A few of you already know about two other blogs that I facilitate. What you are reading now is my website/blog/portfolio where I share the digital images that I create and write what hopefully are fun posts. I also facilitate two other blogs that are both similar in nature to each other. They both feature original art work created at the Emerald Studio in Portland, OR. The Digital Mandala blog features circular images that I create from many of the images I find with the digital camera and combines them with an inspirational quote. The 2 Quote A Flower blog is similar with the idea of having quotes, but instead features digital images of flowers, hence the name.
I created these blogs about two an a half years ago as tool to share the images that I find in my daily travels with the world. I figured it would be a great way to show the transition in images associated with my growth in photography. Through my journey toward broadening my photography skills, its kind of nice to have a record that shows that growth. Plus, with all the challenges to today’s world, I just wanted to provide an atmosphere where you can take a break and perhaps bring a little bit of beauty into your life? Especially in our internet lives. Many times we don’t take the time to stop and admire the beauty that surrounds us. Many times it’s the same when we’re rushing down the street past a beautiful flower. Many time we miss the beauty all together. And, some of you are saying to yourself right now, “It’s a flower!” But it’s more than just a flower really. It’s taking a moment to stop and smell the flower, it’s about simply taking that moment to stop and take a break in our lives. To reflect on what we are doing to the World, and how we are impacting the atmosphere around us. Both of these blogs put out a post daily.
On September 27th I will reach post number 1000 on both blogs. Which means I will have posted for 1000 days in a row, which means over the last 15 years I’ve created 1000 Digital Mandalas. While I’m equally impressed that 2 Quote A Flower will be reaching 1000 posts, really it’s easy to post a picture of a flower online. Take the picture, do some editing, and post it to share. It’s pretty simply. The hard work is creating the image in the first place. But with the Digital Mandalas I’ve created over the past 15 years, I’ve had to spend a little time putting those together. I usually create them in families of 8, simply because they come from a circle within the original image, with each Digital Mandala made of an 1/8 pie slice of that circle that means there are 8 pieces from this original circle, so I go ahead and create a family of 8. It takes a little bit of time to do this. Plus, taking into account editing and all the background work put into the creation of a Digital Mandala. There’s a little bit of time investment associated with creating over 1000 Digital Mandalas.
Well, now that I’ve created such a huge body of work. To be honest, many of them are humble in their on regard. Not a lot of them stand out, but some of them are absolutely beautiful. Rather than thinking of each one individually, right now I want to recognize the effort put forth in the creation of these 1000 images. I’m reminded of the Japanese tale of creating 1000 paper cranes and being granted a wish that would come true after completion.
I want a wish! And I have 100 days to come up with that wish. I’m initiating a campaign toward 1000 Digital Mandalas. I’ll continue making posts here on my Emerald Studio website, perhaps featuring a few of my favorite Digital Mandalas over the years and if I remember, explaining how it came about. Meanwhile the Daily Digital Mandala blog will keep chucking toward the day of Daily Digital Mandala 1000 with a release daily. And on that day I will reveal what my wish will be.
So onward we go. 100 days to 1000 Digital Mandalas. I hope you get a chance to visit the blog. All 1000 are there waiting for you to discover and appreciate. Go on then, stop by and spend some time checking them out. Be on the lookout for some posts that I make here in my own personal journey toward this goal. And at the risk of being called a tease, be on the lookout for what my wish will be on Sept. 27th.
I end every post I’ve put on this blog with the word Peace. I try and end every conversation I have with the word Peace. Because I believe we need more Peace the the world.
Peace
~V
Emerald Studio Photography 