Skyjè Speaks

https://www.blurb.com/b/9468990-hillz-have-eyes

By Photojournalist Joselyn Ellington

Joselyn Ellington snaps shots of nature during travel.

Hello! On April 27, I took my very first trip to Atlanta, Georgia to the 2019 Indie Artist Rapperz Ball, a place where independent Hip Hop artists had an opportunity to show off their musical talents, and guess what? It was for a good cause: Hip Hop Versus Human Sex Trafficking!!!

My friend Ryan and I we’re invited to perform by my lifetime friend Kenya Harper that I grew up with in Michigan.

Ryan and I traveled all the way from South Bend, Indiana, a ten hour drive and rested in a lovely Hampton Inn suite in Stone Mountain, GA where we were treated to delicious waffles, tea, and other nutritious items during breakfast. The bed was extremely cozy. Too bad we only got to stay for one night, but it was worth it.

The performers in the ball took pride in their performances and were an inspiration to watch. The hospitality and welcome we received in Georgia was a breath of fresh air, and the landscape to and fro took us on a journey, especially me since I wasn’t the driver lol.

One of the most beautiful moments I experienced was when we stopped at a gas station in Tennessee. There were beautiful tall mountains right beside the gas station. A female employee was standing outside of her job at a business next door where I walked over to take a selfie.

She could tell I was a foreigner as she said, “You aren’t from here are you?” I said no. She could tell by my excitement.

She pointed out to me where there had just been a waterfall in the rock of the mountain. I stood next to it and began to take video of myself on Instagram. As I was taking video I saw about six big yellow Monarch butterflies beside me, and one black and blue one. They were in unison and in harmony. The only way I can describe the feeling I received during that moment is the Japanese term Wabi Sabi, which to me means beauty in simplicity.

After being home in Indiana and getting a moment to myself, I put together a fine art photography book called Hillz Have Eyes. It is an energetic collection of fine art landscape photos captured along the Stony, Appalachian, and Blue Ridge Mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia.