Elemental, Part 3
Minding the Micro-Dramas
Dear Good Readers,
There are days when only the small stuff keeps me grounded. It seems I’ve been having a lot of those lately. Hibernating protects. Paying attention to what is on the ground beneath my feet feels safe. Being here with all of you offers comfort on a cold day.
Ice dances, captured by the cold.
Winter’s monochrome contains the fissures.
A conversation in my head drifts toward my heart, seeing connections between now, eons ago and eons from now. Fissures contained by winter’s monochrome.
Rest.1
Two weeks ago it was all about the ritual rendering of what is raw and real (Elemental, Part 1). Last week was all about feeling vulnerable, but finding inspiration from mending and of course, the constancy of compost (Elemental, Part 2).
This week feels even more elemental. An invitation to see the dark playing with the light, interdependent and uneven but coherent.
Micro-drama (my definition): A small, seemingly unimportant moment that contains as much or as little of the universe as I choose, because I show up and pay attention to it.2
Who knew that last week’s mending would look so much like this week’s frosted geometries…
…or strangely connected to these snow textures on the road?
My mind screams at me to get moving with my day or my life for that matter. How can you be still when there is such frenzy?
But these images call me to go deep into my body, to synaptic memories from deep time, inviting me to breathe into this moment and slow way down.
And I do…One stitch, one photograph at a time…Because only then can I be fully present in my body. Because only then can I care for myself and others. Because only then, when fully immersed in that micro-moment, can I think clearly. And clear thinking is what we need right now.
A few weeks ago I asked readers if you would be interested in a monthly conversation with me about all things elemental - - like compost (literal and metaphoric), creativity and how to make sense of complexity - - and eight of you said yes. So stay tuned, because I’m excited to explore new ways for us to explore together…
Like, do you see a dragon or waves or something else in this image? Or in the image below, what do you see there?
I see an inverted ice goblet which made me think of Harry Potter’s Goblet of Fire, which made me think about the profound power of the elements - - earth, air, water and fire - - and how those physical elements reveal themselves, and how they are in such deep relationship with each other.3
This next image looks like a cross-section of a brain, albeit a bit irregular in shape. Such power contained in such a small space, all evolving from the tiniest microscopic basic structures of life…that are the same structures that make just about everything.
I love it, for example, that “the aromas steaming from your cup of coffee, the wood supporting an oak tree, and the spiderweb’s silk are all made from just five: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur.” So cool.4
Is it frost or salt that causes these swirls on the pavement? Whatever the cause, they present themselves on the road by our new condo (actually an attached house) on cold dry days (like today)…and they mesmerize, literally stopping me in my own tracks, lest I smudge these masterpieces beneath my feet.
It’s curious that my posts don’t include people, which is strange, since I’m with people a lot (for me).5 This past week was filled with incredible conversations with friends new and old - - An art opening in Boston (Chelsea Silbereis: Absorption, at the Mills Gallery in the Boston Center for the Arts), an introduction to a poet who understands compost as metaphor (Enzo Silon Surin - - A Poetic Life with Enzo the Poet), and a portfolio review with Crista Dix (and three other very cool photographers) at The Griffin Museum of Photography. So cool.
But as happens, it’s taken me a few days to recover. You’d think I’d know that about myself by now! Thankfully, Lilly’s need for fetch keeps things real and on schedule.
And a curved cattail in the woods makes me laugh - - is it in conversation with someone? I’m not sure it’s me. Maybe it’s sending a message to Lilly: “Don’t worry, she’ll put her camera down and throw the ball soon enough.”
Thank you for sharing your time and this space with me.
With gratitude for you being you (and being here with me!),
Lyn
And in the midst of all that monochrome, the compost bucket. Phew!
I only started to really lean into “wintering,” after reading Katherine May’s book by that title, Wintering: The Power of Rest & Retreat in Difficult Times.
I’ve mentioned in previous posts that it was my brother-in-law who introduced me to the stunning micro-dramas occurring each day in his back yard, in his basement studio, or in the kitchen where he made bread or crackers.
When I just looked up the definition of Microdrama on Google just now, here’s what AI gave me:
A microdrama is a short-form drama series that is typically filmed for viewing on a smartphone in portrait mode. They are often made up of vertical video episodes that are under a minute long.
Microdramas are made for mobile devices and are digitally native content.
They are often filmed in close-up to focus on a single character's reactions.
They are designed to be fast-paced and have many plot twists.
Microdramas are often consumed in fragmented scenarios, such as while commuting or traveling…
Yikes. While my micro-dramas occur with close up focus, they are slow, meant to be savored, not consumed and are invitations to rest and stay awhile. I’m sorry this heavenly way of looking at the world has been coopted by the mobile media sphere. Oh well. If you are reading this, you are defying that culture. Yay us.
I call myself a micro-climate photographer because it feel like all these small moments in our lives are microcosms of meta climate issues, but they are so meta it is impossible to grasp unless they are made real and relevant through connections to the every-day.
I’m in awe that I started thinking about the word ‘Elemental’ and then a few weeks later learned about the newest series from the Center for Humans & Nature: Elementals. Elementals is a five volume set with essays exploring these five topics: Earth, Air, Water, Fire & An Elemental Life. Kind of fun to be considering these ideas in community with such a vibrant group of humans.
It was their earlier five volume set, Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations, that inspired me to find the Kinship Photography Collective, with whom I have found connection and belonging.
This quotation comes from an essay contained in An Elemental Life, the fifth volume in the set Elementals and is written by David George Haskell. The essay is called “Atoms on the Wall: Elements and Relationship in Science Education.” In the essay, Haskell unpacks the Periodic Table and reveals that in reality the core structures of life are not actually atomized and separate from each other in a structured grid, but are actually part of a deeply connected web of relationships.
This will be the basis for some future post - - my predilection for over-stimulation when out and about - whether in the grocery store or in a crowded room. There is lots to consider, in fact, since back in the 80’s I did the Myer’s Brigg’s Personality assessment and was definitely an extrovert one year and then five years later, definitely an introvert. I’ve been very good at adapting myself to other people’s needs, but as I settle into later life, it’s clear I need quiet time, though I love the periodic stimulation of a good party as well. It’s complicated. Aren’t we all?
Thank you once again Lynn. Your work feels like a prayer.
Glorious compost --that contained green circle felt like a blast of sunshine after the oh so lovely grey and white images. Fabulous.