Shutter Sisters

lovely things

By

1. my list – things i love about autumn, 2. Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair… ~Susan Polis Shutz, 3. bench monday : puddle edition, 4. love is all you need, 5. beckoning of lovely , 6. IMG_1523-1, 7. sunshine in a bottle, 8. yellow brick wall, 9. Untitled

It all began with a simple video, 17 things I made, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. At the end she invited the universe to join her at The Bean, on 8-8-08 at 8:08 pm “to make one cool 18th thing.” She would be there with her yellow umbrella. 8-8-08 arrived and the universe answered in beautiful fashion, and The Beckoning of Lovely was suddenly born. I watched that video and was moved to tears by the simplicity and pureness of it all. No one knew what they were coming for, yet they came. They trusted in the universe, as did Amy, and something extraordinary was created. People gathering together, connecting, for good. At the end of that video Amy again asked the universe for help, to send in “lovely things” that we had made. I was moved, and so I too trusted the universe and followed my gut and sent something in. Not wanting anything but the feeling of being a part of something bigger than myself. A part of something beautiful.

Since then, Amy has returned, same place, same yellow umbrella, on 9-9-09 and 10-10-10 building each year in attendance and excitement. Tomorrow is 11-11-11, and again Amy will be returning to The Bean at 11:11am. The culmination of what began so long ago will finally be revealed.  “The Beckoning of Lovely 11/11/11 We Are All One“ the movie, will be released via the world wide web. That’s right, you do not need to buy a ticket for this movie, all you need is a computer screen. I have no idea what this movie will be, though I am certain it will be lovely and once again move me. Amy describes the movie as this, “an interactive love letter to the universe, this film is rooted in human connection and best shared in the company of others… be it with friends, family, co-workers, classmates, neighbors, strangers or any combination thereof. “  (i love that!)  She encourages gathering together to watch. And if you are like me, I suggest a big box of tissues…

Isn’t this what we all do through our photography? We beckon the lovely into our lenses and into our lives. And every once in awhile, if we trust, something extraordinary can come out of the ordinary… The mosaic above is a joint effort from a few of the Shutter Sister contributors (very last minute I asked for help and there they were)  little bits of “lovely” all yellow with a few umbrellas,  that came to represent this very special movement. Join us today in celebrating all things lovely. Add any one of your lovely images here in the comments today and please join me tomorrow in watching the movie.

At the end of that first gathering on 8-8-08, a line of people flip pieces of paper revealing these words, “make the most of your time here”.  YES!

Comments

  1. Goosebumps all over reading this, how I love this story.

    As Kristin is so super lovely and too modest to mention here…. The photo she sent in has been used for the promotional poster! You proud of you… Lovely things do happen to lovely people.

  11. I love how you wrote this: We beckon the lovely into our lenses and into our lives. So poetic and so perfect for what we do! I "beckon the lovely" in so many ways, but one of them is surrounding myself with beauty created by others: http://kateyestudio.com/2011/10/inspired-by.html

    Thanks for sharing this great story and I look forward to watching the movie!

  12. such beautiful words and such a beautiful mosaic! I love the videos of the 2008, 2009 and 2010 gatherings, they are so hopeful and moving, and they make me believe in the lovely that can be created if we trust each other and keep an open heart, as Tammy was writing yesterday.
    I am so looking forward to this movie!
    here's a little lovely, found while looking for chestnuts:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/mar_s/6327849325/in/photostream

  19. Oh lovely! I can't wait to see that movie! 🙂 Make the most of your time here is one of wisest sentences I heard in a long time.

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