To no surprise, I have dug my heels into a new project and body of work. While the theme is still evolving, I will share where it began. This started with me re-capturing memories of my past, revisiting places I haven’t been to in years, such as the house I grew up in, the park I broke both my arms in, and so forth. While I think having links of my own memories is important, I know stepping away to others memories will allow the viewer to step into them more.
This is where I need your help:
I’m doing a “Call for Memories”. Feel free to submit these anonymously, change names and place to protect people as needed, or even email me personally to share these. I promise to keep them as inspiration to fire my photographs. A way of transforming the memory so many may be able to experience it, even if they haven’t lived such a situation. Eventually I may display part or all of the memory with the photograph, but this is still yet to be determined. Please try to keep your memories around 2-5 sentences, and feel free to submit more then one. I am trying to look more into childhood memories, but feel free to share what you feel is relevant to the theme.
Feel free to comment here with your memories, email me at Sydney@SydneyWlodyka.com, or even write me a letter if you choose. Thank you for your help, and please share this with others to help with my project.
I feel as though I’m missing a hand,
they say, when a loved one is gone.
But I am the hand gone missing:
Fingers not bid to bend,
a strong. hold. with nothing to grasp.
I miss you. And you may miss me.
But you will go on to adapt–
I will search for some. body. that needs me.
I remember the day that I meet my dad for the first time. I was terrified, waiting in a cold office I played with the Barbies that my mom brought me. Of course my dad never showed up. It was the first of many disappointments that my dad would be a part of. (Sorry it isn’t the happiest)
I remember my first girlfriend. We were both 5 and her name was Anna. We held hands when we walked from my grandmother’s house to hers. The relationship lasted about 4 minutes and I quickly learned about the temporary nature of relationships.
I remember getting head lice on the first day of fifth grade. I refused to cut my long hair, but eventually gave in and my mother chopped it off while I was watching Zenon on the Disney Channel.
A long drive, drifting fields of untouched snow, a hike in the park, drifting steam from hot chocolate, siblings, cousins, parents, brushing deep snow from the table top for a picnic, a sunny crisp snow filled day, laughing, sharing, playing, long slow endless exploring, snuggled close, sleeping in the car, driving home – Camp Dearborn
Long ribbon of road, winding up and winding down, endless blue sky – coming close- slipping back, the smell of passing farms full of animals, pine trees lining the road, hot summers day, childrens heads lingering out the open window, gear loaded, coolers packed, hot stew filling the air of the car, a caravan of family, vacation – InverHuron Canada
Cool damp breeze lifting bits of sand, sapping water licking the shore, strong wild flowers rooted in the beach, colorful unique birds drawing the eye of strangers cameras, curious children drinking in the wonderment of it all – Bruce Peninsula National Park of Canada – Camping – Cyprus Lake Campground
Parking lots of endless cars, clinging in a human chain of little people, marching forward, holding tight, weaving behind Mom, followed by Dad with his watchful eyes, laying on the scratchy wool of army blankets, starring into the black sky waiting, watching, flashes of bright lights, ears tightly clasped by tiny hands, sonic type booms, trails of gleaming floating bits of color, joys of childhood fireworks – Hemlock Park, East Dearborn, Grandpa Pope
I was born into a poor family, needless to say my favorite toys were sticks and stones to combat the names I was called growing up from other kids who didnt understand. I learned from a young age I needed to be my own hero, So while playing pretend midevil times with the neighborhood kids the prettiest girl decided to be the queen with the handsome boy, who was of course the king. so I became the only girl knight. My first kiss on the cheek was from the pretend king because I could fight better than the boys when we were defending the mulberry trees. Sometimes being inordinately is okay
A colorful, serene dusk, in the summertime, in some very faraway countryside. The night train had no seats left to get me back from the capital and get my plane, and I had to catch the 4.30 am one. I was standing along the track, but it didn’t stop: it was too little of a train station. I was taken to the main station, a 10-minute ride, by an old, rusty, genuine soviet locomotive, with the tracks unwinding before me. I made it by a hair’s breadth.
We had a couple of steep hills in our neighborhood and we used to walk our Green Machines up to the top and coast back down at what felt like light speed. Staying out late basically meant 15 minutes after the street lights came on. We would try and stay out after dark so we could cruise through the intersection without stopping at the bottom of Sheridan Hill. We also rolled a bowling ball down that hill one night. I didn’t stick around to see what happened and never inquired about it afterward. This is the first I have ever spoken of this. :/
I remember my dad taking my sister and I to a local rodeo.
I remember the silver aluminum bleachers where we sat and that it was a cold fall day. My dad bought us beaded pieces of rawhide that clipped onto our little western boots. I don’t remember much about the rides but I do recall my dad singing to us on the way back home in his old rusty Dodge truck and feeling absolutely safe and happy.
I remember the first time that I ever saw Lake Michigan. I was probably around the age of 10, and we were in Traverse City as a part of Odyssey of the Mind state competition. We were driving on M-37 in a school bus when the kid next to me pointed out the window and said “Look at that big lake!” Coming from a rural town in Michigan, with several lakes nearby this lake seemed to be bigger than any I had ever seen before, and scarier because I couldn’t see to the other side of the lake. I asked my mom what the name of the lake was and she simply said, “Michigan.”
This summer I got to drive by that lake again, and I just wanted to stop and look at it. I’ve seen a lot more things that were scary since that lake. If I could I would take my younger self, and hold her hand and tell her of all the things that she is going to do someday, and have her look out on that lake and realize that it’s not scary… It’s beautiful.
Many of my summer days as a child were spent outdoors, mainly at the Community Center in Tecumseh. My siblings and I would walk the trails and pretend to be explorers. Our favorite spot on the trails was something my mom called Frog Pond. You can see hundreds of frogs at all stages of life. Still to this day I love walking the trails at the community center, its so peaceful.
My favorite childhood memory is when I was a little girl about seven. My parents owned a cabin on a lake, and it was a bunch of cabins in a park. We spent most weekends and most of the summer at “The Lake” is what we called it.
My grandparents also owned a cabin in the same park and brought my two month older cousin with them. Two cabins away from there were two girls that were our age that we all became good friends and hung out all the time. Well one day we decided we were going to become entrepreneurs! We collected really awesome rocks (dirty, old, rocks we found on the ground) and put them in my yellow big boy bucket. Then we went around and knocked door to door selling these rocks for .10cents a piece… after about an hour *yes people bought the rocks* we had a handful of money that would be enough for all four of us to get something from the store across the road.
So we went to see my dad and asked if we could go to the store, and I held out all of the money and he asked me where on earth did I get all that money- and I told him we were selling rocks…. he laughed but was unhappy and I was told we weren’t allowed to do it anymore but he did take us all to the store to get the candy we worked hard for!