Camino Sin Nombre: Taking Ourselves Out of the Picture

Sunday, April 14, 2019

Taking Ourselves Out of the Picture

Sometimes I can be pretty impulsive, I'll admit it. Most recently, it seemed like a good idea one day to join the Art Institute...so I did.

(It's this impulsivity that makes me realize the whole no buying new clothes in 2019 thing may help me with this in the long run...but that's another story.)

Back to the Art Institute...

As a member, I am able to always bring one friend or family member for free. (If you ever want to go, let me know - the offer's out there.) So, one of my friends joined me for this adventure (after getting ice cream, of course) on Saturday, which, by the way was absolutely beautiful and sunny; the perfect walking about downtown kind of day. Through the members entrance (oooooh) we went, and one of the volunteers helped orient us to the members lounge (again, ooooh), and there we made our game plan of what to see. I must say, it is very easy to get lost in that place - the rooms go on and on, and it's hard to tell at times if you've already seen one room or if it is just in the similar art style as the last one. So, while we had our game plan, we mostly just wandered.

What struck me most was the amount of people who were taking photographs of the artwork instead of spending time looking at it or reading about the history of it. As my friend pointed out, can't they just Google it and get a better image of it? Probably. Can't they just enjoy the artwork and not be worried about who they would show it to later? I don't know...it seems like we, as a society, have lost some of our ability to sit in contemplation and wonder of beauty that surrounds us.

Now, I'll admit I've gotten caught in this trap of photographing when I should just be enjoying various things a lot, especially on my trips to the National Parks. (Google's collection of pictures of those are surely better than the ones my own camera takes.) I'd like to argue that it's different in nature than in a museum...but is it? Truly?

In getting behind the lens, we (literally) take ourselves out of the picture. (No pun intended.)

I'm not advocating that photos are bad or that we should stop taking them altogether, for photos are such a beautiful way to keep memories alive. Instead, I'm arguing that there's a fine line, a balance to be met, especially since nowadays there's an unspoken pressure to make everything worthy of Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook. But life happens...and it doesn't look like that...nor should it have to. Some of my favorite things I've done of late don't have any photo evidence at all - time with my family, having good conversations over dinner with friends, getting caught up in a good book, taking a morning walk for fresh air before racing off to school... You get the picture. (Ok, pun somewhat intended on that one.)

I think it's important to ask ourselves, Did I take that photo to prove something or did I take that photo to make me happy (and remember something special) when I look back on it in the future? It's subtle, but there is a difference.

It's something I want to commit to working on myself - less photos, more be-in-the-moments; less proving something, more remembering with fondness and love.

And I think this something that's on my heart today because I believe that engaging more mindfully with when I take pictures will help me on a spiritual level (and likely in other areas too). I have found myself of late often wondering if I have chosen to do things for myself, for someone else, or for God. While I know my answer should be the latter of all three, it's sadly not always (or maybe not even often) the case. I find myself thinking What would X say/think about this? or I need to make this decision for the school/student because X will be more satisfied with this way. But that's the wrong way of thinking. We're not on this earth to make other people happy. If we can lighten their loads, bring joy, and be true friends, that should be the beautiful effect of being on this earth for God and His purpose.

As we enter into this most holy week of our (Christian/Catholic) Church year, let us take time to contemplate God's love and ultimate sacrifice for us; let us be present to His Word and present to the presence of others who are walking and living this journey of faith with us. Have a blessed and beautiful Easter season, everyone!

And here we have it, where I can't even follow my own advice - As per usual, here are some (unrelated-to-the-blog) photos of things keeping me busy lately:

recent sketch of the Golden Gate Bridge

Teachers participated in a display where students had to guess whose baby picture was who, so with the help of my mom (who scanned and sent the picture) I joined in the fun. I'm not sure if any students guessed me correctly...

Went to support and celebrate my friend from church who directs the plays at her Catholic school - they did "Mary Poppins Jr" just like my school this year. What fun!