Blog

For me, mental health is the first priority, because If I can't make sense 0f who and what is coming at me - then I'm lost in a fog – be it from the ghosts of war (PTSD) (TBI), other kinds of trauma, my unique neural-networks, disease and/or the ongoing stresses of life. Then there are cultural and previous learning experiences that create biases with strong influences on me.
So that leads me to believe that there is no magic pill, nor any simple method that can fix me – I believe that my reactions to stress have been built-in for a very long time (starting in my mothers womb). A field of science called Epigenetics has proven that the stress reactions of our parents can be passed on to their children. That implies that our own genetics play a very important role in predisposing us to a wide range of mental disorders and their severity. If we are smart, we will make room for new understandings of mental issues with a more complete understandings of ourselves and our culture.

Then what should be my approach to improving my odds for a good outcome (or graceful aging) – should it simply be to replace my negative thoughts with more positive thoughts (cognitive behavioral approach) or should I try to find a more complete and multi-disciplinary approach. For me stand-alone cognitive-behavioral worked for one or two years and then failed me. Following that, I joined group therapy, which also worked for a few years, but over the next few years that failed me as well. Now, I am aging rapidly from a poor lifestyle, a debilitating stroke - which took away much of my mobility (a big part of my joy) and threatens me in ways that I have no words to describe. Now, I have learned that people who tell you they have the answers that will improve your odds for a better outcome may be right for some of us (it’s a statistic – not a panacea! – don’t bet on it!). But I haven’t given up, so I must find a better combination of mental and physical therapies that work for me.

“Let there be light” Even before the formation of tiny organisms on planet earth, there was light - our sun was our only source of energy for kick-starting the tree of life. And all of life is connected – partially through our relationships with bacteria and other microorganisms. They are coexisting within and without our bodies and have a vital role in keeping us alive and functioning in our environment. Without them, we would quickly vanish as a species. There would be zero resistance to pathogens, but a huge resistance to our digestion, especially the healthier foods with soluble fiber – we simply can’t live without these microorganisms. They are some of our physiological “super heroes” – now what impacts our bodies also impacts our minds – a healthy body creates a healthy mind! The first part of my strategy will be to build a healthier body - not as I once had in my youth – but a new, more energetic but still geriatric version of that. Now, our expectations matter, so I must take baby-steps in the formation of a new me. And I must use every hack that I trust is scientifically proven to aid me on this quest. I will share these hacks with you along the journey to better health all around. It won’t be easy, but I will not give up as long as I possibly can keep going. I believe that “I exist to persist”!

I think there are few things in life more important and more part of our human nature than to create. I mostly take photographs in pursuit of this human nature called creativity, but I truly appreciate the sacrifices and the rewards of all forms of creativity. Most of you will understand when I say that it's not about us as artists but about the celebration of life and of art that centers us squarely in the pursuit of greater and greater creativity. I saw a t-shirt the other day that expresses something that I totally agree with, "The Journey Is The Destination". So let,s celebrate life, as well as our call to create something new, something exciting, something special.

You have a right to know something about me, so here is the short version of my backstory. I grew up in the Black Hills area of South Dakota. My beautiful surroundings taught me to truly value nature and it's healing power for the mind, body, and soul. I also learned that nature is fragile and needs to be conserved for future generations. After graduating from South Dakota State University, I went to work for the Soil Conservation Service for the next thirty years until my retirement in 2005. My photography career begin on the job almost forty years ago with scenes from farms and ranches in South Dakota, Utah, Montana, and Nebraska. Now that I am retired, I like to think that I can help to inform those who are open to it about the personal rewards of getting out into their natural surroundings. Nature conservation starts with nature awareness, nature appreciation, nature education, and then an understanding of the interconnections between humans and nature. You can see some of my work here on FAA, but I have a more complete collection of my photographs at www.theilman.zenfolio.com. I had my zenfolio pages set up already when I joined FAA, and I believe that the viewing experience is better a zenfolio than FAA for now. Hopefully, FAA will improve the art viewing experience in the near future.