Reflecting Through Mandalas

[singlepic=1836,175,,,right]In my recent post Gap Year to Career Breaker I highlighted the differences in travel during 1995 vs 2010. For the most part the differences are logistical & technical, but the experiences are always magical.

And as a photographer, I’ve been surprisingly delighted in the transition from film to digital. No longer do I have to lug around dozens of rolls of film, worry about them getting damaged in multiple x-ray machines, having them developed, then scan them in to edit (I was a big fan of shooting chrome [slides] because of the vibrancy in color it offered). And when digital was first introduced, I was a bit slow in making the transition more so because of cost than convenience.

[singlepic=1831,175,,,right]Either way, images are a great way for sharing your travels with others. However, as an artist, I wanted viewers to take away more than just “oh that’s beautiful”. Rather than just showing these images and how I see them, I wanted to find a way for others to have their own contemplative journey of my experiences – and for them to walk away with a little piece of what I felt at that moment. I struggled with how to go about doing that.

Then I reflected back on the time I spent in Nepal during my 2001 career break, where I was introduced to mandalas. Mandala is an ancient word for circle. They represent wholeness and have been used for millennia in cultures worldwide as a tool for self-expression, spiritual transformation and personal growth.

[singlepic=1828,175,,,right]Over a period of time and experiments, I finally figured out a way to create my own mandalas. These digital images are created with photos from my world travels and each one represents the emotional and spiritual essence I experienced on my various trips and invite the viewer to have their own contemplative experience of my journeys.

What creative outlets have you used to share your travel experiences?



Other comments

3 Comments on "Reflecting Through Mandalas"

  1. Tweets that mention Reflecting Through Mandalas | Briefcase to Backpack - Travel Advice for Career Breaks or Sabbaticals -- Topsy.com on Wed, 30th Jun 2010 12:52 pm 

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Sherry Ott, BriefcasetoBackpack. BriefcasetoBackpack said: Using #mandalas as a creative outlet to reflect on my #travels http://su.pr/24XxTq […]

  2. Andi on Wed, 30th Jun 2010 8:21 pm 

    How unbelievably cool and creative! Love it!!!

  3. JoAnna on Fri, 2nd Jul 2010 1:25 pm 

    How beautiful! I love sharing the colors that I find on my travels. It’s such a stunning world out there.

Career Break Guide Table of Contents

Meet Plan Go