“Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with dry, uninspiring books on algebra, history, etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the ‘creative bug’ is just a wee voice telling you, ‘I’d like my crayons back, please.”
~Hugh MacLeod
I have been enjoying the photography challenge, The August Break, the creation of Susannah Conway. And today brings another 10 days of words, and my interpretations. This creative challenge continues to tickle my creative muscles as I play with ideas, composition and perspective. Again I am including a few collages of pictures as they make for interesting photos too.
The first picture above is actually Day 11-Edge. I was looking at this vase that was sitting on the windowsill of our back windows that angle out. And I saw how it was peeking out from the edge of the wall. I thought it was an interesting shot.
Part of the same vase contained Queen Anne’s Lace which I just love to photograph. And it is especially stunning in up close pictures emphasizing the Edges!
Day 12-Yellow There is so much yellow outside in the garden, so I was searching inside for something yellow I wanted to showcase. I spied our yellow hummingbird teapot that we bought in Santa Fe, NM. It was perfect next to the same vase of declining sunflowers (also yellow).
Day 13-Last Year When I searched through the photos from last year, one special event that I just loved was the twin fawns that visited nearly every day. Surprisingly, we have not seen any fawns so far this year.
Day 14-Favorite Smell At this time of year, my favorite smell is fresh picked tomatoes sitting here on the kitchen counter. They are a favorite treat as well.
Day 15-Art This word was a challenge until I looked out at the garden in the morning light, and saw this hardy hibiscus glowing. The incredible details of the huge flower petals are truly a work of art. I thought I would make the inset picture into an actual painting, and then compare them in this collage. I can barely tell the difference between the two….both Nature’s art.
Speaking of Nature’s art, I have a picture of a monarch, at the end of the post, that has been visiting my garden for several days. I consider monarch’s and their beautiful wings, with the stripes and spots, artwork!
Day 16-Fire The early morning light coming into the garden creates so much magic. And as it touched the red and orange sunflowers recently, it looked like the flames of a fire.
I absolutely love these sunflowers because of their color, and they have about 50 flowers on a 7 foot tall multiple branched sunflower. And this sunflower is a volunteer from last year’s plant. .
Day 17-Reading I have so many bookshelves filled to overflowing with books. But my absolute favorite is this Stickley glass-fronted bookcase. I keep very special books in this bookcase with special artwork. The tile and the pottery are both from NM.
Day 18-Look Up The days have been hot lately, and the sun around midday washing out all the color. As I sat on the patio step and looked up, I shot a bunch of pictures. And to my surprise, I caught some interesting spider webs being constructed in the Sanguisorba officinalis. It is always good to look up!
Day 19-Sweet Delight What better sweet treat on a hot day than a popsicle.
I left it out in 85 degree heat and photographed it melting from many different views.
Day 20-Two I was not sure what I was going to do for this word as I already had a few pictures with 2 items in this post. Then Tuesday, we had severe thunderstorms that snapped many of my beloved sunflowers in two. Those same beloved sunflowers above set ablaze by the sun.
Now they are in a vase a bit bedraggled, and dropping petals….these two petals were my inspiration! It seems sunflowers have been an ongoing inspiration for me during August.
I hope you enjoyed these photos from days 11-20 of The August Break challenge. I am linking in with the I Heart Macro meme hosted by Laura@Shine The Divine that happens every Saturday, with Judith@Lavender Cottage who hosts Mosaic Monday, and with Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) photo linkup party at image-in-ing.
I leave you with a bit more sentiment about creativity. Feel free to download the photo and share.
All original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-15. Any reprints or use of content or photos is by permission only.
Donna! Your eyes and heart shine through these images…utterly lovely on so many levels!
I found myself reading your titles…I love looking at other people’s libraries especially other writers!
The twins are amazing and your opening with the edges…yes, I found myself having a close-up conversation with Queen Anne this week as well…she’s so awesome.
Thank you for sharing all these angles, all the contrasts of color and shadows…it’s not lost on me…a virtual feast! Thank you, thank you!! ♥
Oh Hannah, Queen Anne is just too amazing….and I am so pleased you really are finding the photos and titles as much fun as I am! Your praise is wonderful and I so appreciate it and you!
I love your quote for the day and that closeup of the sunflower made me WOW out loud. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed the post Debbie. When I saw that sunflower ablaze, I said Wow too!
Love your artist’s eye and heart. Thank you.
Oh that is such a wonderful thing to say! Thanks Soosie!
so inspiring Donna … what an exquisite photo collage graced with just a few choice words. thank you for sharing your heart & for continuing to live from happiness!
So happy you stopped by and enjoyed the post Sora.
Your sequence of photos have blown me away. Lovely thank you 🙂
I have no sense of smell and I am wondering how I would present my favourite smell…. That is one big photo challenge for me 😉
Wow I imagine it would be a challenge Cherie. So happy you enjoyed the photos! 🙂
Beautiful images!
Thanks Jean!
This is so fun! It is as though we get to peek inside your imagination and see your creative process unfolding challenge by challenge.
I have had fun too Deb….and I love letting folks have a peak inside my creative process.
I’m really enjoying the travels through your creativity Donna….very nice, it’s as if you are really digging deep.
She does have a wonderful sense of aesthetics doesn’t she?
Jen
I have been digging deep Jen and really enjoying myself! So glad you enjoyed the post!
Very nice images, Donna. Looks like you are enjoying all the garden offers.
Thanks Donna. Since I can’t garden, I can still enjoy it, and look at it in different ways.
Hello Donna, you are the creative one. I love your beautiful flowers and images. The hummer teapot is so cute!
Happy Monday, enjoy your new week!
Thanks Eileen….I do enjoy stretching my creative wings now and then. The sunflowers were amazing until the storm took them down..they are featured on my garden blog today too! Isn’t that teapot just beautiful. It is a treasure!
The first photo is stunning and the composition is wonderful. Enjoyed all of them.
Thanks Gayle….glad you enjoyed the photos…the sunflowers here are also featured in my garden blog today as the storms we had last week took them down!
such a collection of joy Donna! Your posts are always creative and beautiful and it is obvious that this August challenge was fun for you. Sunflowers inspire me too!
So very kind of you to say so Sallie…yes this challenge has been a wonderful creative time….and aren’t sunflowers just the best! 🙂
Beautiful images. Love your “take” of the August break themes. (I love New Mexico, too.) You do, indeed, live from happiness. Happy Monday!
I think when we can explore our creativity we create such bliss in our lives Snap! So glad you have enjoyed the images.
Oh my, two beautiful fawns!!! And I, too, would like the crayons back! Have a grand day!
Thanks so much Cathy….they were a delight last year, those fawns. This year no fawns but plenty of sunflowers!
Wow Donna, your photos are AMAZING!! I love your hummingbird teapot from New Mexico and the sunlight on the sunflower petals. They really do look like the flames of a fire. The fawns in your yard are precious — love their little spots. 🙂 You’ve shared some beautiful images and your mosaics are very creative.
Thanks for your visit and I hope you have a great week!
Hugs,
Denise
Thanks so much Denise….isn’t nature so beautiful and being able to capture it pure bliss!
Beautiful images!
Thanks Angela!
To my friend Donna who generously spreads happiness through her quotes, poems and photos…thank you for linking to Mosaic Monday.
So much gratitude to you my dear friend Judith for all your wonderful support!
Gorgeous images, Donna! Today I liked especially all the warm, sunny yellows there are in these photos and mosaics.
But… this time I didn’t agree with the quotation – or perhaps I didn’t understand it. I have never seen dry or uninspiring books on algebra, history, etc. Where on earth did Hugh see them? 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the images from this post….unfortunately in our schooling I have seen many a dry and uninspiring textbook…maybe it is here in the US. And the way many of these subjects are taught makes them dry as well.
Lovely flower details!
So glad you enjoyed the flower photos.
I totally believe everyone was born to be creative…wonderful August images!!
Thanks so much Robin….your kind words make my heart soar!
Your imagination is admirable, Donna, and my favourite here is the “Edge”, it looks like a painting. I couldn’t help it and thought about what I’d come up with for the individual prompts but it seems that it doesn’t work this way for me, I’d need the momentum of the moment. It seems it helped you as well.
Yes the words gave me food for thought and then I looked around throughout the day to see what might inspire and then I captured the moments….glad you enjoyed these images Petra…I had f=un with “Edge”.