What Stories Are Your Eyes Trying to Tell Me?

I don't know anything about her but her eyes call to me. I have no idea who she is or when she lived, where she lived and how she died. All I have is this photo I bought at a Bakersfield antique store. On a shelf there is a big box stuffed with photos: portraits, vacation snapshots, military headshots, babies. Most are in black and white, some are signed, some give me the tiniest hint of who these people were.

Mostly they just give me curiosity.

I never knew going to the antique store could bring me so much writing pleasure as well as creative pleasure since I focus on many of these photos I collect in my mixed media pieces.

“Why did your photo end up for sale for twenty-five cents at an antique store? Where is your family, who should be treasuring your face as least as much as I do?”

I love this gal so much she now has a place beside me on my desk.

I look into her eyes, and I think she was uncomfortable. Look how her knuckles are, tucked against her chin. She seems to be holding them awfully stiffly. Her tiny, corseted waist, adorned by a large buckle also makes me curious. How long has she been corseted so tightly?

I can’t even estimate her age or when she lived, but she looks an awful lot like a Gibson girl.

I wonder if any of photos of me will wind up for sale for the equivalent of a quarter in an antique store bin very few people peruse?

Why not try it yourself later today or even right now?

Go to google and do an image search of “young woman, 1900’s” and see who pops up.

What are her eyes, fingers and waist speaking to you?

I feel like all of these people, like me, never imagined their faces would be bought by a stranger and then written into something called a blog post. Somehow I feel it is part of my job to keep these people alive and give their stories a chance to surface, even if they are totally fictitious at least they are something more than sitting in a box for decades.

You may see your own eyes in someone’s eyes.

Search and then look. Question and then write.

Let me know how it goes.

This post is Number 10 of 30 and was inspired by the Ultimate Blog Challenge. Throughout the month I will be posting writing and creativity tips especially to make your writing (and your writing experience!) better.