“The soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone.”
~Johann Wolfgange Von Goethe
“Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.”
~ Robin Wall Kimmerer
Keep two pieces of paper in your pockets at all times. One says ‘I am a speck of dust,’ and the other, ‘The world was created for me.’”
~Rabbi Bunim of P’shiskha
“I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being.”
~Hafiz Of Persia
“Even when we are alone, we are never alone. We exist in symbiosis — a wonderful term that refers to different organisms living together. Some animals are colonised by microbes while they are still unfertilised eggs; others pick up their first partners at the moment of birth. We then proceed through our lives in their presence. When we eat, so do they. When we travel, they come along. When we die, they consume us. Every one of us is a zoo in our own right — a colony enclosed within a single body. A multi-species collective. An entire world.”
~Ed Yong
“No one can live without relationship. You may withdraw into the mountains, become a monk, a sannyasi, wander off into the desert by yourself, but you are related. You cannot escape from that absolute fact. You cannot exist in isolation.”
~Jiddu Krishnamurti
“When you are walking alone, listen to the sermon preached to you by the flowers, the trees, the shrubs, the sky, the sun, and the whole world.”
~St. Paul of the Cross
“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”
~ Audrey Hepburn
“One of the oldest human needs is having someone to wonder where you are when you don’t come home at night.”
~Margaret Mead
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All images by James Reade Venable. Quotes chosen by Braided Way editor Laura Weldon.
Artist’s statement:
“This series of images I have presented, have an interesting sense of isolation. Some images it is obvious in; like the places in nature and city, devoid of people. Then there are images of animals that are captured by themselves. The one image with people is one which I title Motherhood. It was taken during the pandemic in 2020. It is a pregnant mother watching her children play in a pretty unappealing cement public space. It is one of my favorite images I captured during the pandemic. I was delivering food on a bike for delivery apps to survive. During one shift I was taking a break. I was carrying my cameras with me all the time because capturing NYC and its inhabitants during this epic time was a must. However, though I was going through my own process of dealing with isolation which I feel we all were; seeing a pregnant woman with two children made my concerns a little less. I can only imagine now being a new parent, how all the parents must have felt, especially being a pregnant mother through the unknown of Covid. I took the picture because in my mind I just kept asking myself “How is this woman dealing with this?” On the other hand the images of some of the animals I look at isolation in a positive way, especially with the colors. Although these are singular images of animals the backdrop they are against really stand out. Isolation is used here as an actual composition technique. Everything I have just written are my own thoughts. If you can see isolation in these images that is great, however I invite you to please let these images envoke whatever they may in your own minds. Thank You for your time. Some of these images are available for purchase at fineartamerica.com/profiles/jamesreade-venable.”
