The creation of Water in the Desert, my first book, was truly a dream come true for me. I have always believed my photos would be best communicated through the book format. I was always intrigued by the possibilities of how my photos relate with each other, how they sit alongside one another. What stories would they tell together, I often wondered. In the book, the images come together in conversation, relating to each other, finding their connections. While laying out the book, I would witness how certain photos would find each other, moments that were captured long ago effortlessly find comfort and strength in the company of a more recent experience. The connections between the photos are endless, and it was an incredible experience to sit with thousands of my images and find the conversation that was happening in the present moment- a conversation that wanted to be shared on a large scale.
It has always been my dream for someone to hold a book of my photos, and to be able to sit with it quietly, becoming absorbed in the connections within the images and finding her or his own connection within it as well. It's a much different experience from focusing on a single image standing alone in a different context. It is the sacred intimacy and quietness of my experiences that I long to communicate with others, I want others to feel the same peace and connection I feel when I am in the sacred process of creation. I believe this is most effectively communicated through the intimate time spent sitting with a book. The stillness and sacredness of one's meditation can touch the lives of others, I have learned. It is my hope that each individual who holds my book and spends time with it, is touched by the light and love that I experienced not only when the images were first captured, but while I was making the book.
The book-making ritual was truly a ceremonial experience for me. I devoted my life to its creation for two months, and let my entire home evolve into a temple dedicated to the creation of Water in the Desert. It was my every waking moment, my nourishment, my meditation, my pulse, my light. It was a sacred, transformative journey, and it took me to places I was unprepared for. I birthed this book with the most sacred of intentions, light and love woven into each and every page. Now that it is complete, I am forever changed. It is an honor to offer a tangible object to the world that truly holds my heart and spirit.
I will be forever grateful for my loving friend Molly Spaulding, who immediately responded to my vision for the book and did everything she could to make it possible, in both energetic and physical realms. I am so grateful for the great technical layout assistance of dear friend Toby Verhines, and to Paper Chase Press for their exquisite printing and binding. The book-making process was held in so much love, I felt truly blessed by all of the loving hands, eyes, and minds that made it possible. My gratitude is infinite.
I am ever grateful for the support and love from you- my beloved friends and family and supporters. Thank you for always believing in my journey. Though my photographs are taken in solitude and represent a sacred time of connection and meditation, they would not be seen without the support of your love. Thank you for everything you have given me and have made possible by being a blessing in my life.
And with that, I have released Water in the Desert.
Light and love,
Angela