Full Circle Moment

As I drifted off to sleep last night, pondering what will I will write about tomorrow—the ideas poured in. My mind reviewing the events of the day, the pictures I took, the conversations I had, and the cherished moments I experienced. We, my mind and I, wandered over to "After the Fires," the photograph that launched an unplanned career in the world of photography. I call it my "career of divine intervention." Reliving the preparation for my first photography show in a Phoenix, Arizona gallery, I was guided to also write about the fifteen images I selected to display—my words, along with my soul hung adjacent to the carefully chosen works of art. Directly below—a price tag, and as the show opened my heart-pounded and I went outside to breathe. My son Randy, who joined me in Phoenix, came out and urged me to come back in, he said that people were discussing one of my pieces and how they were going to reframe it. Sheepishly I came back in, the room now filled with people, studying my work and with sincere interest, and they were reading my words. I sold four pieces that night, and the rest as they say—is history.

But what of a full circle moment? Hang on...I'm getting there! I had something particular in mind with the phrase, but was curious what the "books" said. I found two distinct and different meanings behind the idiom—to "come full circle." The second of which is more in line with what it means to me in this instance:

1) To make a complete change or reform.
2) To complete a cycle of transition, returning to where one started after gaining experience or exploring other things.

My last photography show, "In Living Contrast" was held in 2011. Two self-published coffee table style books, "Shadows & Reflections" (subject of my second show) and from the last show, "In Living Contrast," were birthed from the combination of my photographic images accompanied by philosophical thoughts and creative expressions. Much of what I wrote in those books have not been read—I think there is a tendency to gloss over the words and only look at the pretty pictures. For me, the words are probably more important than the photographs themselves. Enter the exploration of other things.

Today my writing has transitioned to the lead performer in my daily practice for work and as my creative outlet as a writer. I am a freelance writer of multiple subject articles for a national brand magazine, and for clients in their social media marketing platforms. Somewhere, somehow the cycle of photography and words, through the exploration of new expressions have changed positions. From where I started in 2007, punctuating photography with words, to my words, the deeper expression of self, are now being supported by my images. I see this as a full circle moment.