A few months ago, I started long term project called WELD… to sum it up, the idea is to be a great collaborative work & shoot space for Dallas creatives. The entire mission behind it is to put tools at artists fingertips (amenities, education and community) that enable them in entirely unprecedented ways to create like never before.

I’ve put a good bit of time into getting the space off the ground in the last few months, along with a fantastic group of creatives from around the Dallas community… and hopefully that topic will be a stand-alone blogpost soon.

Anyway… in recent days I’ve realized that I’ve been putting so much time into getting WELD off the ground that I’ve stopped creating content myself. I’ve never felt more alive than when I’m out, capturing the splendor I see in Creation. So I’ve been trying to shoot a bit… Esther spotted some pinkish clouds out the window this evening and we decided to get up on the rooftop and watch them from there.

I grabbed the camera and shot this timelapse… the display of color & light in the clouds was striking, but the aesthetics of this piece weren’t what struck me most. This little clip represents a deliberate step to stop and capture what’s out there… I’ve been working away at WELD for just about 4 months now and have been here nearly every day (120 days give or take) but today was the first day I went to the roof to shoot a timelapse. In one day, I see this amazing display of beauty in the clouds…what did I miss those other 119? I’ve gotten so tied up in the business of WELD that I’ve begun to lose sight of the very reason this place exists: to create and capture amazing things.

Whether your gift is photography or something entirely different, today was a great reminder to me that the gifts our Creator has graciously appointed to us should not be taken for granted… don’t get so tied up in your daily activities that you miss the chance to capture the beautiful display of clouds that may be just overhead.

- Austin