My story here is about gratitude, inspired by a chapter in the book ‘Braiding Sweetgrass’ by Robin Wall Kimmerer. I also 'carried' the works of Mary Oliver (my original prompt) with me. Greeting the day is about waking up - and as the creeping dawn illuminates the land - acknowledging the gifts on offer to us every day - water, air to breathe, food to eat and the sun to give us light and warm us - and sharing those gifts, increasing their potency. Recognising the simple joy in abundance and utilising that gratitude to build personal resilience, meanwhile strengthening our sense of belonging in the ecosystem. I want to share these gifts by celebrating the energy of light and colour, offering a sense of being in the serene embrace of the earth. My first act of the day is taking a coffee outside and wandering down our track to walk the dog, which became the backdrop to the project, and I decided to limit myself to this 100m distance to create images. We've nurtured this re-claimed land for 11 years now. The new growth of a re-invigorated habitat (planted over more than a decade by two generations of our family) is evident, with trees that tower over me already and scrub bushes alive with birdsong. A heron visits the pond daily, ravens, kestrel and kites circle overhead. The ground regenerated with a rich mix of flora. One morning, as I stood and watched, I heard the honking of geese overhead - and only when I sat down to name the resulting image, I realised I was back with Mary Oliver.

This project was made during the ICM PhotoMag 'Beginnings' workshop in early 2021, you can view the rest of the works created and exhibited here: 

https://www.icmphotomag.com/beginnings-workshop-exhibition/morag-paterson