From There to Where?

It started through a happy series of coincidences. I used to actively participate in Second Life, a virtual reality game where the only goals are the ones you set for yourself. My goals tended to be to escape reality for a while, to look fabulous and to complete scavenger hunts.

Having gotten a virtual apartment, I was completing a scavenger hunt for home furnishings. (I refused to spend real money in a fake world, so scavenger hunts provided me with high quality items for free.) 

I was hunting in a store called {what next}. Then, I saw it. A beautiful print for the wall. A beautiful, distressed sky. A single, bare-branched tree. Birds flying through the sky. It was amazing, something that I wanted in my real life home.

I "purchased" it, nearly breaking my meager bank. And then I emailed the store owner to tell her how beautiful the print was and ask whether it could be purchased in real life. She told me about the artist and gave me her website.

That's how I discovered the work of Distressed Jewell. I was amazed, and I wanted to know how she created her work. Looking through her website, I saw a mini-tutorial. I was ecstatic!! And I tried it (along with one of her free-use textures) right away:

Well, I thought I was fabulous! Ha ha! I was like a little kid on Christmas, squealing and clapping, calling my husband over to see the picture.

And a new world of photographic manipulation opened its arms to me. Now, as much as capturing a great shot excites me, processing the shot excites me, too. I love pure photography. And I also love photography that is transformed.

Do I think I'm the best ever? Hah! Not even close! I have so far yet to go! I'm learning new techniques every day; I'm seeing inspiring works of art from fellow photographers and yearning to yield similar results; I'm interacting with photographers whom I adore and idolize (my favorite Flickrites).

I just feel like I'm on this amazing, creative journey. I feel like, step-by-step, I'm getting closer to some destination...one that's so amazing that I can't even imagine it yet...