Creativity and Self-Psychology

While it is a great privilege to support cancer patients on a daily basis, one cannot do this without experiencing vicarious trauma – the cholesterol of care. To maintain a healthy emotional and spiritual balance, I find the camera to be a powerful therapeutic tool. That’s what these images are about – exploring peace and turmoil, life and death.

As a tool for self-psychology, the camera can reveal hidden aspects of the subconscious and the nature of spirit. Through the lens I learn of myself, processing the sorrow that is building in my heart, becoming more connected to the shadow aspects of the self, as well as the light. The camera looks both ways.

The creative process then becomes an exploration of the soul, which is in itself a co-creative force with the Divine. Revealing what is hidden within, the result is exciting, but can also be dark. I explore the deeper aspects of psyche through mirror-imaging textures in nature, reaching for symbols and patterns which reveal mythic truth. The resulting photographs seem infused with wisdom: totems, avatars and spirits lurking beneath the surface. This is the nature of the spiritual journey: it must lead us into the darkness in order to encounter the wisdom and light that was always there.