentioned have Amazon affiliate links, meaning I make a few cents if you purchase through my link. I only recommend books that I’ve read.
“We are always in a process of becoming.” That’s it exactly! In fact, we never actually ‘arrive’ because of this constant process of change and movement.
The above image shows the movement and yet there is unity in form and colour – without stopping at anything in particular.
Kim–I’ve been poking around, reading in the archives these last few days. Your words and images are a balm. I keep saying, Yes! This is what I’ve been looking for, what I couldn’t name or quite put my finger on. Thank you for such richness.
The link to the David Whyte interview is broken…here’s the correct link: http://www.onbeing.org/program/david-whyte-the-conversational-nature-of-reality/8560
Peace keep you.
Thanks so much for visiting, Kortney. And, the link is now fixed! I appreciate the heads up.
“half of what lies in the heart is potentiality..’ says David Whyte.
But perhaps, at 77yrs old it is as well that those dreams of my youth are accepted as just that. The potential to be a fighter jet pilot never realized, but who knows what other wondrous things may come my way, even this side of heaven?
Yes, who knows? Keep dreaming.