Shutter Sisters

feeling a shift

By

February hit me hard these last 2 weeks.  I felt a funk grabbing hold and digging in deep.  It was mocking my ever waning resilience I fought hard to have this winter as if to say, “HA! go ahead pick up that camera. I dare you to find anything pretty around here right now!”, and so my camera sat quiet. The very last day of February I woke to sleet and freezing rain pouring down on all our snow, the grumpy oil guy was here trudging snow and muck through my house, my teenager flooded her bathroom, I felt the weight of it all crushing down on me.  If I had a white flag I would have waved it. Then yesterday, just one day after I had felt so defeated and uncreative, I woke to sunshine, the first in days.  Puddles emerged from under the ice.  A bowl of handpicked lemons, a gift from sunny California, sat basking in in that beautiful sunshine in my kitchen,  I picked up my camera and for the first time in some time I felt happy as I clicked the shutter.  All at once I realized the ice was not the only thing thawing. I flipped the calendar page, gladly saying goodbye to February.  March feels full of hope and promise to me. Tomorrow I may get knocked down by winter again,  but somehow by turning the calendar page it all feels doable now. I feel a shift, do you feel it too? Hello March, I think I love you.

What do you do creatively when you feel in a rut?  Do you let your camera sit silent, or do you force yourself to pick it up anyway?  Share a happy hopeful image here with us today to welcome this new month.

Comments

  1. Sometimes I put the camera down and watch a movie, play a game, or read a book. Other times I actually do force myself to pick it up and shoot. The past few years, what I've done is buy old cheap film or digital cameras on eBay for the purposes of having them sitting about so that, when I'm in a rut, I can pick up an unfamiliar "new" camera and experience that kind of blank-slate thrill that comes with trying something different…

  3. I've been finding it hard to get myself out of the winter funk especially when the color palette around my house is brown on beige, no color in sight. Feeling hopeful that spring is around the corner.

  5. Watching my son grow makes me miss my dad — gone almost 19 years now. But sometimes I watch my father-in-law playing with my son and know his kindness and love will help my child better envision the grandfather he never met. I pulled out my camera, fully expecting nothing but snapshots from indoor light on a cloudy day. For the most part, that was true. Then I caught a shot of a wee hand next to an bigger, weathered one…

    http://journeyleaf.typepad.com/journeyleaf/2011/02/tea-party.html

  7. I, too, feel the burden of the "winter blues." We have had a cold winter "down South." The last day of February was horrendous–gray day, storms, even a tornado in the area. My camera has been silent since the snow days in January, sitting in its cozy bag in the trunk of my car, on the back seat of the car, now by the dining room table. There are a few images, but nothing inspiring. I'm not sure what's going to shake me from my rut. I long for spring and flowers and green things (although you can leave the mosquitoes behind!). I long for the return of the heron on the pond and the egrets and ospreys at the state park just down the road. I long for the return of spring.

  10. Hello, *this post*, I think I love you.

    Thank you for postng. I needed to here about someone else in a rut with high hopes for March and this upcoming Spring season…<3 <3 <3

  11. I felt the shift too. First it was noticing how bright it is at 6:30 which led me to think about the time change that will be happening soon… had to look it up… March 13! Then it was a beautifully sunny day… in like a lamb. I decided to take the 45 minute trip to Trader Joe's/Whole Foods/Target and felt spring again walking through their spring and floral departments. Breathe deep, it's on the way!

    Trader Joe's had an awesome deal on daffodils, 1.75 a bunch! I bought 3 and spread them throughout my house.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/rslaflam/5491836970/

  15. I think that February has the power to make most of us feel exactly as you described. If I'm lacking in creativity I tend not to pick up my camera as I've learnt that I'm usually not happy with any of the photos I might take. Instead I will trawl through my archives and find something special that I might have missed. This is a shot I took on a day in January when the sun was shining, albeit for just a brief moment.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/40748116@N03/5491139031/

  19. We were getting better weather back in January than we have been in February and the beginning of March isn't supposed to be any better. I took a day off work last week just to relax and despite the weather went for an afternoon beach walk to see if I could capture any images and I was able to get a few.

    http://anewdayadifferentway.blogspot.com/

  22. I've been in such a funk I've been forcing myself to pick up the camera. Most days it sits on my desk while at home. This morning, waking up in bed right as the sun rose, the light streaming into our bedroom had such a golden happiness to it. at that moment I wanted to take a picture of the tangled mess of duvet cover and blinds shadows streaming across the top of the bed. I'm hoping that it's a sign that the rut was finally over.

  26. I TRY to get out my camera and find something to shoot when I'm in a funk. The other day was really bad so I spent the afternoon with my 3 1/2 y/o niece. It helped a lot. She always makes me smile. We ran outside to quickly take some pictures. It wasn't until she yelled, "Auntie, watch this! My shadow is dancing!" that I even realized the sun was out! It definitely put a smile on my face. 🙂

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/barefootdreams/5492365044/

  28. Very beautiful photo today and such a truthful entry. In March, we usually try to make a purchase (big or small). It's a nice way to get out something old and bring in something new. I missed a couple of days with my camera. I wasn't sure what to capture. Then, I tried to dig deep to see what was on my mind and how I could put it together for others to understand.

    http://jessicavescera.blogspot.com/2011/03/tribute-to-table.html

  32. I am so glad that it's not just me feeling that way this winter.
    I even received a new Nikon for christmas and I have had no inspiration.
    Can't wait, the trees are starting to bloom here and I feel that flame starting to ignite.

  41. sometimes the camera can help lift the mood, sometimes it cannot, it depends on why I am in a rut… but I try to keep capturing…

  45. Ahhh, I feel your pain. In the past the winter, and in particular February, was so very difficult to get through. Doing a 365 this year has helped me immensely. It has pushed me to go outside when the sun was shining, even if it was freezing cold. It forced me to pay attention to the light, and realize that it's around more often than I thought. But oh, how my heart sings as I find those signs of the shift. The sounds and smells, the feel of spring. It's in the air now. No going back.
    Yesterday was so sunny I had to find my sun glasses.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/22377101@N04/5493238819/