Artist Reply: Your comment is deeply appreciated. I have several photos that I can upload and sometimes I connect to something unusual about an image although I know many others may not perceive what I see with my mind's eye and the "click of my camera." It depends on the individual's visual acuity or more importantly iconic vision, a type of vision where I see the icons before I see the tree. Knowing that only a few may relate to an unsual photo like this where at first glance I perceived a female and male figure intertwined and then began to note some exceptionall imagery in the white background, using the spaces to perceive more images. Gauam, you certainly are not anonymous in my world given your unique vision and freedom to see outside the box, a term that seems to be very popular today since I think we have regressed as a socially responsible species that existed when I was an undergraduate at UCLA, a remarkable time in my personal and collective experince. I know that some of my representational photographs, especially nature shots of landscapes and the beautiful flowers that I love to shot are more accessible to many people, I have grown to prefer my abstract photographs given the infinite possibilites of perception that it offers. When I began taking photos like most people learning something new, I wanted to play in safe that I realized over time that living in a "comfort" zone that was reinforced by comments was too confining and I had to take a leap of faith and believe in myself so I would not be cheating myself or viewers like yourself and many talented people on AW. It is human nature to want positive feedback and I enjoy it as much as anyone;however praise can also be dangerous if the artist is aware of not sacrifing his or her artistic integrity for positive reinforcement. That is a trap I make sure I won't fall into or I will stop growing and will sacrifice my artistic integrity. The commets that are the most helpful are those that let me know what made the viewer resonate to the photos that I enjoy sharing along with the narratives that often enhance the imagery. It is still difficult to feel secure since I have devoted my life and formed an identity as a Psychologist and this is relatively a new venture. My imagination and creativity are part of me no matter what avenue I choose to travel and this is independent of any label that is placed on me given we live in a status conscious society. Well I won't go on one of my rants since what I want to do is to let you know how deeply appreciative I am of you as Gautam and your alias as the "anonymous guest." I will keep clicking the camera and remember your kind words that encourage me to continue traveling down this newly discovered road. Let's both keep it up since I admire your beautiful work and wonderful spirt!!! I do have some intriguing shots to upload and some passages I want to write since art is such a powerful medium to communicate on many levels, particularily to inform people about ways we can improve personally and as a society that now is in a frightening state of disrepair.

Artist Reply: Thanks!! I have just set a record for my shortest comment!!

Artist Reply: Thanks Brenda. There are many he's and even a she in the center if you choose to perceive it that way. There is even a he and a she and using the white space on the lower left a dog's head viewing the scene. I was ambivalent about posting this although the piece has a lot of good imagery in the light and dark spaces. There are photos I have uploaded that if I am not satisfied with, I will delete. I thought this could have possibility given the open spaces and contrast of light and dark since I saw so many images within the image. In this case the parts can be better than the Gestalt and I usually aim to photograph a piece where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Sometimes it is fun to post pictures that I like to play with, but that does not mean others want to come play in my sandbox. I love paying alone, but if I am not enthusiased about the castle I have built, I figure it is only sand and there are an infinite amount of images to create in my large sandbox. In some photos, what I write, another art form is more important than the picture so I won't delete those that are editorial like my piece titled Pink.

Artist Reply: Thanks again Emily. You commented as I was writing the narrative so you may win an award for the fastest response time in AW history. There are some images that I am unsure of posting since I have taken many photographs and try to choose the ones that I like since the risk of putting what I consider is different and I am eager to learn more about what images stike a chord as part of the process of learning to improve my skills and present an array of eclectic images. I often see images that othesr do not, but the more time spent looking at the image, the more apppears to make it more appealing on several levels. Thanks again for your comment!