Hello LMAC and Hive members. I'd like to share with you my LMAC Theme Contest Round #2 Entry that includes a short story.
At the age of sixteen, home held no more meaning for me. Questions weren't answered satisfactorily. Disillusion set in. I withdrew to the only place where a semblance of stillness resided.
Perhaps my parents didn't know the answers and wanted to spare themselves the embarrassment of sounding stupid. In any case, I went to bed that night knowing that it would be the last night I would lay my head in their home.
A tug at my heart. I knew not who pulled the strings. A call from the distance I knew not who summoned. And a restlessness in my spirit I couldn't identify. I only know the sound whispering my name softly on the winds of change that Fall afternoon. So that next morning, I set out not knowing what direction I was headed.
Suddenly, I paused. Yellow and brown scattered the landscape as more leaves fell rapidly. My confusion intensified as the sound thrust itself around in my mind. I glanced down the dirt road, no signs available to lend me directions for I hadn't ventured this far from home.
I stared in wonderment as the words came to me that...
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
"The Road Not Taken"
Robert Frost Source
I'd been on a journey seeking, but not yet finding, the meaning of my existence in the circle of individuals I called my family. A voice called, whispering gently my name that arrived through my left side.
Immediately, I turned to find no one. Only the lull of the branches as they hung low. The flapping of wings overhead disturbed my peace; jogged my memory; then pulled it back to the my present.
Listened I did to the hum of the bird. A melody surrounded my body and enveloped my soul. "How can you justify the hurt and wrath you'll rain down on your family?" the voice admonished.
In my self-absorbed attempt to prove I was the more superior sibling than all gave me credit, I shook off the recrimination. Instantly, the thrust propelled me toward the path not toward the familiar pebbles I could count before arriving at 'old man Hunter's.
But toward the road unfamiliar to me; the road not taken to reclaim my dignity that had been stripped from my youth and discarded; to become whole again so that I can return a man.
LMAC Community now offers participation in theme contests. This is an exciting venture for the community. I view it the same as the word and picture prompts in the Freewriters Community, which I'm subscribed to. It's a fun way to tailor your collage project to a specific topic. As I understand it, the new LMAC theme contests will encompass a new focus:
- Timeframe: every third Thursday of the month;
- Theme: a single word or a whole sentence that will change every round;
- Design: a collage about what this theme stands for to you or whatever it inspires you to create;
- Deadline and Prizes: see theme contest round post for details;
If you'd like to join in this current theme round with an entry deadline of December 16, end of day (midnight UTC), visit: Let's Make a Collage - Theme Contest #2.
In preparing my theme, I applied quest for the meaning to a young adult's journey to find himself and discover in his consciousness where does he fit in the scope of the universe and more closer, in his family unit. I wanted the figure to be free flowing and not fixed. I was lucky enough to locate a set of question marks in a circle that fit perfectly in surrounding the young man's head. All combined to create a mystery and questioning mindset as he traveled to find himself.
A complete list of images I included in my theme is below. Two awesome pure fractals I created in the advanced fractal rendering program, Apophysis 7X, lent an ethereal sense to the scene.
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| Item | Contributor | Source |
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| LMAC Round 220 Contest Image | @lmac | Link |
| Eclipse background | Pixabay | Link |
| Man in the cosmos | Pixabay | Link |
| Question mark | Pixabay | Link |
| Circle question marks | Pixabay | Link |
| Eye | Pixabay | Link |
| Monk sitting | Contributed to the #LIL by @quantumg | Link |
| Butterfly | Pixabay | Link |
| Eye at end of bridge | PxFuel | Link |
| Pure Fractal titled "Vase Beautiful" | @justclickindiva | Link |
| Pure Fractal titled "Obelisk" | @justclickindiva | Link |
I then utilized Canva to blend the different type images. Below are my steps in which I added layers of elements, removing backgrounds, resizing, and repositioning items as needed incorporating the tools at my disposal in my Annual Pro Membership Subscription.
- To a blank, white canvas I added the eclipse background, then resized it to fill three-fourths of the screen;
- Added LMAC contest image to the bottom half of the screen for a landscape and water effect;
- Added the fantasy man figure; resized, then positioned him where his head would be partially hidden in the eclipse;
- Added the fractal vase underneath the man's foot;
- Added the monk inside the vase; adjusted transparency;
- To the skyline, added the butterfly; circle question marks around the man's head; then added the second fractal to join the question marks;
- Added the bridge containing the fantasy eye; then added the second eye and enlarged it, positioning both behind the fractal; and
- Finally, added the upright question marks to the bridge to resemble a man's path on a journey of discovery.
Below is my completed collage for LMAC Theme Contest Round 2:
Thanks for your visit. I appreciate it and hope you like my Round 2 theme contest depicting "the meaning of life".
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
SOURCES:
a) JustClickindiva's Footer created in Canva utilizing its free background and images used with permission from discord admins.
b) Unless otherwise noted, all photos taken by me with my (i) Samsung Galaxy 10" Tablet, (ii) Samsung Phone, & (iii) FUJI FinePix S3380 - 14 Mega Pixels Digital Camera
c) Purple Butterfly part of purchased set of Spiritual Clip Art for my Personal Use
d) All Community logos, banners, page dividers used with permission of Discord Channel admins.
e) Ladies of Hive banner used with permission of and in accordance with the admin's guidelines
f) Thumbnail Image created by me in Canva.
g) "Flames." What is Apophysis 2.09. https://flam3.com/
If translation included, I use DeepL to assist my readers.
Thanks for your patience an understanding.