AM Weakley Creative: What makes you feel free? {personal} + 31 DAYS of BLOGGING!

Welcome

My eyes have led me down a path I never thought I would take. Although holding on to memories has always been important to me, I haven’t dreamed of being a photographer my whole life. I have, however, dreamed of keeping my kids small and my vacations alive. I have wished to stop time, to hold on to the moment, to bottle up my kids cute faces or the silly things they wear. To some extent, photography allows me to do just that. It has opened my eyes to a previously undiscovered world. It has allowed me to see the world around me with a deeper appreciation. I am constantly aware of the extraordinary among the ordinary and the beauty in the mundane. I don't see pictures. I see stories ... with both my eyes and my heart. I am a wordless storyteller. Thanks for joining me here.

Many times in the past few months, I have enjoyed the privilege of spending time with families ~
capturing special moments ~ capturing regular moments too....

Here is what my mommy-heart really thinks: I think in the end, the regular moments are the ones we remember as being so special years down the line. If you polled most parents, I think they would agree that kids are more likely to wear popsicle stained lips and grass stained knees rather then fancy dresses and shiny shoes....but there is value in both, for sure.

I digress...

This little girl was fairly hesitant to get involved in our picture taking. This is not uncommon with little kiddos. One of the reasons I enjoy a long session with a family is that we can really spend time playing and getting to know each other and it allows everyone TIME to warm up to each other. Well on this particular day, after a while, after a time of getting to know each other, I looked over and saw her dad tossing her in the air...I love the expression on her face. What do you see in this picture? Do you see fear?

I see FREEDOM. freedom.

It got me to thinking....What makes me feel free? What makes anyone feel free? I looked up the definition of free - and of course there were many. My favorite was this one from Merriam-Webster: "relieved from or lacking something and especially something unpleasant or burdensome." One practical thing that helps me to relax and to be relieved from overbearing burdens is writing. In light of that, my goal this month is to blog every day. I want to do something that sets my soul free. Many other things contribute to that as well - and I will write about that on another day.

For now, here are just a few random photos from the past few months that show some of my #amwfamilies being free!

...free to be barefoot...