getting inspired

Okay, so I don't usually post about things super personal to me, but in this case it's sort of necessary and I guess appropriate. For the past while I've had an overabundance of creative energy that I haven't been able to figure out how to channel. This morning gave me new hope and by writing about it, I thought it might help me gather my thoughts and send me down a new path. There's been a common thread throughout my photography and that is to construct things at some point during the process- whether it's an environment to photograph within or arranging the photos themselves. Lately I've been more interested in the creating side of things. The photograph has become secondary and is merely a documentation of an idea. The question isn't what should I photograph, but what should I create? I like to collect things. I find myself picking things up like twigs or dead insects that evoke something inside of me. I guess what they evoke is a sense of wonder... how can something so simple be so flawlessly beautiful? How can a leaf falling from a tree leave me so inspired and what do I do with this inspiration? I've recently started working for a local greenhouse. I'm pretty sure that it's saved my 'creative' life. It has brought me home and helped to ground me. I more or less grew up in a greenhouse, so I'm treading on very familiar territory. Touching the dirt, watching a seed grow, smelling the leaves of a tomato plant make me feel alive and feel connected to a cycle. My collection has begun growing again since I've started working there and this photo is a result of that. My new creative path is to take things we overlook or take for granted on a daily basis and to put them into a different context where they can be stopped and viewed with intent. I'm not sure where this path will take me, but I'm interested in finding out.