Drops

Twenty-one house plants and the narrowboat is the limit. Yes, I am turning into my mum, and I have no issue with it. To be surrounded by greenery is absolutely intrinsic to my life and home.

To illustrate, I have a short and sad story. A few years ago, I had a fire on a boat, one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. The barge survived, I survived, but my plans did not. When I finally arrived at the accident, Firemen finished their duties, saving my home. I had a quick look inside to assess the damage. It was the worst-case scenario for my inside garden.

It was devastating to lose them all (the only plant with a name – Frank, pulled through and survived the fire), I nurtured them for so many years, and now they were all gone. I know it might sound absurd to some, but they were a big part of my life. Living alone in the secluded fields of Fenlands, I got very lonely. The remedy to solitude and alienation was tending to my plants. I knew I had a strong relationship with them, but this accident made me realize even more how powerful influence they have on my happiness.

When incorporating that thought in the summer project, I dallied with the camera, initially taking standard photographs of my plants. I guess it’s my starting point, still working on breaking the boundaries, little steps. After a few nice shots, however lacking the out-of-the-box/mistake attitude, I thought of trying something different and, instead of focusing on the plants, my eye caught tiny drops of rain resting peacefully on a window.
Later I changed the photograph to monochrome on Photoshop to bring out the edges and composition.

I believe I followed through with the assignment, and even though this precise image was not a mistake as such, I looked through the lens with different eyes, different focus.
It feels unnatural at times, but it is solely because I am breaking patterns.

The definition of a habit is ”a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up”. It is indubitable, however, not unattainable. Challenge delightedly accepted.