Superhero Photo Challenge: Hidden messages

As I wander through the streets with my camera in hand I often like to play a game. I tell myself to look for things hidden in the landscape; hearts, faces, secret messages. One particularly low day, I looked up to see this, and felt like it was a sign from the heavens. More recently, I was walking with a friend who was overwhelmed with work and being pregnant and trying to keep up with all of it. She was in tears by the end of the conversation, not knowing what she should do. At some point we looked down and noticed that we were standing on a bike path that said "Slow down."

This week's challenge is to find a hidden message. It might be just what you needed to hear.

Comments

[Lawyer Mama]

How perfect.

[laura]

Amazing story!

After reading this post, I kept my eyes peeled and found a little message in my ice cream, of all places. Whoulda thunk it?

http://www.dolcepics.com/dailypic/made-like-no-other/

[m]

http://creativevoyage.blogspot.com/2007/12/on-oldie-but-favourite.html

I love secret messages - I find that where I live there are often ones from the past 19th centuary advertisements painted on buildings faded but still legible.

[shelli]

I love the "You Can" photo.

I don't have a picture of it, but once I was with a friend at the Botanical Garden. We were both at a crossroads in our lives, and she was depressed. We were both growing a lot. We were having a good conversation about all of it, and then we came upon a sign in the garden (near some renovation) that said, "Pardon our Progress." It became our mantra.

[maya]

Yay! I just found this under a tree at the park yesterday.

http://flickr.com/photos/23558661@N03/2499305794/

[renee]

cool challenge. I'm going to keep my eyes open

[Staci]

i just LOVE this idea... can't wait to "see" what i find!

[Jenna]

i found this a couple of months ago.... I hope to find something else, but just in case here it is

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22555250@N05/2372219134/in/set-72157604024544977/

[camerashymomma]

gosh, this post really got me today. i'm nearly in tears from those pictures and your words. i have to agree wholeheartedly, and often at exactly the right time i will find something like what you are describing. often times it's even a homeless person holding a sign that says "smile" instead of 'need money for beer' and these are the messages that keep me going, like they are the universe finally getting through to me.

i'll keep my eyes open for this challenge. but all i have for now is something that appeared down my street at exactly the right time in my life when i needed to believe its message.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/camerashymomma/529235970/

[vivienne]

no way! i just posted a picture to flickr that i'd made all textured and then felt drawn to come here...and am blown away by the synchronicity of it all as
the message i just posted is of writing on a sidewalk that is in pretty much the same writing (though you can't really tell that mine is from a sidewalk anymore!). i wonder if it was the same artist? (though i came across this one in portland).

here it is:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/missvivienne/2498624771/

[camerashymomma]

here's another one:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/camerashymomma/515622041/

[Molly Merrick]

DREAM:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/49/129448306_2b11476497_b.jpg

[Jen]

I've been noticing these little messages more and more lately myself. Here's my favorite:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24279798@N03/2345619926/in/set-72157604027073323/

[thrivestyle]

I spotted this on the side of a mailbox in New York...still trying to do what it said :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thrivestyle/2333299441/

[Ann Wiechmann]

Today's post fit in perfectly with a photo I took last week. On our daily drive to school, we found a sweet message on a pedestrian overpass. It made the morning special, and the message lasted about three days.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25572634@N04/

[Mary]

This sounds like a fun -- and inspiring -- challenge. I'll have to keep my eyes open!

[Karen Travels]

I love secret messages!

Here are a few I have found, one at McDonald's of all places:

http://travelsinwind.blogspot.com/2008/05/secret-messages.html

[tracey]

i love that photo!
and here's something i found in Key West last summer-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/maypapers/1154923581/

[xtina828]

Love the hidden message in your photo.

Here's one of my favorites that I found a while back. I don't condone graffiti but you gotta love this one!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/appleofmyeyebaby/2213199499/in/set-72157603793051925/

And then my old blogpost about it is here:
http://luckynumbreight.blogspot.com/2008/01/inspired.html

[wn]

Great challenge, I am happy to finally be participating, I've been meaning to do this for a long time.

I found this message tucked inside of an alleyway in the downtown area of my tiny capital city.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wordnerd/146859790/in/set-1557363/

[Connie]

Ok, so these aren't really secret, but they were found when I needed to hear them the most:
http://creative-bubbles.blogspot.com/2008/05/all-you-need-is-love.html

Great story!

[Melissa (aka Photomom86)]

As always another great challenge. Here is mine, I found it today.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24035778@N04/2500680818/

[Kate Baumert]

http://happyinthehamptons.blogspot.com/2008/05/hello-globe.html

[kudzu fire]

peace

[RetroBerry]

I have tons I could post, but over the years this is still my favourite message from the Universe. :D

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutter-happy/2502894042/

[Elizabeth]

That is awesome.

[Kim]

i have been wanting a pic of this inspirational word. this word on the very, very long uphill steps near the end of my regular run. so you made me go out and get it yesterday. thanks.

http://callmezari.blogspot.com/2008/05/why-i-love-oakland-1.html

[Kelly]

Funny how Life works. I found this a few weeks ago and have been so intrigued with it.

http://flickr.com/photos/rantingknitter/2505003345/

[emily]

i haven't stumbled upon any new hidden messages (i must not be looking hard enough!) but here's one i found a few months ago...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/girl_seeking_grace/2299395874/in/set-72157604431471502/

as always, thank you for the creative inspiration!

[Paula]

Weekend before last, my husband, daughter, and I went out for a magical day of adventure to National Geographic to see live frogs that our toddler loved, then out to lunch at a restaurant my whole family enjoys. I had a few rare moments of quiet in the restaurant while my husband and daughter were exploring before the food came and I was really missing my brother, who lives far away, and my dad, who's no longer with us in this world. We walked out after our meal and less than a block away, someone had written his name in the cement before it dried. Erik, spelled the way my brother spells it. Then as we drove over the bridge to go home, a heron flew over our car. In the months right after my dad died, I saw herons all the time. Seeing one of his favorite birds is like a little message from my dad, a reminder that he's still around, even if we can't see him in the form we were used to. Everything we need is all around us, if we can only SEE it.

[mika]

on california primary day, this is what my teabag said

http://www.flickr.com/photos/msquid/2269710147/

... i kept the tea tag!

this year, i really believe it could be true :)

[Anali]

I actually saw some messages after reading your post and challenge! I was so excited! Here is the link to the post below.

http://analisfirstamendment.blogspot.com/2008/05/superhero-photo-challenge-hidden.html

[Teresa]

Andrea, I pass by that "You Can" spot every day on my way to work, and also have several pictures of it.

The funny thing is, by the time I happened across it, the building that cropped the sentence into so simple a message has been torn down, and I've been reading the full phrase every day. I don't want to reveal the full message and dash the charm of your much better one. I just want to say thanks for the post - That brief morning walk will mean so much more to me now!

[Liz]

This challenge was one I thought for sure I'd just have to skip. But then on my way to have a very important talk with a dear friend I came across this message, painted on a bridge. It couldn't have come at a better time.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bimacs/2529032274/

[tanaya]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tanayasjourney/2273205562/in/set-72157603821688759/

[snegoviksukahitriy]

hello