Blog Archives

The Power of a Single Plant

11/21/2020

Christmas Cactus Bloom, November 2020 Photo by ERSwett

A single
small plant, a
gift in 2003, grows for
17 years, blooming regularly
just before Thanksgiving, as if feeling
our longing for color, just as
the days darken and
trees stand
baren.

Christmas Cactus Plant (a gift from my mother-in-law in 2003), Fall 2020 Photo By ERSwett

It was
a gift from my
mother-in-law, its
abundance reflecting her
deep love for the keeping & caring
of all kinds of plants. During this
time of Thanksgiving, I am
grateful for her and
for this pink
cactus.

Dried Blossoms on Paper, Fall 2020 Photo by ERSwett

For me,
photographing
the spent blooms has also
been an invitation to see the beauty
embodied in decay, especially
during the past 3 years,
when she has been
in decline.

Composted Blooms, November 2020 Photo by ERSwett

Last
week, the pink
blossoms lay beside stale
bread & a banana peal. 3 years ago,
those blossoms lay on fresh snow, mixed with
spent leaves & flowers. I doubt Pam ever imagined the
powerful impact that small plant with its pink blossoms would
have on me. It was this image from 2017 that inspired
me to begin sharing my work in new ways,
including making a set of greeting
cards with a variety of
images from that
year.

Dried Flowers, 2017. Photo by ERSwett

This
first 'dried
flowers' photograph
is part of my original "Compost
Composition" greeting card collection.
There is still a limited supply available, which
I hope to get out into the world. Please express your
gratitude for the US Post Office by writing
cards to those you love. Rumor has
it that these images make
people feel good.
Here's a
link.

Mixed set of 8 Compost Composition greeting cards, Fall 2020

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The Power of Black Boots

11/14/2020

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I believed
& it was true. Wear
a pair of black leather boots &
you, too, will feel powerful & confident.
It's been five years since I first purchased these on
consignment, polished them up and
faked it till I made it. They
worked their
magic.

After
wearing them
a few times, I started to
actually believe in my power - -
not in a dominating way, but in a deep
visceral kind of way that flowed from my fascia
and radiated outward. These boots
lead me to the edge of
my known
world....

If I
step off
the path, I might
harm this ecosystem, but
if I stay on it, I may never come to
understand it. What if it's not even a binary
question. Maybe it's about stance
and learning to tread
more lightly.

And
maybe there
is more power in a
backward glance made with
curiosity, wonder & the core of who
I am, than there is in a pair of
boots & a projection of
false confidence.

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Curiosity: An Invitation & Choice

11/5/2020

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Banana: Look at Me! Fall 2020 Photo by ERSwett

Colors.
Textures. Shapes.
Invitations to pay attention.

Balanced Greens, Fall 2020 Photo by ERSwett

Gorgeous Garbage. Mixed
up and mingled.

I Voted, Fall 2020 Photo by ERSwett

Curious
about time & the
need to document how I
use it...Fear emerges: Will we
have the time we need?
Thoughts shift.

The Executive Calendar, Fall 2020 Photo by ERSwett

If my daily
calendar is empty, did
I exist? If we live without record,
do we exist? Or, is there something more
powerful I don't yet understand that
connects us to the spirit of
things & not things
themselves?

Yellow Rose Petals, Fall 2020 Photo by ERSwett

Trump's
election sparked
my initial focus on compost.
Since then, the pile has shifted from
metaphor for America (a diverse soup), to an
invitation to explore my relationship
to just about everything and
everyone...including
myself.

Tea Cup in Sharon, VT, Fall 2020 Photo by ERSwett

So I've
been hanging
out with tea-cups
submerged in ponds and
feeling the power of
moss while in
prayer.

Moss & a Prayer, Fall 2020 Photo by ERSwett

I wonder:
Will I take this invitation
to change, to emerge from this time
with renewed interest in what's possible? Or
will I hold on to what I know & to
what feels safe because
I am afraid?