Photo Challenge: TWISTED
“You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lines. You may trod me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I’ll rise.” Maya Angelou
Photo Challenge: TWISTED
The best secrets are the most twisted Sara Shepard
It is not the monsters we should be afraid of; it is the people that don’t recognize the same monsters inside of themselves. Shannon L. Alder
For this week’s theme on TWISTED, I dove deep into nature and shared all the twisted limbs and things I could find. When you hear the word – TWISTED – what comes to mind? Admit it. The first thought might be crazy or bizarre or worse. The theme for this week was not prompting us to look at the kooky size of life unless we wanted to. It was really about being drawn to shapes and forms that were twisted and reshaped by design; nature or man made. I was immediately drawn to the idea of featuring the many trees I pass on my daily walks on the aqueduct. I took my camera and headed out.
I was quite confident it would be an easy task. It wasn’t. What do you mean, you might ask? Well, I was looking for truly twisted tree limbs. I wanted something special and out of the ordinary. As I took shot after shot along the path, I was a bit disheartened. Mind you, there is plenty in nature that fits the bill but, I had an image in my head that wouldn’t quit. I continued my walk and, as I turned around and headed back home, I was convinced I’d have to think of other options.
“Between thought and spoken word is a gap where intention can enter, the symbol be twisted aside, and the lie come to be.” Ursula K. Le Guin
Photo Challenge: TWISTED
Photo Challenge: TWISTED
Glory is reserved for the twisted minds. Charlyn Khater
I think I have a pattern of nice and lovely and then dark and twisted. Ryan Murphy
They were the screams of riders torn apart by the twisted reflections of their own inner selves. Neal Shusterman
Intuition and intention enjoy an important marriage and, when they come together, that union can bring powerful outcomes. Remember, I had an image in my head that was so strong that it overshadowed all the other shots I was taking. It was such a powerful presence that I started paying close attention to every tree and branch I passed on my walk back home. I sensed that the universe was trying to communicate something to me and I needed to be fully present to grasp it. I kept a steady pace as I walked back home and kept looking at the trees and branches as walked by.
Suddenly, as I approached the main road, something caught my eyes. I stopped and took another look… Lo and behold, hiding in between shrubbery and tangled branches was this perfectly twisted branch. On closer look, there was another one to the left of it. I could almost hear a chuckle from the universe: See! If your eyes are open, the possibilities are endless. Don’t second-guess your intuition. Go with the inner promptings. Trust that it’s for good. Do not be afraid to look and to act. We spend way too much time worrying about what others think that we allow our intuitive impulses to be stymied by judgements. Skip it. Go with your pure intentions and surrender the need to control the results or outcomes.
More Below!
“Too often the past has been twisted to fit the visions and agendas of the present.” Thomas Sowell
Photo Challenge: TWISTED
Photo Challenge: TWISTED
People are more twisted than people think. Brad Meltzer
Fate has a twisted sense of humor. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
There have to be moments when you glimpse something decent, something life-affirming even in the most twisted character. That’s where the real art lies. See, I always suspect characters who are painted as lovely, decent human beings. I would always question where the darkness lies. Martin McDonagh
In that one moment, as I stood and stared at those two perfectly braided/twisted branches, I felt a revelation and a shift… We can stay expectant in the world, trusting that our intentions will be met with creative fulfillment and some lessons on life itself. We can trust that the images that arise in our mind’s eye are there for a reason; they want to teach us about life, mystery and beauty. We can trust that the intuitive promptings of our hearts are guides helping us to stretch and grow. The growth will heal us, quench our thirst, and fill us with joy… It’s going to be alright. Everything will be okay. The universe has a greater plan for us. Stay woke. Stay alert.
This post was inspired by a prompt from WP Daily Post: – TWISTED – For this week’s photo challenge, show us something twisted. You can be literal in your interpretation — show us the coils of your hair, a winding woodland path, or a gnarled tree trunk. Or, be more abstract, and show us something that represents life’s inherently twisty character. We’re looking forward to it!
Positive Motivation Tip: There is beauty and wisdom even in twisted places…
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos from my personal collection.
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
Your pictures for the idea of twisted are very unique. I like Maya Angelou’s quote. I’m not sure what to think of twisted that is not negative. I imagine the winds cause nature to get twisted causing some unexpected beauty.
These twisted limbs of trees make my eyes go dizzy but then pretty in their own way. After all, it is nature. I hope my life is not that twisted.
It always amazes me how nature forms things. How even when broken they adapt and change. We lived across a big brush of trees growing up and a lot of places had disruptions that forms twisted.
Oh wow, you have such a beautiful photo collage. this post gives me motivation.
Great trees and esp love the Angelou quote
I love that you went with a nature-inspired interpretation of the theme. If I did this photo prompt, I’d probably take pictures of my favorite curly pasta!
This is an interesting post! All about twisted both figuratively and literally!
It’s so amazing how unique each tree really is. Impressive to se them all in aggregate like this as they each say something so different in how they are strong. That first quotation you shared from Maya Angelou is one of my favorites.
I love this collection of twisted nature. It is so eclectic and interesting to look at. It is an expression of divine chaos. 👍🏼😍
wow, this is very insightful and symbolic. thank you for sharing your valuable words
This is such an awesome take on the word twisted. I love nature like this and of course the message behind that quote.
Tangled and torn the thoughts of man
Look forth and see what they be
Decaying like leaves in an arid land
Scattered from a twisted tree
What a wonderful post! I love the photos, they are so nice. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I am always mesmerized by photos of roots and trees all twisted up. I love how you focused on the word Twisted today!
Having watched a lot of crime cases on the CI channel, I have learned that indeed, people a are a lot twisted than they appear to be.
The ‘twisted’ theme is such a difficult photo challenge. But glad to see that you got some surreal shots of mother nature!
Great shots. Photography is always amazing and interesting.
I love your photos of the twisted trees and roots, they’re beautiful!
Great theme… I love seeing the twisted side of nature. There’s so much out there, especially if you are in a tropical rain forest. But of course it can be a bit harder to find those special twisted plants in suburban areas.
I thought it was a twisted kind collage. I was surprised to see it literally twisted photo of branches. Love the quote from Sara Shepard 🙂
I love every photo, I have always love nature and how beautiful it is. This photo challenge is a good one!
Excellent viewpoint. I love where you are coming from with this. Thanks for the encouraging words!!
What a great metaphor, and its wonderful that you can apply something beautiful in nature to a deeper lesson within ourselves.
No person on earth can say they are not twisted. Everyone is in some or other way. Great use of pictures and quotes.. Another quote in this case I remember: “They were the screams of riders torn apart by the twisted reflections of their own inner selves.” by Neal Shusterman.
That part about humans being a lot more twisted than they actually seem is so true. All those murder-related shows that I’ve seen on the Crime Investigation channel is proof.
There is such beauty in this! I love seeing beauty in things that others might consider unlovely. Thanks for the reminder!
Really beautiful pictures. I always wonder what happened to a tree with all the twist in its branches. I have magnolia tree that have a twist trunk because of a fire.
Those are some lovely photos! We love theme based contests… Your mind is forced to think out of the box!
There is definitely beauty and wisdom even in twisted places! Thank you for the reminder
For me – the first thing I thought about when thinking about the word twisted was something or someone being a total mess! LOL. I really found this challenge to be very interesting and I love that you focused on trees and how they intertwine. Things never really are quite as they seem!
Your writing and your images are wonderful! so inspiring and thought provoking, as usual. I admit that “twisted” has quite a negative connnotation in my mind. However, when I see your pictures of twisted brands in nature, there isn’t one that looks unnatural to me. So I guess this negative sense is something we humans intentionally give to nature with our discourse?
Very thoughtful post! We spend so much time worrying about how twisted our lives are so better enough, we should skip it and go in with pure intentions and surrender to the outcome. That inspires since at times we can’t help it no matter how much we try.
I like the photos that you picked and it’s nice that you came across with the branches after walking around. Twisted for me is a term used to describe how a person thinks. At least that’s the first thing that came to mind.
I have never seen twisted trees like this before. The ones with the flowers in particular looks beautiful.
These photos are definitely full of twists and turns! I love the quote too about twisted secrets 😉
I kept thinking about Grey’s Anatomy when Meredith and Cristina say they are “dark and twisty.” What a fun photo challenge!
Certainly our paths can twist. And sometimes when things don’t go our way we are left twisting in the wind. I love how you can take these things and create your own stories. Beautiful pictures by the way!
Ahh, indeed it gave me that secret feel, the best secrets are indeed twisted. You take it long to unwind and know them. Great Photo challenge
Loved the quote-fate has a twisted sense of humor! These pictures are perfect for this photo challenge and the first one is my favorite!
I totally agree with the statement the “there is beauty and wisdom even in twisted places.” I agree with you and I try to look on the bright side. The pictures really help us reflect on positivity.
The word twisted to me makes me think of sick and horrible people that do twisted things, I’m not sure what that says about me or the area I work in.I love the idea of the branches all tangling and twisting round each other.
What a great message here. I love the twisted theme. There is definitely beauty and wisdom even in a twisted place.
Your photos are always amazing. My daughter is a photographer and like you, she has a vision in her head and works hard to find the shot that matches her vision.
Nice photos! So creative and vibrant.
Wow! This is an awesome post. if there’s anything I gleaned from it, it’s that life is one twisted (not the crazy kind) relationship. Sigh…right now my heart is in a turmoil.
For me, twisted means something not right or complicated. It is something negative however, by looking at your photos – I just realized it is not really that bad or negative but rather there is still beauty within it.
I love the quote you have on the beginning of this post, it might be an intertwined twist of lines, in the very end I will still rise! 🙂
You have got some very interesting pictures. We see these trees everyday but often miss the chance to enjoy their beauty. I like the way of your story telling.
It’s really amazing and almost mystical how the branches of the trees twist. Can you believe that the twisting starts early in the tree development? It’s also based on the species.
Sure… fascinating
I love that quote at the beginning. I will always rise as well. As always your photos and words are beautiful.
All of these photos kind of remind me of the rainforest. Pretty cool what you did with this prompt.
Nature can be incredible to adapt and sculpt itself. Some of those twisted trees are amazing!
That’s a great approach to the photo challenge! I didn’t even know trees could intertwine like that. Someone must have tended to it, right?… I’m sure of it.. because it just can’t happen like that, right?… I’m in disbelief because it’s so unique. Lol. But regardless, it’s a beautiful discovery. 🙂
Now this us true natural beauty. It’s so magical and love how you captioned these twisted branches.
Do people ever recognize the monsters inside them? It seems to me that the really twisted ones will never admit to it…
I love what you have managed to capture in these photos! They are such interesting shots.
Well written. Very much inspiring. Especially the quotes they inspire a lot. Thank you for sharing this.
Yes when our mind is open the possibilities are endless. Thanks for another beautiful post. The quotes are beautiful as always.
I love trees, especially those with crooked and twisting limbs. I have a collection of photographs that I took at a park near me that has a little wooded area full of gorgeous twisted limb trees. Your pictures are beautiful!
Wow! I really loved all the pics you’ve shared. Life is twisted in so many different ways and that’s the essence of life!!
“The best secrets are those most twisted.” I love this quote and it is so true. I also believe that the universe has a greater plan for us. We just need to stop being impatient and wait for it.
This is all so magical, nature is all full of lessons and histories, love the way you have explained the photo challenge – twisted. The universe has a greater plan for us all for sure.
I love your interpretation of the photo theme. Very creative and inspiring.
Excellent quote selected at the beginning and one I can relate to. The twisted theme was a nice one to pull from nature. I can see why you chose it. I would enjoy seeing more twisted trees.
Those are some awesome photos. I really like all of the depth and color.
This is such a thought provoking musing on twisted. It’s true that often the history in our minds can be twisted in order to fit the present or future.
Guilty as charged, but i really admire this perspective with the term twisted. It’s like it symbolizes order and chaos, and they’re actually working together to bring unity and balance.
I love the quote from Maya Angelou. You are so creative in talking about the word “Twisted” and finding images of twisted roots and branches.
What a cool post! I love these pictures, they are “twisted,” yet beautiful. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
That Thomas Sowell quote is definitely something to think about… I love your photos! There’s something majestic and also scary to branches.
I find it beautiful when I come across twisted branches, especially those of separate trees twisting together. Reminds me of some old lovers 🙂
I love the quotes, it remind me that every twisted things and thinks is not bad at all. It’s natural.
What a cool photos you’ve chosen. You really amazed me with all your motivational posts.
I love these series of yours! I always believe that if you look long enough for something, you’ll find it! Just as you proved. I loved your photos! They are so beautiful and simbolic.
Wow! What really pretty photos! you definitely did a great job on your prompt!
Wonderful post and great pics. Isn’t it amazing how, when we have something in our mind, the Universe delivers.
We definitely don’t trust our intuitions enough. I know I don’t and I spend time worrying. I worry about that what ifs rather than just living in the moment and trusting that all will be okay.
It’s interesting how trees can get so mangled, yet still be beautiful and continue to grow!
I always try to listen to my intuition and it’s served me well so far! Gut feelings and first impressions usually reveal what is best for us.
You indeed found the perfect twisted tree. I guess the lesson in here is to keep searching and not give up. In the end you will find a solution.
Nature at it’s mysterious best, I am mesmerized seeing all the beautiful tranches tangled. To add up as a metaphor, it is exactly the way life is turning out today, complex and confusing.