BONNIE SANDERS (she/her)
walk in faith
love people
create space for joy
Stories make up the moments of our lives. To me, it’s the little moments that matter the most; sitting shoulder to shoulder on the couch looking at pictures with my son who just graduated from college, driving along the coast with my daughter, listening to music and hanging our arms out of the car window, or playing a family hacky sack game after dinner.
I love all these different moments of life, but my favorite moments are filled with whimsy. Whimsy is a delightful surprise, it is joy that is out of the ordinary, it is play.
I want to be a part of making the world a more playful place by bringing beauty and joy to our ordinary lives. I do this through creating meaningful experiences for people through visual art, storytelling and creative projects.
We are all on a journey through life. Together, we can inspire each other to create a little magic along the way.
Did you ever have a secret hide out as a kid?
When I was growing up, my mom made me a rainbow room. She hung rainbow sheets from the ceiling around my bed. She was trying to gift me with a little privacy when I had to share a room with a girl I didn’t know. It was my place to escape, to dream, and to think. I would listen to music and look at all the colors. It was a resting place. When I went back to having my own room a year later, I hung up the rainbow sheets. Happy or sad, I would pull the curtains closed, surround myself with brightness, and create space for joy.
Whatever photography story I am working on, I want to create space for joy and hope, in a world where often we face problems and adversity.
ABOUT BONNIE
HEADSPACE
My current project titled “Headspace,”explores the personal question of where do I find a place to breathe and rest?
My head feels crowded. Crowded with information that comes at me from every device and every direction. I’ve stopped watching the news, but I still read recaps on my phone. I’ve stopped scrolling social media, but I still check it every once in a while. Even these little glimpses into the broader world can feel like too much information for me right now. After a few moments of taking in words and images, I have to shut off my phone and put it aside.
There are moments that are different, moments I long for. It is the moment I come into my awareness…I feel my fingers typing on the keys or the cool breeze coming in my door from the backyard. I see my dog, Luna, and feel her soft fur running through my fingers. Moments of connection to myself, to my surroundings, to other people.
When I experience this connection, I find myself taking a deep breath. In my day to day life this connection can be fleeting, because I am moving too fast to slow down.
The expanse of nature breaks through my crowded head and asks me to pay attention. It is a natural place where I don’t have to force myself to attend to the moment—the moment breaks through and I see beauty, I breathe in the fresh air, and I am reminded of where I am in the world.
For me, growing up in Wyoming, I find my breathing room in the wide open fields covered in sagebrush or the mountain peaks that reach high into the sky. Places that feel big, and that make me feel small.
This year I spent time on the California coast, Iceland, Alaska, and Wyoming creating images along the way of moments that caused me to pause, take a deep breath, and rest.
I want this series to be an invitation to find space to breathe, connect, love and soak in the real moments of our lives.
