right at home

I am not sure what it is that transforms a place from being just another space to somewhere that feels like home. Maybe it's when you know it is safe to hang up your armor of defenses at the door. Or when you realize that you leave little bits of your heart behind whenever you spend time there. Or perhaps it's when you see your child plop down on a futon with a familiarity as if she has spent countless hours hanging out on that piece of furniture.

I love this photo of my daughter making herself right at home in my friends' apartment. To me, it is actually a perfect depiction of how I feel about that space, the affection and love I hold for that locale and for the friends who live there. It is a reminder that I photograph the spaces I inhabit because the photos become repositories of the memories knit together by love and friendship and laughter and conversation in that very place.

Please share with us your images of the places where you can hang your heart, the places that make you feel right at home, whether you actually live there or not.

Milestones

My daughter Cadence attended her first school dance on Friday, and I got to be her lucky date. This is an important milestone to me because I believe strongly in the phrase "struggle all day; dance all night," and seeing her on the dancefloor with her friends made my heart swell with pride and joy.

As I thought about our One Word for the month of December--savor--I realized that Cadence has been experiencing some significant milestones this year, and this thought made me want to savor each one of those. I believe that capturing moments like the one above in the photo is one way I can savor these important milestones of hers.

Share with us today images of milestones that you have savored--whether in your own life or in your children's lives or anyone elses's.

sign of the times

We are living in interesting times here in the United States. This is the first time in my adult memory that there have been continuous public demonstrations by a significant number of people across the country resisting and challenging the status quo. Occupy Wall Street has taken on a life of its own and spread to many other cities and towns and neighborhoods.

As an activist photographer, I have been watching the Occupy phenomenon here in Chicago and documenting when I can. I hear a lot of talk about how we are the 99% who are being oppressed by the top 1%.  And while that may be technically true, I know that within that broad category of the 99%, oppression is not experienced in the same way or equally. People of color, women, those who are queer/trans, undocumented immigrants, people with disabilities, those who are homeless or in prison--these people experience oppression differently from those who come from privileged backgrounds.

As we ponder on being thankful this month, I would challenge us to also recognize the various privileges we benefit from, whether we are conscious of them or not. If we're going to live like we are all in this together (like the sign in the photo states), we need to see that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

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As photographers, we have the opportunity to document and share with the world the work that is happening within our own communities, whether it's a rally or protest against injustice, the occupation of public space, or the everyday hard work of community organizers and residents. Please share with us today your stories and/or images of those who work in love and struggle in your own communities so that we can be reminded that we are, indeed, all in this together.

piecing it all together

I thought I'd have it figured out by now, this "knowing yourself" business. And yet here I am, once again questioning and challenging the construct of self that I've held onto for so long. I've been stripping away the layers of how others define me, how I've been socialized to define myself, and I'm trying to piece it all back together again. I am learning to embrace my unfinishedness and to walk comfortably with the idea that my identify is more fluid and flexible than I give it credit for and that I will never be finished with the work of self-discovery and reflection.

In continuing with the exploration of our word of the month "YOU," please share with us stories of how you've changed the way you see or define yourself, and feel free to share images that represent any aspect of yourself.

finding the words

Ever get the feeling your photos are trying to tell you something? Sometimes, sage advice can be found in the images we capture. You may not grasp the wisdom at the moment you snap the shutter, and it may not be until weeks later, as you browse your archives, that the words jump out at you from the screen and you have your a-ha!-this-is-what-i-need-to-do moment. Pictures may speak a thousand words, but sometimes you only need two very specific ones.

What words have you found in your images that capture the counsel or truth you need to hear right now? Please show us!