Artwork

Big…

by D.M. Sessous

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Alas, I’ve been away for a while and I’m a bit behind…okay, a lot behind. *ack*

Preparing to move, actually moving and now recovering (and unpacking) from the move has taken three weeks of hard labor. I’ve been telling friends and family that I’m completely moved out of my old apartment but I’m far from being moved in. Having a lot to do really is an understatement.

So, I could have taken a photo of the Richmond skyline or gotten a nice shot of one of our high-rises. But, the image that means “big” to me right now is this tower of boxes in my craft room.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

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CreativeSprint

by D.M. Sessous

Have you heard about this?

I’m a fan of the Skull-a-day author Noah Scalin. He was a panelist for a James River Writers seminar where he introduced his book “Unstuck” in 2011. Since then I’ve been on the lookout for a smaller, more doable challenge and when I saw this 30-day sprint mentioned in the blog-sphere, I signed up.

That was months ago. So long ago in fact, I’d forgotten about it. Then, in the throes of my despair of being so far behind on the Photo 101 blog prompts, along comes the email saying that the CreativeSprint will start soon. In fact, it starts tomorrow, April 1, 2016.

And, that’s no joke. Looks like I’m going to be a very busy girl, very soon.

The only rule is that you do one creative thing a day for 30 days. You can give yourself a theme (the color pink, smiley faces, butterflies, shot glasses) or a method/medium (photography, watercolor, sculpture) to interpret with each daily challenge. Or, change things up day by day.

So, keep your fingers crossed for me as I dive in feet first into another creative blogging endeavor.

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Tango, it’s all about the connection…

by D.M. Sessous

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I recently attended a 20’s inspired tango event, Flappers & Philosophers Milonga, at the John Marshall Hotel.

When learning to dance the Argentine Tango, almost every instructor would say, “It’s all about the connection.” This dance is often referred to as the walking embrace. Partners lean in towards each other, the woman often close enough to press her cheek against the man’s face, the man’s supporting arm wrapping around the woman’s shoulders. It’s quite intimate.

A follower can do anything the leader asks – if the connection is there. One learns a lot about their partner with this dance; how they interpret the music, how they communicate the next step, even their personality – assertive, social and sometimes playful. All without speaking a single word.

The invitation to dance is usually unspoken as well. Gazes meet across a crowded dance floor, the quirk of an eyebrow, the nod of a head, a sly smile, a proffered hand.

Tango taught me how to connect through dance and I am forever grateful.

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Alone by choice…solitude

by D.M. Sessous
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Cascades National Recreation Trail, Giles County, Virginia

 

“Solitude: Being alone without any regrets, sadness, or depression. Not to be confused with ‘loneliness,’ where you are by yourself but long for the companionship of others.”

– The Urban Dictionary

 

 

 

 

 

I am an only child. I grew up alone, but I wasn’t lonely. I actually preferred being alone, playing by myself in my own imaginary world.

As an adult, I cherish the time I spend alone, especially on a scenic hike. Being in the woods fills me with create energy. And, being in solitude restores my center.

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Bliss is…

by D.M. Sessous

…a cat in the sun.

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Don’t tell me cats don’t realize how cute they are… Birdie knows…

Free of an ego, animals just live in the moment. I took these photos a few years ago and I still get a wave of gooey-ness in my belly when I see these pictures. It’s as if their bliss is washing over me and I’m there in the sun with them without a care in the world.

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So warm…Birdie (left) and Baby (right) soaking up the sun

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Water

by D.M. Sessous

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So, I’m starting enjoy walking around on my lunch hour taking photos. Maybe three weeks of photo-blogging will result in a new healthy habit.

It’s funny how I’m finding the best pictures on my way back to the office. This one has a wonderful contrast of the rustic-feeling wooden dock and the industrial city skyline.

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The horizontal orientation above. And some more water images below, cause I couldn’t help myself…

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Home is where…

by D.M. Sessous

…the books, wine, cats are.

My home is in flux now. I’m moving in with my boyfriend at the end of this month. My apartment is becoming less and less home, but my boyfriend’s house hasn’t quite become home yet.

So, how does one define home when it’s in transition? What does home really mean?

When I was in high school, I used to sketch partial faces with sad eyes captioned with “I want to go home.” I would say it under my breath throughout the day. It became my mantra. One day, I walked through my front door, heaved my book-bag to the floor and said, “I want to go home.” This woke me up in a way. I was home, but I still wanted to go home. So, where did I really want to be? I realized then that home wasn’t a physical place, but a state of mind. When my heart and mind were at peace, I was truly home.

My world is in upheaval again. Not so much due to teen-angst, but the stress of paring down, getting a new space ready for all my stuff and getting all my stuff ready to move has me thinking about home and what it means.

Since taking a photo of my physical home is not an option, I decided to snap a pic of the things that bring me comfort. I had wanted to show a cup of tea or cocoa, but all my mugs are already moved. I had enough forethought to keep a few bottles of wine here. Thankfully, one of my cats (Birdie) decided she needed to get in on the action and added the warmth needed.

Lastly, for any book geeks out there, here’s a list of the titles in the photo. These all have special meaning to me and contributed to the breadth and color of my imaginary world.

  • Flutterby, Stephen Cosgrove
  • The Oversoul Seven Trilogy, Jane Roberts
  • Emir’s Education in the Proper Use of Magical Powers, Jane Roberts
  • Virtual Mode – Book One, Piers Anthony
  • Night Mare, Piers Anthony (not shown)

If you keep the feeling of home in your heart, you will always have peace, love and joy.

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Chakra Healing Heart

by D.M. Sessous

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I created this piece for my dad. In my Reiki studies and reading about energy healing, I learned that when the kundalini energy rising through the chakras encounters a closed or blocked chakra, it can manifest as health issues in the physical body.

Men in particular tend to have blocked heart chakras from a lifetime of suppressed emotional expression. This causes heart issues in the physical body such as heart disease, blocked arteries and heart attacks.

So, I wanted to give him a gentle and safe environment to balance and clear his heart chakra and in the process bring his other chakras into balance.

This started as a small sketch in a pocket-size journal. I knew that I wanted the color of the heart chakra (green) as the focal point. I added the grounding energy of the root chakra (red) to add balance on either side of the piece.

The energy of these complementary colors (opposites on the color wheel) makes this a very powerful and striking painting.

Prints of this piece along with a piece that I created for my mom are available on Etsy.

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