A Picture in Mind

Here, for a fellow blipper is the view from the audience at the Mental Health Festival event which he was organising. That's him - Chris - to the right of the photograph, introducing the panel of speakers who spoke very movingly about their experiences, and in the case of Joe Tree, about setting up this very site.

I liked Chris's description that having Joe along was the equivalent of an Apple fan having been able to invite Steve Jobs along. Blipfoto has meant a lot to many people, and the process of selecting and uploading a photograph and adding some text provides a daily routine and so much more, including the community experience of sharing an insight into our lives each day.

I took lots of cheerful photographs this morning, having taken the opportunity to enjoy the last of the recent spell of sunshine before the rain started in early afternoon.

During my short walk round The Botanics, I was thinking about the talk I was going to attend this afternoon, and how bruised and battered I feel mentally after the events of the last few weeks. The only constant, it has felt at times, was that each day at an allotted time, my phone burbles with a special sound which is the daily reminder to ensure that I've got a photo taken at some point during the day, ready to be uploaded. Not always on the same day, but at least on a weekly basis when I have some time to myself to catch up.

I was so impressed that two of the panelists today were willing to stand up in front of the assembled audience and reveal that photography had been an act of signalling their recovery - part of their sign to the world that they were ready to try to rejoin it after a period where they had been unable to participate in everyday life.

The fourth speaker, Graham, spoke movingly about his work as a photographer and how he is working on a project to open up some of the stories which families who are raising children with Down's Syndrome have to tell.

This blip has got a bit mixed up between my thoughts about my own feelings right now, and the reaction I had to the talks. It's been a most thought-provoking day. Thank you, Chris.