"We contain multitudes, said Whitman. We contain multitudes that allow us to be/do/see/explore/create so many things. And herein lies the problem with success: it tricks us into thinking that we have found the one thing we are good at and that we must gently rest in that place forever.

I am not accustomed to resting, just ask anyone who knows me."

www.promotingpassion.com/sharpening-your-creative-knife/

I am ready to let my darkness show, to let the beauty of that be raw and honest. I am ready to create because my bones are aching to, and I am ready for that to look and feel however it authentically comes out. This life is so exciting; it lets us be many people in one. I can't wait to take advantage of the next phase of artistry and personhood. I can't wait to create.

Tags:   fine art photography fineart conceptual surreal dark

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“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” ― Plato

We all know the feeling of a big dream failing to come to fruition. Last night I was dealing with that emotion and let myself feel fully the weight of it for a few minutes. After a long walk in the forest I renewed my quest and found beauty in the defeat. Our stories grow stronger when hardship rears it's head. It is our buildup to the climax that we will eventually write for ourselves; it is the road turning uphill when we most wish it would let us fly. And it is so sweet, the feeling of defeat, when you embrace it and release it with renewed hope. Failure will come for us all in one form or another, there is nothing unique in that. How we push through it into that dark unknown is what defines us. I'm moving forward into my particular darkness with so much hope that soon my light will flood the night sky.

Tags:   fine art photography conceptual art dark surreal whimsical into the darkness self portrait

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Can you believe it is almost April? The weather is getting warmer over here, bluebirds sit and watch me write on my patio, and my imaginary balloons carry me off to wonderland each day.

www.promotingpassion.com/promoting-passion-week-64-…/

This new blog/video post shares questions & exercises that we can ask ourselves to make sure our year is on track. I've also created a Facebook group to grow this amazing community if you're interested!

www.facebook.com/groups/629434633868185/

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We are pebbles on a mountain
or a leaf beneath a tree;
The world could not continue
without a piece of you or me.
Our lives become a story
etched in stone for all to see;
When we make the mountain shake
we show the world what it can be.

Model: KD Stapleton shot at Zion nearly in the dark.

Tags:   brooke shaden fine art photography conceptual image idea human form nude figurative expressive sky clouds saturation mountain zion national park utah dark

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This is the one feeling that is more consistent for me than any other. It surpasses happiness, sadness, and most other emotions. It is a constant force in my life. It can be good. It can be bad. It is what pushes me to be more. It is what holds me back from being more. It is what we make it.

www.promotingpassion.com/incomplete/

Tags:   self portrait fine art photography conceptual photography fairytale dark art surrealism bodies intertwined illustrative painterly storytelling story representative nude female form expressive

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