Who we are & why we are

Welcome to the gallery site of Broken Light Collective. We are artists of all levels and abilities who are affected by mental illness. We create and we share our work for the therapeutic benefits to us, as well as others who may be struggling and feeling scared and alone. Together we can move from disconnected to collective.

Photo taken by contributor Jim, a man from Texas who has struggled with depression for much of his life.

About this photo:

“Standing (or sitting) amongst the chaos. Be the red chair.

There is an old deserted church in our neighborhood, Pleasant Grove Baptist. It has a castle-like, crumbling exterior. I had been building the nerve to take a peak inside. 

Amidst the rubble, trash, and decay, sat this beautiful red chair where the altar had once been. I listened to hear the stories it could bear witness to, but all I heard was the need to be like the red chair. To sit amongst the rubble. To stand firm and retain your form even when it all seems to be falling apart.”

More from Jim at his website.

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**Visit Broken Light’s main gallery here. Currently accepting submissions.

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23 responses to “Amongst The Rubble”

  1. hank shaw Avatar
    hank shaw

    this is a remarkable photo

    Like

    1. Developing A New Image Avatar

      Hank…thanx for the kind words…en theos..jim

      Like

  2. chrisrenney Avatar

    I hope you learn to live with the chaos and take control of it. This is still a room to be lived in. A wonderful, evocative image which to me holds hope within it.

    Like

  3. Developing A New Image Avatar

    Chris……I am trying to dwell amongst my own chaos. Some days I succeed, others I just get by……en theos…jim

    Like

  4. sixdegreesphotography Avatar

    Love the juxtaposition between the old, crumbling once orderly church and the realities of everyday living.. There is always a red chair somewhere.. great photo indeed!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Developing A New Image Avatar

      6º…..thank you…..en theos…j

      Like

  5. esse636 Avatar

    a brilliant photo

    Like

    1. Developing A New Image Avatar

      esse…….thanks so much for the up words….en theos….jim

      Like

  6. thepersistentplatypus Avatar

    Wow. This is beautiful.

    Like

    1. Developing A New Image Avatar

      Ms Platypus….it was fun to write that name….thank for a lift with your words…en theos.j

      Like

      1. thepersistentplatypus Avatar

        LOL! I enjoy being called Ms Platypus! 🙂 I’m glad to give encouraging word! I was scrolling through WordPress and I saw your picture and just had to stop and look at it. It really is breathtaking 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Cara Lockhart Smith Avatar

    Yes, this is a wonderful photograph….

    Like

    1. Developing A New Image Avatar

      Cara……thanx for the encouragement. Some days we all need just a few kind words to carry us through the day….en theos…j

      Like

  8. BookOfPain Avatar

    Stunning artistry!

    Like

    1. Developing A New Image Avatar

      BoP…….it is so nice to be called an artist. I can never seem to call myself that except in jest. But I wear it proudly when someone else proclaims it….thanx..j

      Like

    1. Developing A New Image Avatar

      P….glad you liked, thanx for the share…..en theos..j

      Like

  9. bigbird34 Avatar
    bigbird34

    What a beautiful photo!

    Like

    1. Developing A New Image Avatar

      Big Bird…..you lifted my wings…….thanx..jim

      Like

  10. Developing A New Image Avatar

    To all…….I walked by this same church early yesterday morning and it was nothing but a pile of rubble. Three workers and two big bulldozers leaned on pick-ups discussing how easy it came down. I so wanted to ask, but what about the red chair, but I didn’t want to ask such a strange question, or didn’t have the nerve to.
    It was an eerie feeling and a couple more lessons in life:
    1. Never, ever walk by an opportunity and not stop to take advantage of it. NEVER
    2. Always know how quickly it can all come tumbling down.

    en theos….jim

    Like

  11. bluebrightly Avatar

    Brilliant, Jim – the words and the image! Just great.

    Like

  12. bluebrightly Avatar

    Just saw your comment above – you’re so right – even the light changes as I walk through the forest, and I think to myself that if I see an image I want to record, now’s the time! There may not be a later, and if there is, it WILL be different…

    Like

    1. Developing A New Image Avatar

      Brighty Blue…..oh you are so right, it all goes past so fast….en theos….j

      Like

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