Today continues a series of guest posts from Photo-Heart Connection participants. I invited them to write a post sharing what the Photo-Heart Connection meant to them this year. For the last few days I have been sharing these very special answers with all of you, celebrating the first year of the Photo-Heart Connection. Enjoy!
When I was a child I thought I would study something related to art, but I ended up having a professional career in the social field. I wrote and defended a PH Thesis about social development and educational planning and started to work in several international projects for development and as university professor (education faculty). I still do.
Through this process I discovered that I was a teacher at heart but my passion for art didn´t disappear so I had to find ways to channel it. I created with my own two hands, but I also explored creative thinking and this was the cherry on top of my cake.
From outside everything seemed to be perfect, but I was feeling a strong inner unease so, in a given moment I started a path about self-knowledge and living more consciously. This led me to develop a personal journey based on mindfulness and healing.
Suddenly, I found myself with three independent threads and little by little I began to weave them to create a richer life. I used my creativity to heal; inspired by what I had learned through my inner work, I taught my students how to deal with their conflicts using social and personal skills (including creativity), and so on.
Finally, creativity, consciousness and teaching made an interesting tapestry but I still felt that I was missing something even when I did not know exactly what. But one day, when less expected, I won an on-line photography course and I found out the perfect way to link my inner work, my artistic mood and my need to communicate.
At the beginning of this year, when I was a newcomer to that world and still was looking for ways to put together my photos and my musings in a consistent way, I found accidentally the Photo-Heart Connection project and I understood that I had found a kindred spirit, someone who had discovered the power of photos in order to get in touch with her emotions and to show them to others, so I quickly joined the project… it could not be otherwise.
Along this time, looking for my Photo-Heart Connection of the month has allowed me to go deeper inside me and feel much more confident about my practice. This has happened not analyzing its technical details, but when –after the intuitive selection- I looked at the image carefully and let my spirit fly. Each of them without exception triggered thousands of unexpected reactions and awaked things that were waiting inside me to come out. Things that I needed to know. Somewhat, this process has been a powerful form of meditation. But it has also permitted me to illustrate my feelings and make them visible.
I have loved every single step of the process every month, but what I have loved more is seeing others doing exactly the same, reading their stories and feeling how my heart was going with theirs, how my heart was feeling the connection that other heart had felt previously. This has been simply amazing.
Thanks Kat for hosting this wonderful project, it has been a true privilege being part of it. And thanks also to the project mates for their kind support.
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About Zenaida Toledo: Working professionally as university teacher, I love all things related to inner growing. Currently living in Canary Island, Spain, I own a blog where I talk about my personal journey and explore issues related to the healing power of simple things and everydayness through photos and words. Visit me at My Healing Moments. My past Photo-Heart Connection posts are here.
Such a wonderful journey Zena! Thank you for sharing with us here. I agree, the connections between the participants of the Photo-Heart Connection have been amazing.
Join me for the final guest post tomorrow, and don’t forget the other things going on in the Kat Eye Studio:
- Do you know anyone who got a new camera for Christmas? Gift them with the free Digital Photography Basics eBook. They will thank you!
- Exploring with a Camera: Lights of Night continues through the end of the month. Take some time and get out to capture those holiday lights before they disappear, and then share it with us here.
- Registration continues for Fuel Your Creativity, starting January 6, and Find Your Eye: Journey of Fascination, starting January 20. Both are all new for 2013!