Uncovered Beauty

I have learned that an artist is one who brings people's attention to the need, a point of view, or the mood. There are many photographs that I have seen. Some calm my insides, others depress me. Then there are those that make me unsettled or disturbed. The ones that give a rush are what make me come back for more. I like the rush. I am not sure if it brings me to a realization but visually I am fixated.

I know that a good thing can go all wrong. But sometimes these very images of beauty are what keep me out of hopelessness. These are the images that tell me that God exists. That His hand is precise, determined, authentic. That His eye is sharp, direct, and so much better at creating than mine. I believe He wants us to see what He has done. He wants us to enjoy it just like He does. I believe that God put me in this world to show people those beautiful things. Those things that readily exist but have gone unnoticed. I believe, also, that God wants me to show people the need for beauty. There is a restless spirit... an unknown force within that calls us to have the beautiful. Sometimes we do not know how to get there or sometimes we do not even know we need to be there.

We fix it with what my mom and I like to call "dinky-dos" or some white paint. A little plastic surgery and a goop of fleshy paint seems to do the job. But really, it only covers up what yells at us. What is it that we really long for? I believe it all comes down to the life we were created for, but at the same time I know that we can see it before it really comes in full force (Jesus' return). We have to keep our eyes open. So as a scientist turned artist I aim to show you this thing called beautiful.

For starters a smile turns away any sense of ugliness. A lot of people will say "Ugh, I look awful" when they see a picture of themselves. But really they just need to relax, give a genuine smile, and just be open for human connection. It makes the eyes smile, wrinkles and all. You see the lightness. The peace. That is all that we really want.


The above image is of a few boys that were causing some trouble at camp. They were told they all had to go to the photography activity together, I believe. They were complaining about how they could not find anything cool to take a picture of. I then proceeded to show them that it was possible to find something. They then grew excited and started snapping away...

This is the result of discovering beauty. What are they looking at? A picture they took that looked cool.

: )