A weekend in the wild

Ingredients for making better art

The first evening of our trip, while sitting around the fire, Laura asked us what our hopes and dreams were for the next day. I loved the question. Here we were sitting in the woods on the edge of a vineyard, and for just one day (the very next day), we had a chance to think about what would make our day — and importantly, to share it with everyone. How often do we have hopes or expectations that aren’t met? Particularly when we are in a group. Disappointment might just be a result of not asking for what we want or need.

Letting the logs burn down so the fire would be perfect for cooking

My first reaction was that I had no idea. The question felt too big. But it didn’t take long for the answer to come. It had everything to do with a habit I’m working on building. I love photography. And while I like the ease and convenience of having my iPhone in my pocket, it is not the same as carrying the big camera. Because I had actually packed the camera (so often I come up with a reason not to bring it, like dirt and rain…), I realized that my hope for the trip was to make one good photo. In the age of digital, it is so easy to snap 100 so-so photos. But what does it take to make one really good picture? So as we went around the circle and listened to everyone’s hopes and dreams for the next day, I was ready to share mine out loud.