When I made my 2018 wrap-up post, I realized I didn’t really go into any real depth about this photo. I explained it a little bit, but I didn’t go into emotional depth.
In this post, I’ll be explaining the reason Sign of The Times inspired me so much, and including a video that takes you layer by layer in Photoshop to go through the digital creation process of this photo. Exciting! (I mean it! I’m excited!)
Sign of The Times is a song that was released by Harry Styles in April of 2017. I was already waiting with bated breath for this album, let alone the first single. It blew me away. I listened to it for the first time in my bed directly after I had woken up. I felt sick that day and my throat was throbbing, but the song had such an impact on me. Later, the entire album would too, but that song really hit me in a good place.
I wasn’t instantly inspired to create this photo. In fact, it wasn’t until about a year or so later that I got the idea. It came to me one day as I was listening to it and the image of falling came to me. Falling, but falling somewhere beautiful. Falling right into the perfect moment of light and dust particles and glitter. The whole song had a spacey kind of feel to it, so falling through this unknown, dark but illuminated place felt right.
Just stop your crying
It’s a sign of the times
We gotta get away from here
We gotta get away from here
Just stop your crying
It’ll be alright
They told me that the end is near
We gotta get away from here
Just stop your crying
Have the time of your life
Breaking through the atmosphere
And things are pretty good from here
Remember everything will be alright
We can meet again somewhere
Somewhere far away from here
Those lyrics are really what got me. The chorus felt like it was screaming at me to get up, stop my crying, and promising that everything would turn out fine. The verse that followed is what gave me the imagery with, “Breaking through the atmosphere / And things are pretty good from here”.
I’m sorry but… UGH it’s just so GOOD.
When it came time for my end of the year photo, it felt right to do this one. As I said in my wrap-up post, it was very symbolic to me to take the one idea I held on to so tightly to remind myself that I was in fact an artist, what felt like my one last good idea, and create it. It felt like going out with a bang and with a statement to myself. More ideas will come. Inspiration isn’t gone. It’ll be alright.
If you’re interested, above is the video where I reveal each layer of the photograph to give a better understanding of the foundation of this photo. If anyone is interested in something more in-depth for the future, feel free to let me know.
Happy Monday. I hope there’s a little bit of inspiration with every step you take today. Spread love. xoxo
Sweet Tea and The Human Element 