Monday, January 10, 2011

It's a Balancing Act...

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, 
order, rhythm and harmony.”




My photo assignment today was to capture balance in a photograph.  I really struggled with this.  I took at least 10 photos of various things that literally represented balance to me before almost giving up.  I decided to go through some of the photos I've taken in the last month and I came across this photo. 

 It is one of my favorites and I could never really pinpoint why it was my favorite.  I thought I must love it because there is lots of green and green is my favorite color, but no that wasn't quite it.  I thought I must love it because the negative space is so cool, but no that wasn't quite it either.  Then it hit me...like a ton of bricks.  It's totally in balance.  Some of the design principles that I learned in college finally came together in one photo.  
  
Asymmetry+complementary colors+contrasting textures=balance

This is what I love about photography, paintings, sculptures, drawings etc....  You can look at them once and immediately be drawn to them (this is design principles at play).  Then you can dive in deeper and find a meaning relevant to you.  Then you can look again and see that certain things....certain principles were in play that made that piece of art appealing to you.  Art can be seen on so many different levels and really keeps life interesting.

I think I struggled with this assignment at first because balance is such a sensitive subject to me.  I strive to find balance between having a career and being a mother.  I wage a daily battle between work and home life. I wanted to show this in my photograph.  But then with that one photo that was perfectly 
balanced, I was able to realize that photography is helping me to find some balance. It's another creative outlet that involves my family, my job, my friends, and my home life.  Instead of adding one more hobby to my list, 
I feel as though I've added some free therapy.  

3 comments:

happy_wife said...

"Asymmetry+complementary colors+contrasting textures=balance"

This must be the exact reason I love ice cream sandwiches. The asymmetry of the thin wafers and the thick ice cream. The contrasting black and white against the crunchy cookie and smooth ice cream. So, this must mean I am the most balanced person on the planet.

And finding balance as a mom/wife/career person? If you come across a road map, please send me a copy cause the one I am using has me going in circles like I have one foot stapled to the floor.

janie

leigh said...

I hate to break it to you Janie but in all actuality ice cream sandwiches are perfectly symmetrical. So what this really means is that you are totally screwed.
Of course I jest....I love ice cream sandwiches too. So let's revel in the absolute perfection of ice cream sandwiches.

um yeah....I was balanced today for approximately 5.678 minutes when I figured out my photo and then all balance was out the window when I had to leave work to take Molly to the dr because I thought she had a UTI then I had to bribe her with gummy bears to go back to school without throwing a major hissy fit all the while I had to cancel an appointment so that i could take her to the doctor then it took me forever to refocus when I did finally get back to the office and by then it was time to get in carpool line to pick up Jack and take him to Tae Kwon Do and then to pick up Molly and get Jack home and changed to go to a fencing class with a friend and then get Molly changed for gymnastics and back home again to fix them dinner and yes.....that is the world's longest sentence and i am wishing I had the world's biggest glass of wine right about now! Whew....I'm exhausted now.

Anonymous said...

Wow... I was feeling so calm when I read your awesome post. Then I read your comment. Now I need wine.

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