“The soul never thinks without a picture” – Aristostle

I am no Ansel Adams. I never learned how to color between the lines. I’m a wizard at drawing stick figures with perms.

But I’m great at seeking out people to learn from – the masterful artists, photographers and visually creative folks who inspire me. Katie Sokoler is a magician. Nick Onken’s photos make me feel as if I’m with him when he’s shooting. New friend Victoria Thorne marries pictures and words like no other. Daydream Lily’s Liss has visual superpowers.

Films, too, have imagery power that ignites me. A few nights ago, I went to see Half the Sky Live with my friend Stephanie, who wrote a brilliant review of the book for TJCC.  In this film, we watched, one by one, the stories of women whose lives have been abused, destroyed and ultimately empowered through action and hope. We watched men talk about their role in domestic abuse and violence against women and what they’re doing to help stop it.

Do images, pictures or films tell a better story than words alone?

Images are compelling. Seductive. And have the potential to revolutionize human communication. Nothing reveals the nuances of a person, a place or a culture like an image – a snapshot, a motion picture, a short documentary.

I glance, watch, my skin tingles and I am then forever changed.

They have – and will – change the world of words. I will always be a writer, but I’m psyched to also consider myself a “very amateur visual artist who will always keep learning because she loves the way images tell a story.”

My commitment to learning continues – and I’m starting to create a portfolio of my own. I’ve chatted with a few friends who are interested in doing the same – we’re amateurs, but the stories are no less powerful.

In this post, have included my own photos from my travels abroad. There’s a skin tingling story behind every one of these photos and on the whole, they sum up my quite ridiculous travel obsession.

But those stories are for another time. Today, take 5 minutes to draw, paint or snap your own story.

Who are the visual artists that inspire you? Why, when, how? (Or just even the “why.”) How do they tell a story?

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