I Wasn't Sure...

I wasn't really sure about sharing these images. These are the composite-image project I've been working on in my class for the last couple of weeks. We were supposed to choose a poem or a song lyric, then illustrate it photographically. I, of course, decided to choose a song lyric. Boy did I spend long hours agonizing over which song to use! I eventually decided I would use an Iron & Wine song because I think Sam Beam is one of the most poetic lyricists out there today. Then came the problem of choosing which one of his songs to use...and you can probably understand why all of my wake-up playlist songs for, like, the last two weeks were Iron & Wine songs!
In the end, I chose "Resurrection Fern" because there is so much beautiful imagery in this song - little scenes that call up deep emotions.

I set out to illustrate the chorus:

"We'll undress beside the ashes of the fire
Both our tender bellies wound in baling wire
All the more a pair of underwater pearls
Than the oak tree and its resurrection fern."

Without being overly-analytical here, as can be my tendency, I'll simply state that these words speak to me about vulnerability after brokenness and choosing to see the value in a relationship after something has caused pain or destruction. The concepts are almost as vague as the lyrics - not really telling a story, but referencing ideas or emotions.
Once I started putting my images together, here's what came out:



I like this image a lot, and it contains photos of so many of the illustrations referenced in the song, but I didn't really feel like it captured the feel of the song. Maybe that's why the meaning seems so vague to me. What speaks to me about this song is the feeling it evokes, not necessarily a life lesson that I've gleaned from it.
So I tried again.
And again.
And I called Mindy for opinions (endlessly - sorry!).

And here is one of the final images I turned in:



I didn't necessarily mean to include text on the image - I don't usually like that, style-wise. But I did feel like the font and the text (which is one of the song's verses) added to the image and explained what it was about and so did my professor, so I left it there.
I have been hesitant to post these because...hmmm...well, because I made them. And it's not in the same sense as making a dress or making a hat or making some cookies. Those are all things that I make, but I follow someone else's recipe or pattern. This was my work from start to finish and I find myself extraordinarily self-conscious about sharing it. I also worried about sharing them here because I like them and I don't want somebody to take them, change them or use them without my permission. It's not like I think I have steal-able work or something, but still. So these are a little lower-resolution (I think) than what I usually post. If feels silly and self-important to even say that, but I hope you, my friends, understand what I mean.

On that note, I have some most excellent news to share with you! Last night, my husband came into the living room and knelt beside the sofa and said, "Honey, you know I love you, right?" And I said I did. He said, "You know I'd do anything in my power to make you happy, right?" I said I did indeed, but I was starting to worry about where this conversation was going.
It turns out that there was nothing to worry about at all. He was being tricky about telling me that it was time.

It was time to order my very own big girl camera.

So I did. It will be here by next weekend! Can you believe it? I have worked and saved and...and...and...
Sigh. Well, you know.

It's not a pro-level camera, but it's a very nice one, similar to Mindy's (the one I've been using for class) and I'll tell you all about it when it gets here. Plus? I found a really good price, so I had enough money to order a cute-y cute camera bag and matching strap on etsy! Hooray!

And with news like that, who needs a Daily Bliss feature?