Abby Raeder Contemplative Photographer
  • Home
  • About
    • About Abby
    • Artist Statement
    • NGOs and Me
  • Gallery
    • Everyday Wonder
    • Through The Looking Glass
    • A Space To Breathe
  • Musings
  • Contact

Memories

1/6/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Who are we if not our memories?

​A funny thing happens on the way to one's own antiquity. We try to grab on to the fragments of our life, desperately attempting to slow time down. Sadly, that doesn't work. Time marches on, slowing for no one.
If we are smart, we surround ourselves with photographs. Photographs of the good times and of our loved ones, reminding us where we came from, who we once were, and who we think we are today.

In the hall of my home, I once had a wall of family photos spanning decades. Images of my parents as young, impressionable lovers, grandparents long gone, pictures of my son at various stages, along with our dogs, in-laws that have fallen into out-laws, and a slightly faded Kodak print of me, a favorite. It was a shot of me at the tender age of four, or there about, with arms folded, already showing signs of defiance and independence. This photographic walk down memory lane was my window into who I was, and gave a nod to the people that added texture to my life. One day my son referred to this area as, "The wall of the dead,” harsh, but partially true. I quickly removed all the photographs. What I didn't realize at the time was that that wall was my anchor, which mapped out my voyage and my family's evolution. That innocuous wall, strangely, gave me comfort on my current circuitous journey.
"Memory is what makes our lives. Life without memory is no life at all… Our memory is our coherence, our reason, our feeling, even our action.” ~ Luis Bunuel
Memories aren't stagnant, they are a living grab bag of impressions and experiences that define us and fuel our creativity. So why do we bury away our photographs? Why don't we proudly show off all the phases of our lives?

​What if we were to print a few photographs today? Mount them in our favorite frames and carefully arrange them on our shelves. Flood our memory with images, for our memory is our unique story, revealing how we have grown, not aged.
Picture
Live in color,
Abby
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    ​MUSINGS

    An image alone sometimes feels insufficient, that’s where Musings come in. A space where words and images come together to tell the story.

    Musings List

    MAILING LIST

    I promise not to sell, rent, or share your email address with anyone. Ever. ​

    ARCHIVES

    December 2022
    October 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015

© 2022 Abby Raeder Contemplative Photographer - all rights reserved.
site powered by MaryHiggins webdesign
  • Home
  • About
    • About Abby
    • Artist Statement
    • NGOs and Me
  • Gallery
    • Everyday Wonder
    • Through The Looking Glass
    • A Space To Breathe
  • Musings
  • Contact