This image has been such a big frustration in my life for the past month that if the process of editing a photo could be compared to sculpting a rock, then with every chip and curve I tried to make against this hard stone, it just did not bend to my will.
It took me nineteen clicks of the save button to get this final image and this is my ninth attempt to write a blog post to go along with it.
I must say that there were times that I just wanted to throw this rock out the window. My sanity can only be attributed to the many cups of tea that got me through to the end.
With all this resentment, the temptation was very strong not share this photo, but I decided to post it anyway because it is actually quite special to me, even with it not being my best work and all the frustrations that surround it. I won't call this a failure, contrary to my first opinion of it, because I actually think it looks alright, but not great (*note* I am staring at this sentence and it does not sound grammatically correct to me at the moment, perhaps I have been staring at a screen too much, but I have tried to write this post for too long so I'm just going to keep going).
I am determined to view this photo as a success because that which was completely irritating turned into an experience that I certainly benefited from. I know that I will look back on this photo with satisfaction because I worked through it and created something that is an extension of my imagination.
Something that I must often remind my self of, and something that I have been thinking about as I look at this image, is that failures can become something we learn from, experiences we can appreciate because they pushed us forward, and I am learning that failures, even when it is accompanied by frustration, are certainly something that I should not fear and with it comes the gift of humility if you accept it.
Let your failures live, not to tear you down, but to encourage you to keep trying. They are, after all, our greatest lessons.
And never ever give up.
