Reading · A Bunch Of Wild

Hello my fellow garden lovers, how are you? As I start to write this post, I’m sat in my garden and it’s a Saturday evening. I’m all alone, the husband is playing cricket and my daughters are up at the house. All is peaceful. I dare say I will finish writing this at the coffee shop Tuesday morning as I’m bound to be disturbed. But right here, right now, it’s utterly perfect.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the seasons, my garden, about life, and reflecting on times from the past. Marvelling at how things change and adapt. Once upon a time- the beginning of August would show an abundant garden and summer would feel like it was going to go on forever. Now, it seems to be ready to let go like it’s September already, everything seems a month early.

I’m noticing big gaps in the garden and my thoughts turn to those people running flower farms and the small scale home grower- I wonder how they are coping. I remember when I used to grow flowers to sell. It’s something where you have to plan for the unpredictable, which is mad, you have to come up with solutions and constantly tweak and adapt- it keeps you on your toes and is exhausting, it’s rewarding too, don’t get me wrong.

I think running a cut flower business now is far more challenging than it was even five years ago. And I ask myself the question- would I do it again? I surprised myself to not have a definite no pop in my head and was pleased to notice my problem solving brain went straight to- well how best could you do that again? How would that work? What would it look like? I see A Bunch Of Wild as ever evolving, ever flowing. Over the years it has taken on many different forms, but the seasons, creativity and living beautifully have always been at the heart of it. A few people have been shocked when I’ve said that I will move in three years time. Asking me how I can give up on something I’ve created (meaning the shop). Oh no I say- A Bunch Of Wild is me, it’s wherever I go, whatever I do, we are one of the same.

And as A Bunch Of Wild evolves further, I’m interested more and more in the people that join me on this seasonal journey, the strong connections being made over our shared love of the seasons, flowers and creativity. I realise how over the years, my one constant at getting my thoughts out there- has been my photography. You will hear me say photography is my passion, flowers are my muse. I suddenly realise that my photography is the link that bonds us, how I share and document the seasons. I think I’ve got a little better at writing since I’ve started, but I think it’s my images that have really helped grow A Bunch Of Wild over the years- documenting life I guess, and bringing us closer together. Although I’m an introvert I feel a great pull to be part of a community, a community of likeminded people. It’s all about making connections.

When the seasons start to slow down, I too find myself slowing with them and I like to use this time to sit and ponder. I’ve noticed that all our prairie planting has thrived and is still going strong, still attracting wildlife and will go on to provide good structure for later on in the year. I notice the tomatoes ripening, the first apples beginning to fall and ripe blackberries that are the sweetest I’ve ever tasted. I realise with some reluctance that it’s time to get off the bus for a while. I need to savour what is happening right now. I need to make some adjustments with my working life if only for a few short weeks. I need to rest, like I said in my last post- it’s time for a recharge and reset, it’s time to grab the camera.

Sometimes when we are a little frazzled we have a habit of standing in our own way of things, not intentionally but sometimes when we are tired we can become a bit blinkered, not able to see the bigger picture, not able to think. Summer has a knack of doing this to me. As an introvert I need a lot of time to recharge, time away from people- but summer brings everyone out in force. So, how to escape? I try to keep plans to a minimum and I go somewhere quiet- my garden, Wrest park, Suffolk to create space and unlock my mind. My go-to grab for a calm mind is my camera (or phone camera). I find the camera is the only thing that makes me really pay attention, I get out of my head when I have a camera in hand and I’m walking, I notice everything, it’s my way of documenting the seasons, it’s how I notice when things are early or late, how I can predict how the next few months will look- everything has a knock on effect.

Sometimes I’ll gather things from my walk and bring them in to photograph. I love a messy creative table. The pics above and below are in my old studio which was a conservatory at the back of the house. The tables were littered with my work and handfuls of my seasonal hoard brought in from my garden or from my walks. There is something deeply satisfying at seeing it all together, my daughter likens me to a mother bird nesting or a little woodland animal hoarding- I do always seem to be looking for the perfect stick whenever we walk together.

As I walk around the garden I notice how the dahlias blooming are all different from each other, their petals behaving differently and the colours irregular- the beauty of nature. I’ll take some photos with my phone. Firstly adjusting the image size, then often dropping the exposure before I get snap happy. Whilst focusing on flowers/nature I am completely absorbed, my mind clears, the only thing I’m thinking of in that time is how incredible this scene is, is how incredible nature is. It’s a deep connection between lens and life- capturing a moment in time. It’s the art of noticing.

I recently did a poll on here asking what you’d like more of and I was surprised that it was my photographic posts that resonated with you and that you’d like more of. I’m only too happy to oblige and it got me thinking. There is an art to photography and it comes from the art of noticing. A Bunch Of Wild began with flowers, gardens, photos and the things I make- but over time I’ve noticed it’s become something else, a place where we notice, a place where we share our thoughts and pics of the garden, what we are growing and the changing seasons. It’s a place where we share the things that make life better. I’m loving seeing so many of you now share your own garden flowers, your photos and what the seasons are doing where you are. So I’ve decided to create a small intimate community called A Year Of Noticing. A place to encourage people to slow down and notice.

We will share the changing seasons, our gardens, creativity and all the little details of life that might otherwise pass us by.

It’s something I will start talking more and more about over the next couple of weeks. Right now, let’s grab our cameras/phones and go outside to notice something beautiful that makes your day a little bit lighter. Share it in the comments or over on my notes, I’d love to see your images.

Emma.

Using photography to slow down and notice.

Comments