IT’S TIME for this week’s Project 52 offering. The theme for week eight was “bright.” I had several concepts in mind for this project, most of which were obvious and dealt with literal brightness, but let’s be honest…that’s just not me. Well, not typically.
I DO have the occasional bizarre Lisa Frank moment where I channel unicorns shooting rainbows out their ass in fields of twerking poppies as naked gnomes frolic in some ancient sacrificial (but cheery and festive) rite and it rains pink and yellow glitter from the sky. But this was not one of those moments.
8/52
Theme: Bright
Title: Hidden Talents
I’M GOING to break with my tradition of leaving this up to interpretation and actually tell the story of this shot. The inspiration was a combination of a something you sometimes hear here in The South and an Einstein quote:
“Bless her heart…she’s just not that bright.”
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
(I’ll leave it to you to figure out which belongs to Einstein. *wink*)
THIS GIRL, clearly considered to be lacking in brightness by her teachers and peers, has been forced to don a dunce cap and left standing in the corner. But much to her teacher’s and classmates’ surprise, the girl they thought to be a dullard has a secret; hidden magical talents which she proudly displays by manifesting and growing a seedling in front of their very eyes as a big ol’ f**k you to those you have put her down and tried to make her feel less than she is.
The lesson here?
Judging a fish is ill advised.
I THINK we’re all guilty of judging fish. We place our own expectations on people. We expect them to behave and react as we would. But that’s simply not the way the world works.
WE ARE, each of us, individuals. We all have our gifts. We all have our talents. Some of us bring light to the machinations of the universe through science. Some of us walk with one foot in the material world and one foot in the spirit world. Some of us have the ability to connect with animals and children on their level. Some of us make the most badass pumpkin bread in the world. Some of us can fix a car with a piece of chewing gum and a twist tie.
NEVER LET SOMEONE else make you feel less than the brilliant miracle that you are. You are a genius, my amazing little fish…each and every one of you. Now go be brilliant.
What’s your hidden talent? What do you do better than anyone else in the world? Share your gift in the comments below. Show off that genius and let it shine for all of us to see.
Kisses & Chaos,
Alli Woods Frederick
image :: © 2014 alli woods frederick photography. all rights reserved. use without express written permission is forbidden and guaranteed to bring you bad karma, a plague of locusts and 20 years of really, really bad hair…and I mean tragically bad hair…the kind that makes you weep every time you look in the mirror and causes children in the street to cry while screaming and pointing in terror. So don’t steal my work. Period. ::
