Beautiful reflection, Stella. What a perfect way to honor her passing. May your path ahead be lit with new creative joys--things to delight and surprise you in ways you could not image.
Thank you, Ann. Sometimes, I ask myself why this path? But this is where God/Universe has led me so far. Why not meet it and respond to these difficult moments with grace, beauty, and creativity? I will try at least to do that.
Wow Stella, such beautiful work and such beautiful words. What an amazing way to funnel your grief. “Even with a broken heart, the world insists on being seen.” It absolutely is true. Every day is a new day and an opportunity to share what the world need you to share —and you do that so well.
The photographs are filled with sadness, with water and stillness and grief. And the collages are full of life and love and quirky ways of looking at the world. Well done my dear. Take care. Sending heaps of hugs and best wishes.
Thank you so much, Beth. Take care, too. It looks like summer is transitioning to autumn in Australia? Fall is one of my favorite seasons. How is it like over there where you live?
Ahh, cooler nights! — a good sign for sure and a reprieve from the sweltering heat of summer. Enjoy the transition and wishing you a lovely fall season ahead.
"It feels counterintuitive, this leaning into joy and play while grief still sits so heavily beside me. But grief cannot be the only voice in the room. To live—to fully inhabit life—means holding both. It’s not either/or. It’s making space for joy and sorrow to coexist."
"Even with a broken heart, the world insists on being seen."
"“In difficult times, carry something beautiful in your heart,” writes Blaise Pascal. For me, that beauty is the art of photography and collage. They are my sustenance, like the steady bow of a ship carrying me through—whether in joy or sorrow—each an ebb and flow, always co-existing."
Thank you for this. The juxtaposition of the joy and play of creating with the brokenhearted beholding of the beauty of the world, two sides of one coin, two truths held in tension with each other.
Thank you, Melanie. I appreciate you chiming in with your thoughts. I'm glad to know that my photographs, collages and words resonated with you. It's so easy to forget when we're at the throes of melancholy. Perhaps I wrote this to remind myself that joy and sorrow can co-exist.
"It feels counterintuitive, this leaning into joy and play while grief still sits so heavily beside me. But grief cannot be the only voice in the room. To live—to fully inhabit life—means holding both. It’s not either/or. It’s making space for joy and sorrow to coexist." - Stella, I will treasure this and return to it when the time comes, and I need to remind myself not to drown in grief. I know that time will come, and I also know I won't be prepared for it. Thank you for sharing these words with us! ❤️
Thank you, Marcel. I so appreciate your comment. One of the things I've been mulling about since I returned from Manila was to offer an online course along the lines of The Practice of Seeing. I've never put one together but your comment has inspired me to seriously think about it.
I didn’t do Februllage this year—I lacked bandwidth and motivation for a daily prompt—but I’m so happy it provided a structure for you and a container of sorts for both your grief and joy ❤️
Thank you, Nathaniel. The good news about Februllage is that it is yearly. It took me three attempts before I completed the entire month (2023) for the first time. Thank you for reading and for looking!
Beautiful reflection, Stella. What a perfect way to honor her passing. May your path ahead be lit with new creative joys--things to delight and surprise you in ways you could not image.
Thank you, Ann. Sometimes, I ask myself why this path? But this is where God/Universe has led me so far. Why not meet it and respond to these difficult moments with grace, beauty, and creativity? I will try at least to do that.
Wow Stella, such beautiful work and such beautiful words. What an amazing way to funnel your grief. “Even with a broken heart, the world insists on being seen.” It absolutely is true. Every day is a new day and an opportunity to share what the world need you to share —and you do that so well.
Thank you, Juliette. You have always been supportive and I so appreciate that. One day at a time...
The photographs are filled with sadness, with water and stillness and grief. And the collages are full of life and love and quirky ways of looking at the world. Well done my dear. Take care. Sending heaps of hugs and best wishes.
Thank you so much, Beth. Take care, too. It looks like summer is transitioning to autumn in Australia? Fall is one of my favorite seasons. How is it like over there where you live?
Still warm here. No proper signs of autumn yet. Won’t be long though. The nights are starting to cool off. 🤗🤗
Ahh, cooler nights! — a good sign for sure and a reprieve from the sweltering heat of summer. Enjoy the transition and wishing you a lovely fall season ahead.
"It feels counterintuitive, this leaning into joy and play while grief still sits so heavily beside me. But grief cannot be the only voice in the room. To live—to fully inhabit life—means holding both. It’s not either/or. It’s making space for joy and sorrow to coexist."
"Even with a broken heart, the world insists on being seen."
"“In difficult times, carry something beautiful in your heart,” writes Blaise Pascal. For me, that beauty is the art of photography and collage. They are my sustenance, like the steady bow of a ship carrying me through—whether in joy or sorrow—each an ebb and flow, always co-existing."
Thank you for this. The juxtaposition of the joy and play of creating with the brokenhearted beholding of the beauty of the world, two sides of one coin, two truths held in tension with each other.
Thank you, Melanie. I appreciate you chiming in with your thoughts. I'm glad to know that my photographs, collages and words resonated with you. It's so easy to forget when we're at the throes of melancholy. Perhaps I wrote this to remind myself that joy and sorrow can co-exist.
Beautiful words today. Loved the energy of the collages while also loving the distinct difference in the photos and their shadows and reflective pull.
Thank you, Jenny.
You write so beautifully about grief, Stella.
Thank you, Andrew. It's one of those posts that just flowed. I'm glad to hear that.
"It feels counterintuitive, this leaning into joy and play while grief still sits so heavily beside me. But grief cannot be the only voice in the room. To live—to fully inhabit life—means holding both. It’s not either/or. It’s making space for joy and sorrow to coexist." - Stella, I will treasure this and return to it when the time comes, and I need to remind myself not to drown in grief. I know that time will come, and I also know I won't be prepared for it. Thank you for sharing these words with us! ❤️
Thank you, Susanne. That means a lot.
Your photos are really attracting my eyes, it is in a style I like to shoot as wel.
Thank you, Marcel. I so appreciate your comment. One of the things I've been mulling about since I returned from Manila was to offer an online course along the lines of The Practice of Seeing. I've never put one together but your comment has inspired me to seriously think about it.
Lovely collages and photography Stella! Thank you for sharing this. 💜
Thank you for reading and looking, Pamela. I appreciate it.
Beautiful words and work.
I didn’t do Februllage this year—I lacked bandwidth and motivation for a daily prompt—but I’m so happy it provided a structure for you and a container of sorts for both your grief and joy ❤️
Thank you, Nathaniel. The good news about Februllage is that it is yearly. It took me three attempts before I completed the entire month (2023) for the first time. Thank you for reading and for looking!
Beautifully expressed words on grief Stella, alongside beautiful images showing the deep waters of emotion. Thank you for sharing this journey here.
Thank you Lin for reading and appreciating my work. That means a lot.