I haven’t blogged in a while. Well, since I switched jobs. Despite missing the gratification that came from blogging, I wasn’t able to carve out the time that goes into thoughtful posts. Also, I had a newfound passion that turned into an obsession thanks to the recognition it brought.
Yes, your suspicion is correct: my blogging took a backseat to my iPhoneography (iPhone photography to those of you not following the geek boards).
I’d found a new way to channel my creative energies … a wordless expression of emotions. A way to tell my story of the world as I saw it. A way to modify reality so it looked more grim or more joyous depending on my mood. Seldom did I post raw images … iPhoneography gave me the platform to experiment, to test, to conjure up a scene that no one else saw.
And once established artists, designers and photographers started showering bouquets on this untrained artist a.k.a. yours truly, it was hard to let go. I was creating anywhere between 6 to 10 images a day, putting them through anywhere between 5 to 15 apps. The positive feedback helped fuel my creativity and all I could do was think about my next “masterpiece.” I also had a couple of “tangible” rewards. A gallery showing in Denver (Sept. 30-Oct. 22), a postcard sale, selection in the top 10 iPhoneographers for PhotoMediaCenter’s feature exhibit and exposure on various curated mobile photography websites.
My brag board was becoming pretty populated an my time crunch for anything else increasingly severe. I wasn’t even watching TV with my hubby without blending images, adding effects, or simply browsing through other iPhoneographers’ creations.
And then Nani died.
10 months of this obsession died with her.
I had been devaluing everything in light of my newfound passion. I wasn’t smelling the flowers, talking to my husband, reading, playing on the Kinect, socializing, or simply being without taking pictures with the aim of editing and sharing them. Everything else came second. And with Nani passing away, it just seemed like I was putting my life on hold for something that wasn’t even important.
Sure, I loved it. Still do. But iPhoneography is only an extension of who I am and what I love. It isn’t the essence of my being.
Like writing it provides catharsis, but like everything else in life, it needs to be done in moderation.
I’ve freed myself of the “need” to produce creative images every second of my waking life. I’m limiting my iPhoneography creations to one a day and spending the rest of my non-work time to living in the moment.
As for my new role in philanthropy — it’s demanding as well, but also immensely gratifying. For the first time in my life I feel empowered — my writing isn’t just making people reflect, reminisce, smile, or long to help, it’s actually bringing in money to serve those most in need. I’ve never experienced that and it just makes the 9-5 so much more worthwhile. I know why I go to work every day. And I know I am making a tangible difference. I couldn’t have said that six months ago. In fact, I’ve never been able to say that in my professional life.
So, now that you’re all caught up with the goings on in my life, I hope to appear more frequently in your inbox or RSS feed. I’m not making any promises about the frequency with which I’ll be able to blog, but I’ll strive to post at least once a week.
To those of you who sent me thoughtful, enquiring messages while I’d disappeared into the fascinating black hole of iPhoneography, thank you! It felt good to know there are folks out there in the ether who want me to continue writing. Your encouragement means a lot.
Until next time,
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Mansi Bhatia
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Hi Mansi,
I was taken in by your post. Your obsession with iphoneography, which carried you away from some important things yet also provided you with another way to channel yourself to the world, totally fascinated me. Not that I want to encourage an addiction, but your photographs are amazing. I can’t believe that you shot them with an iphone.
I love how you wrote about your Nani. Your words held humor, love, and yes, the sadness of missing her. I’m sorry for your loss.
As a fellow blogger I wanted to welcome you back and tell you that I will be following. I look forward to your many insightful posts to come!
My Best,
Leah
Thank you so much for visiting and for your kind words, Leah. I truly appreciate your taking the time to go through my words and visual expression. Looking forward to crossing paths again with you in the blogosphere.
Welcome back….what apps did u use for editing? i’m looking at editing some of my daughter’s pics to make them look a little bit “hatke”
Thanks so much, Shachi. I have an arsenal of over 100 photography apps and I usually put my images through 4-5 different apps on average. I usually list all the apps used in my iPhone Art portfolio. Have a look at the right hand column next to the images for a listing of apps: http://www.iphoneart.com/mansibhatia. If you are looking for specific effects, shoot me an e-mail and I might be able to recommend some over others.
Welcome back, mi amiga. I tried to respond to your Nani post but for some reason it didn’t work. I’m such an idiot when it comes to this technology. So sorry for your loss. I’m glad you had a chance to see her before her passing. Keep your eyes & ears alert, kiddo. You may see her yet again. The “loss” may not be a final as it seems. I have stories to tell!
Thanks, Ronnie, for your kind words. I guess we need to meet for lunch — intrigued by what I suspect will make for a very interesting story. Henry’s sometime soon?
Welcome back.
Your pictures are very wonderful.
Thank you so much, Vyankatesh. Really appreciate your warm welcome and kind words.