This week Ritva – inspired by Leonard Cohen’s lyrics and his characteristic blend of melancholy and optimism – offers a challenge based on these lines:

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

This is a personal favourite quote, and I will try to show some feelings it arises within me. Light and thoughts of healing is the main focus. Your feelings might be very different.

Who lived in these rooms…and were they really happy?

Were children running and playing here or were they always restricted by strong rules and traditions, dressed up in impossible costumes?

Have you ever seen the ice breaking up? The special light and the sound it makes when you walk on it?

Never stop being a child within, because children help us see the light still shining in this world.

Nature is the helper and the answer to many of our human imperfections. When we cannot find beacons ourselves – nature can.

We struggle, like mankind always have done, to find a meaning – a light – in our lives. Some people find it in religion or from special and charismatic people. From Love.

People are like buildings, they can be dilapidated, but beauty still shines through those cracks, and we can try to accept them and find peace within through them.

The struggle for light is constant, but I always see the darkness first. I strive to share beauty and light in everything I do, because the walk of life will be easier, despite the cracked steps and roads we walk.

Ritva says it so well: ”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, Ritva, for a thoughtful and uplifting challenge. Don’t forget to link to Ritva’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag.

A big thank you to Anne, for the artistic approach to photography with ICM, it was so much fun to do and fun to see what we were able to do with this style. Next week Egídio leads us to something new again, please visit his inspirational blog to see more.

Until then, stay curious and creative.