Creative Mistakes

Some of my favorite artistic expressions come from “oops” moments. Like these photos from our recent trip to New Orleans taken in the courtyard of our hotel, the Place D’Armes.

For me they perfectly capture the southern climate; hot, humid, and sultry. And they were purely a mistake. Steam from the pool combined with near 100 percent humidity to fog up the camera lens.

I was disappointed when I first saw them. No crystal clear representations of the courtyard. No chance for a do-over with New Orleans now almost 1000 miles away.

Yet something in me paused as I hovered over the delete button.

Sitting in my air-conditioned home, I felt the heat of New Orleans. These “mistakes” captured our trip better than any of the “technically correct” images did.

Side note: I fear the outfit I am wearing is also an “oops” moment. The jury is still out on whether or not it is a good one. I bought the top just before our trip, but when I put it on in the hotel room with the skirt and sandals, I felt like a Laura Ingalls wannabe.

My husband said I looked fine, so I took his word for it, and we headed out for Bourbon Street. As we passed a scantily clad woman in thigh-high leather boots ushering people into a strip club, she said, “Oh, I love your top!” My frail ego was both boosted and deflated at the same time. I smiled and said “thank you” as we walked away.