High Hopes Meet Reality

Winter here in the mountains of Santa Fe can be very cold and snowy. That comes as a surprise to many that have not been to northern New Mexico. I often enlighten folks that we are not Arizona, we are over 2000 feet higher than Denver, the mile high city. This January has been cold, just like a good portion of the country, and we planned a road trip to the southern and lower regions of the southwest. We had fabulous weather and a wonderful trip that surpassed our hopes. So how does that conflict with reality?

When I travel, I always bring a journal to write in and often some pencils and markers to add some art to the writing. I have journaled sporadically all my life and I find looking back over my earliest observations enlightening. It is interesting to see where I was emotionally and physically in my teens, twenties, and so on. What has happened over the past 15-20 years is that my journals remain blank. I would return from a trip and chide myself for not writing. That behavior doesn’t encourage creativity, so I wanted to examine the why of what is going on.

What I discovered is my method of journaling has changed, not stopped. When I was young and traveled around the world with my backpack and sleeping bag, I didn’t have a camera. I wanted to experience the world with only my eyes and other senses, not through a lens that narrowed the focus. But I have discovered over the years the power of photographs to stir distant memories. Yes, I can close my eyes and recall the vastness of the Yukon Territory as I slept under the sky and the dense jungle of the Amazon. I can recall the heat and desolation of walking through the desert and the feeling of being utterly alone in the middle of the night in a strange town in Mexico. I can recall the feelings without photos, but I have to work harder to get to them.

With photos I can instantly be transported into the scene, along with the memories and all my senses. I have photos from film cameras that are tucked away in boxes. I have digital photos on SD cards that I can’t easily access because technology has changed. With smartphones and the cloud, I now have access to my photos by year, month, subject or even facial recognition. I use my photos to create travel journals on social media. As I travel, I post my photos online and add information about where I am, what I am doing and with whom and a bit of history and references to websites for more information.

This isn’t the personal soul-searching journal posts of my youth, but it is a good record and touchstone for me to return to and write more about. I have let go of my guilt about not journaling because I am still writing, it just looks different. The photos are inspiration for future art and writing and they are becoming combined with my paintings in a new art form I am working on. Just like I adapt, grow and change with age, the process of documenting my life and creativity evolves. I think this is where my high hopes of regular journaling meets the reality of my current life. When I look at photos from my childhood, they reinforce the memories I have. They are stronger than the ones that I have to dig deep for because I have no photos. I wish now I had taken a few more photos when I was younger, but remembering will keep my mind flexible and I can draw upon those memories to inspire my next adventure and artwork. If you want to see some of my travel adventures take a look at my personal Facebook page for Sandra Duran Wilson.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you on my travels.