Inspiration: Clyde Butcher

When I posted photos from my parents' farm after returning from Florida in December, I was really touched that so many of you took the time to comment on the pictures that I took and the farm in general. I never realized when I was growing up that my siblings and I were fortunate to spend so many years of our childhoods there. That's probably because I really wanted to leave, to move to a city where (I was convinced) the things I wanted to do and the person I thought I wanted to be were more accessible. There were also other reasons that I wanted to move away from Florida and I think they kept me from really being interested in my home state.

Now, when I tell people that I'm from Florida, they talk about beaches and palm trees and Disney. Its always a little strange to me, because the Florida I know and grew up seeing and hearing about is composed of marshes, agricultural land, and cattle ranches, in addition to suburbs and strip malls. Since I came home two months ago, I've been thinking about the varied history and various identities of Florida. Depending on where you are within the state and who you are, the culture and surroundings can be shockingly different. I know this could be said of any place, but I think its more acute there....and am still trying to figure out how and why.

Anyway, this post is obviously not related to fashion, but it is to inspiration. My father is interested in photography and has been for years. To be honest, he's the reason why I ever thought to pick up a camera in the first place. A few years ago, he introduced me to the work of one of his favorite photographers, Clyde Butcher. Butcher is an artist who works with a large format camera in the Everglades (among other locations across the country). When I imagine Florida, I always think of him.



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(These small pics really don't do justice to his gorgeous, almost epic large format photos. If you're interested, you should really check out his website.)

I'm not sure if I've ever explicitly written about this here, but I love trees. I grew up playing and riding underneath and amongst very old, twisted oaks, cypresses, towering pines and citrus groves. This is one of the many reasons why I'm drawn to his work. I find trees to be elegant, majestic, mysterious and am always moved when I'm amongst them. When I draw and paint, I often find myself either mimicking the texture of various trees or just creating images of them. When I take photographs on our vacations, I come home with a memory card or roll of film half filled with trees. I even think that they inspire my fashion choices, but in a less than obvious way that I can't really explain.

I'm not sure if this makes any sense at all, but I wanted to share something that I love and associate with my home with all of you. The other day Indigo wrote an inspiration post about some of her fellow bloggers (thanks for including me Indigo, you have no idea how excited I was!). She wrote that she admires when a blog "goes beyond the clothes that they wear....shows slices of these bloggers' diverse lives, interesting fragments of their personality." Anyway, I was inspired by Indigo's post to share something about myself that goes beyond my love of fashion and thrifting.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!