Leonard Cohen – Ritva Sillanmäki Photography

My idea revolves around Leonard Cohen’s saying, “Everything has a crack, that’s how the light gets in.” which encourages reflection on life’s imperfections. These cracks signify struggles but also hope and the potential for healing, reminding us that embracing our flaws can lead to a more fulfilling life. This concept also applies to images, where imperfections reveal true beauty and emotion.

Overall, these lyrics reflect Cohen’s characteristic blend of melancholy and optimism, emphasizing that beauty and wisdom often arise from our struggles and imperfections.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, in everything
That’s how the light gets in

My challenge this time is this part of the poem; Everything has a crack, that’s how the light gets in. There is deep symbolism in this sentence that can be interpreted in many ways. Figurative or metaphorical interpretation requires us to think deeply.

As I looked again at this post, after first draft, I noticed how I often use and have hands in photos with emotion.

Imperfection and Vulnerability: The “crack” represents the flaws and brokenness that are part of life; everyone has imperfections.
Hope and Redemption: The phrase “that’s how the light gets in” suggests that through our flaws and vulnerabilities, we can find hope, healing, and understanding.
Spiritual Insight: Spiritually, the light symbolizes truth, love, and peace. The cracks show that even in our toughest times, there is still a chance for positivity and light to come into our lives.

Figurative language can be exactly what the sentence contains, hoping to convey the profound concepts of hope, light, and life emanating from a small crack in darkness. This imagery evokes a sense of resilience and beauty, illustrating how even the faintest glimmer can inspire hope and ignite a passion for life. A comprehensive visual project can be built around this captivating idea, as it often is, exploring various artistic mediums , to depict the interplay between shadow and light, ultimately capturing the essence of optimism that arises from seemingly insignificant openings in our world.

I would like participants to take a new photo or find a photo in their archives that would express that sentiment.

Your creative take can be completely different from what others envision, as this endeavor is open to many interpretations and methods of expression. These images should reflect your unique perspectives and personal narratives, fostering community connections through shared stories of vulnerability and resilience.

By sharing these images, we not only showcase our individual stories, but also create an opportunity for dialogue and connection. Let each image tell a story, convey an emotion, or illustrate a moment of seeing light.

Thank you Anne, for sending us on an artistic approach to photography with ICM, it was fun to do and fun to see what we were able go with this style. Next week Egídio leads us to something new again, please visit his inspirational blog to see more.

Until then, let the positivity flow.

The first time I saw him was with my sister 1985, and it was the first time I had a crush on a singer, he was in black suit, intensely present, sexy, older man. I was sold. Voice of honey and soul. I was 22 years-old and smitten.

I have seen Leonard Cohen in concert three times, this tour also came to Helsinki 2008 and 2010, needed to be there also. It is an unbelievable charisma that man had, just simply by standing on the stage and singing he got the attention. A huge arena and he was able to make intimate atmosphere to it. That is something not everyone is able to do.

“Sharon Robinson, a writing collaborator of Leonard Cohen. She recalled to Uncut: “Leonard had most of the lyric done when he handed it to me. There’s a profound honesty in it. He’s exposing something we all know and talk about with those close to us, but not publicly. It says we’re not really in control of our destiny, there are others running things, and we go about our daily lives with that in the background.””

This photo due to one line in the song. Finding photos to go with his poems/songs is nearly impossible.

Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died
Everybody talking to their pockets
Everybody wants a box of chocolates
And a long-stem rose
Everybody knows

Thanks PARALLEL LINES |in scale for hosting How to Survive November once again.

At the ‘How to Survive November‘ monthly theme we will combine photo and sound. You can select a piece of music to your taste and find a photo to portray the song or you can make a drawing, painting or collage. The picture can be from your archives or you can get it fresh. Enjoy and have fun!