Vulnerable to Time

I didn’t know what was about to happen.

My intuition had been sounding the alarm for months.

It was telling me to make artwork featuring my grandparents—together—around the “big house,” as we affectionately called the home in which they’d raised our family.

But I also knew that I was too close to them to capture the images myself. So, I reached out to a photographer friend of mine, and he agreed to do it. The wheels were in motion to make it happen!

But, I got busy and pushed it off.

I ignored my intuitive urgency, rationalizing that, “I just have to get through this busy time at work. What’s a few more weeks?” There’s plenty of reasons moms put off making family art.

Then, my grandpa died, suddenly.

Not long after, my grandma moved out of the “big house,” the background of many of my family memories.

Of course, I have many snapshots of my grandpa and the “big house.” But snapshots aren’t thoughtful expressions of who my grandfather was, or his relationship to the people he loved.  

Snapshots aren’t thoughtful expressions of who my grandfather was, or his relationship to the people he loved.

 

This time, I truly felt the sting of regret.

This missed opportunity has been on my mind a lot lately, because I have done more multi-generational family art sessions this year than ever before.

I have done more multi-generational family art sessions this year than ever before.

 

While no one has expressed the doom I felt before my grandpa’s passing, these clients are expressing an understanding of the finitude of family. They are making an investment in their legacy.

Our families are always changing; the pride we feel about them is expanding. And as our families grow, we realize that we are vulnerable to time, and the only way I know to honour that truth is through family art.

As our families grow, we realize that we are vulnerable to time, and the only way I know to honour that truth is through family art.

 

If you’re contemplating having family art made from multi-generational photography, don’t make the mistake that I made. Don’t let the illusion of time steal the opportunity from you to capture precious memories that will provide joy and meaning to you and your children, and one day, their children too.

Book a no pitching, no pressure Family Art Plan consultation with me today.