Hello LOVELY community! This is the final day of our 3-week collaboration and I am just so thrilled with the results. I hear time and time again, when I’m out at different events, that community is dead and it’s every man/woman for him/herself. But I believe that there is community everywhere if you are so willing and bold as to create it, or join it, or give back to it. We, as creatives, are too often taught that to be vulnerable in a community is weakness. It is your allowance to other people that they may make fun of you, judge you, or bring you down. But I believe that community is strength. It is what brings us together, not what rips us apart.

I’ve chosen a winner for the collaboration, but that doesn’t mean that this picture is any better than any other – who am I to judge, anyway? I chose a winner based on the attempt – based on the interpretation and how much it inspired me at first glance. I was a little bit worried about choosing a winner, since I fundamentally don’t believe in competitions, but then I remember who you are – that you are a group who would not judge me for picking one out of so many, and you, who would be happy for whoever won, and gracious toward everyone. That makes my butterfly wings flutter.

So! If you recall, the first week of our collaborate we all submitted stories. Out of fifty, I chose Barbara Simmons’ story for all of us to be inspired by. During week 2 we all created images based on that story, and now, here at week 3, we get to see all of our hard work displayed. My image has a video to go along with it for this glorious Monday, so I hope you enjoy. I went the route of releasing fears and transforming them into something beautiful. Take some time this week to look at the other submissions, leave some love and encouragement to those individuals, and soak in the inspiration.

Here are the WINNERS — That’s right, plural, because I liked these two so much for completely different reasons, and in the end felt I couldn’t judge one against the other. In random order…

Julie Mullin’s image stood out to me because of it’s simplicity and strength. She didn’t have to show a lot to make the viewer understand the image. The shadow of the bed across the girl’s face paired with her expression and moody lighting drew me in immediately and I’ve been thinking about it ever since I saw it. It reminded me so much of childhood, with a fantastic sense of innocence, and I truly commend Julie for achieving that.

Julie also made a video to go with her image, reading the story aloud and showing part of her creation process!

Theresa McManus’ image is overtly powerful and full of fury. The red color of the dress screams strength while the lighting says war: the war above, the war within. The way she used the sword in this image in such a proactive way really grabbed my attention. And finally, the ray of light that she included really made me center in on the subject and highlighted the intensity of the battle raging within our main character. Not to mention that light had a flair of heaven, which goes well with the ending of the story, too.

Fantastic work everyone! Please scroll down to view everyone’s work (in alphabetical order), each linked to their websites, and pocket that inspiration for a beautiful week! Barbara, Julie and Theresa – Please get in touch with me so I can send you some goodies!