At the end of our first MA lesson we were all asked, for the following week, to take three images that represented our projects. For me this was a challenge as I was still slightly unsure of the direction my work would take. I knew I wanted to base it around the pursuit of happiness however I was still very uncertain of what that truly meant. I therefore decided to base my images on my current personal understanding of happiness.
Firstly to clarify, when I talk about happiness during this project I’m referring to a constant, contented and peaceful state of mind, body and soul. The inner happiness which makes you feel free from stresses, know your place in the world and feel content in life, not the momentary emotion you get when your favorite movie is on or you eat something nice. I want to use this project to explore the journeys people take in their drive to find true happiness and the emotional impact it can have on them and their lives.
However for these images I looked at my own perception of the pursuit of happiness and interpreted my current understanding of it in the three images above. The first image of the path represents the beginning of the journey and the hope it can hold. The path looks inviting however its final destination is unknown, connotating my own feeling of uncertainty about the future and where it will lead. The second image of the dandelions represents the middle of the journey and my belief that sadness and happiness will be interlinked throughout it. To achieve one you must experience the other. The flowers are dying, however there is a beauty about them. Also the myth about blowing the seeds and making a wish when they’re at this stage of their life bring another positive element to their current sad state, representing the emotional roller-coaster you experience when going through a stressful time. The third and final image is my visual interpretation of achieving your goal and reaching the end of your journey. When people talk about being truly happy they talk about a feeling of freedom, space around them, and relate it to conquering a mountain. Therefore I wanted to capture a space that fitted this description. One that felt peaceful and spacious and that when you visualise yourself there, you would free a sense of freedom.
Overall I am pleased with the three images and feel they are a good starting point for my project. As a set I believe they work well and do communicate my current perception of the journey involved in the pursuit of happiness.
Lisa Holmes MA Photography 