It’s that time again. What makes you fearless? Time to reflect on the week and find out. It doesn’t have to be monumental. Just a moment, a person or a small gesture.

This week, several of my co-workers and I volunteered at Safeplace Austin, a battered women’s shelter and crisis center. We cleaned their community kitchen, living area and computer lab. But my favorite part was cleaning the children’s play areas.

This shelter is always at capacity and always has a waiting list.

This Fearless Friday is devoted to all the women, children and men who have the courage to survive in the face of violence and abuse and begin the difficult road to healing.

Cups

Entrance with bottles

Hands

Go forth and be fearless.

I recently experimented with an exercise in John Daido Loori’s book, The Zen of Creativity, called Making Love with Light. The idea is to create a visual representation of love and to use light in a way that expresses your experience of love.

I wasn’t sure how to go about this, but I set out with my camera anyway and let the experience and feeling of love simmer in the back of my mind. I didn’t quite capture light in the way that I expected, but that’s okay. It seems like most of my photographs end up displaying a sense of playfulness, more than anything else (at least, from what I can see). I guess because for the most part, I do feel playful when I’m out shooting photos. So I just went with it and let that be my experience of love.

I am constantly amazed at how a photographer’s state of mind can affect a photograph. I’m going to keep playing with this…

I love you so much

Warming up for Capoeira

yellow

Feet

Warming up for Capoeira