Photography and Farm animals
When I started volunteering with farm animals 20 years ago, I had no idea that these animals would become a major love of my life. But they did. And because of them, I learned photography so that I could capture some of the beauty that they showed me over and over all day every day that I worked with them.
My photos now attempt to share some of the beauty of these animals with humans who are not lucky enough to volunteer with them. Look into their eyes and see the light there.
My Story
I was raised in an abusive family system. I had no emotional resonance with the humans in my family. But I felt it with animals. That’s how I knew I didn’t feel that resonance with the family. Animals gave me connection to my heart. When I couldn’t feel it with my family, I blamed myself—something is wrong with me. But that’s another story. Whatever natural affinity I had for animals was deepened because they were the only beings in my life where I could feel the connection, with my heart and body. I knew what love felt like because of them.
I’ve gone through long droughts of animal-less existence in my twenties and early thirties. But when I started into therapy and started healing, I also started getting involved with cat rescue. One day, driving upstate, I saw a sign for a farm animal rescue. I went for a tour, asked about volunteering and that became my passion.
Every weekend, I drove up from Brooklyn to volunteer mucking stalls and cleaning coops and cow barns. Every vacation and day off was spent at the sanctuary.
I had been an artist and started painting pieces of split rail fencing. Piieces of wood from life with the animals, painted with Sanskrit prayers for peace and happiness for all beings.
For 20 years, every weekend at the farm and weeknights painting. When I was laid off, I moved upstate, freelanced at advertising jobs and volunteered almost daily at the sanctuary. I spent so much time alone with animals, cleaning their living spaces. Just being with them, feeling the emotional resonance. At some point, I started taking photos of them. Which led to real cameras and lenses, learning Lightroom and Photoshop. Taking photos to capture the feeling I had with them.
And then combining photos with painting and messages from the animal in the photo. What do you want to say with your portrait, I ask. What do you feel? What do you want to say about your world?
Whatever they answer, I write.
Come and get to know the saints, teachers, poets, guides, legends, magicians, mystics, witches, wise ones, comedians, explorers, who are the farm animals letting me into their worlds just a little. You’ll maybe start to feel why I was so drawn to the numinous world of farm animals. Why that changed my whole life and who these animals humans sometimes call “livestock” really are. Open your eyes. There are worlds here beyond our world, deeper and more magical. Beautiful, rich and full of stories.