Darkness & Vignettes - How to deal with fears and shadows
Fears & Shadows
Darkness & Vignettes
The dark spaces
Last weeks blog looked at the light spaces, and moving into them when feeling stuck. This weeks journey is to take a little time to look at the dark spaces.
Dark spaces can be where we feel down. We all have them. When things are not going the right way, we’re upset with ourselves, our responses and our thoughts.
These parts can be viewed as negative, the parts of us we don’t wish to see and that we’re afraid of.
We may not be aware that some of these parts are redundant, they don’t need to be there any more. They’re old ideas, thoughts and emotions that we’ve held onto without even realising it.
Some of these parts we hold because they are needed and maybe we just need to be aware of and fully understand them.
Some make us who we are.
Shape us.
Help us focus on the light.
Vignettes in photography are the shaded areas around a photograph that direct your eye to the central focus. The lighter part; the focus of the photograph.
The vignette directs to the positive; it adds interest and attention. Play with shadows in Adobe Photoshop and you can see how an overexposed, too bright and light photograph loses detail and a focus. Sometimes that’s what you want.
But a photograph with detail, light and dark has a story and interest.
It compels us to want to know more.
To illustrate this, the photograph below is the original without shading or vignette, and whilst it’s moody and misty in its own right, there isn’t the same detail and vibrancy of the photograph heading this blog.
A little less drama
Original photo without shading & vignette
Shadow & Focus
A little more conversation
So when things are not going the right way, when you are writing an essay, a project, or starting a new piece of work, it can feel like a negative space.
Sometimes we talk about being in a negative, dark mood. Yet this negative space in art is where we begin. This is a space of possibility where the ideas can move and form. If you are currently stuck, this may seem somewhat unlikely, but a little of this negative can be part of the process.
To understand you are light and dark and that this balance is beautiful.
Use the shadow as part of the whole picture, the balance and focus to your work.
To frame what you wish to express. To let the detail, the interest and the story come through.
Accept what’s good about it, what helps and inspires. For the rest, little steps.
You’ll get there and you’ve got this!
“You must have shadow and light source both.
Listen, and lay your head under the tree of awe”
Show your work
Listening to Secession Studios -The Untold on Spotify here whilst writing this. The Essential Rumi read with Scribd. Adobe Photoshop for the editing, the photos were taken on a recent dog walk. Just near the picnic area there was a surprise of a group of stone sculptures, which looked beautiful in the morning mist. Shout out to Tanya, Cindy & Matt who are great coaches and put up with a lot of my babbling to get this post in some sort of shape.
