Post by Doris McCraw writing as Angela Raines
So who was Laura Gilpin? Laura Gilpin was a photographer who was born in the Colorado Springs area, Austin Bluffs to be exact. Although the family had a ranch further from the town of Colorado Springs, Laura's mother, Emma, wanted to be near to doctors for the birth of her first child. On April 22, 1891, Laura entered this world.
If you want to know more about her early life, here is a link to a Wikipedia overview. Laura's Life
So how does Laura fit into how I spend my time?
1. As a photographer, Laura was always experimenting. For myself, I take my cue from her willingness to keep trying, to make mistakes, and learn from them. Additionally not only does this apply to my writing, but to my photography as well.
One of Laura's Photographs from en.wikipedia
2. Once she focused on a subject she would do her best to highlight all the parts of it she could. As I've been hiking and photographing what I see, I many times will traverse the same general area. Guess what, each time it is different, each time something new shows up. As the seasons' change, so does the panorama.
One of my recent photographs
3. When life handed Laura challenges she rose to the occasion. Even when left to care for her father, she still managed to make the best of it. While I've not been as challenged as Laura, these last six months of having to adjust to life's curveball, I noted what I could and couldn't do and followed my 'bliss' and got outside and began to enjoy what nature had to offer.
Another recent photo from one of my hikes
I've been lucky to still work, even though it has always been part-time. I've not written as much as I could, but I've been writing. The time outside gives me a breather from stress, lets my imagination wander, and visualize scenes based on the trails and what I'm seeing. Some of the trails made me think of traveling in Medieval times and others walking to town from a ranch.
So, I've been spending my time following what I have garnered from Laura's life. Plus, I've always admired her work.
So the next time you may be feeling stuck or in a rut, find someone whom you admire, look at why you admire them and see what you can learn from their life and how they succeeded in what they did.
Laura died in 1979 and is buried in the cemetery I frequently walk, Evergreen.
Colorado and Women's History
