Inspiration is in the Leaves that Swirl around Us

This past Saturday I went on a lovely hike with my family in Williamsburg. Aside from being just a wonderful time with beautiful weather, it was also very inspirational in a couple ways. Those who know me, know I'm not a cell phone fan. After 4 years with my previous phone however it was time I grudgingly got a new one. I must admit I've fallen in love with some of these snazzy features, namely the camera part of my phone which my previous cell lacked. The reason why I'm especially stoked about this is I have been without a camera for some time. It's a long story and suffice it to say my camera phone is not an adequate replacement for a Canon Rebel, it is at the very least nice to have some sort of photographic device. I have become far more of a shutter bug with my little phone than any camera I have owned in the past. Bringing me to the next quality I love about this new device, Bluetooth capabilities. I'm able to quickly and painlessly transfer the 100+ photos I shoot from my excursions, without having to scramble around like a chicken with its head cut off for my USB cable.

All that being said I was able to catch many memories of my day in the woods. Way number one in which this trip was inspiring. Growing up in Pennsylvania, and spending many a childhood day in various New England states, I was surrounded by nature all around me. And even though I lived in a city the woodlands I loved were never far from reach. I've always had a love of hiking and exploring. That sort of thing seems to be diminishing these days with construction going on all around. But since I've moved to Virginia Beach, nature of that sort has been hard to find. The rare times I get to go back up north, even if it is just to Williamsburg, I am able to recapture some of that magic I experienced as a child and my longing to go up north permanently becomes even stronger.



The second way in which I was inspired, and that relates more to the opening paragraph, is in an artistic way. It wasn't well until after I got up there this thought came to mind. I want to use some of the better pictures I captured as reference for drawings and paintings and whatever else may come to mind. But mostly I'm going to use them to fill up the water color journal I made, and talked about 2 posts previous (which was my reasoning for creating said journal). If this series goes well, I'd like to explore it again but in more of a children's story book sort of style, to share with other the sense of wonder I felt as a child when wondering through woods like these. It will be interesting to see where these series of projects will take me. Have no doubt there will be follow up posts to come!