Art Saves • by Lisa Field-Elliot

I couldn't help but notice the way the afternoon glow from the window came through the sheer curtain and played with her hair. Or how those vivid orange baby sneakers made his first footsteps all the more interesting. I see peeling paint. Patina. Old splintered doors and that part of the face just to the right of the smile, below the cheekbone. Adornment. Tones. Reflections. Collarbones. Subtle transparencies. Curves. Visual details have always been a part of me, tormenting in a way that only beholding the beautiful can exquisitely achieve. For much of my life, I thought it was normal to observe these things and to hold them inside, piled atop one another until I was forced to shut down on occasion by the sheer abundance of it all.

Discovering Where I Fit
I found my way back to a camera in my late thirties, in a story not unlike many others where a path diverges, a proverbial mountaintop is sat upon, divinity steps in, answers are given. And it has truly saved me.

With my camera in my hand, I have a medium that allows me to capture the things I see and no longer hold them inside. I am able to set free the abundance of detail I can't help but take in, from the minutia to the grandeur, and in the process, I am set free. The camera allows me to stop, to witness and document even the cracks in-between, explaining in a way I never could with words. Each image I share gives me the opportunity to release and offer up a tangible expression of what consumes me. I am able to offload it. Let it go. And make room for more. In the process of sharing the images I create, I discover who I am, where I fit, and how we all fit together.

My Purpose in this World
Art has the potential to save on so many levels. For me, it is personal, a real freeing of what shakes my soul. Art is also what now defines my purpose in the world. I have been able to travel to places like India and Uganda to offer my tool and my talent, and in exchange, be offered the opportunity to connect and capture beauty. I am able to share what I have seen, basic truths of humanity and the elements within all of us that are the same. In this way, I see the powerful potential for art to truly save, to make the world smaller, and to connect us all.

To learn more about Lisa Field-Elliot, visit her Web site at doorwaystraveler.com.

Comments

[Pam Carriker]

Amazing pictures! It's so important to share in this way and at the same time must be very sad to witness situations of desperation.

[Mary Beth]

Brilliant description of your process. The idea of being witness resonates with me and you capture it beautifully.

[Randi Nervig]

I loved your post! Your description of noticing details but not knowing what to do with them is something I can relate to. And the paragraph "in a story not unlike many others where a path diverges, a proverbial mountaintop is sat upon, divinity steps in, answers are given" made me smile and delighted me with the succinct description - no wasted words there. Your writing equals your photography.

[leslie]

You are an inspiration and a delight~ thank you thank you, dear Lisa :)