Help, I’m in a deep rabbit hole—again! I was trying to find a simple definition of resilience for you, but I got into an environmental and scientific discussion on the subject. The simplest definition I could find: Resilience refers to the ability to successfully adapt to stressors, maintaining psychological well-being in the face of adversity. It’s the ability to “bounce back” from difficult experiences.

Are you resilient? I’ve made this my intention for 2025. I think we will need it as we face a troubled world, especially here in the U. S. To me, resilience is the ability to make your way through adversity, finding happiness along the way.

How does that apply to photography. As photographers, we find resilience in nature and interpretate it in our photos.

Mountains in Lassen National Park can be 27,000 years old. More recent volcanic activity has created changes in the ecosystems in the park. Some haven’t changed in those years. They are resilient.

Another natural example are our trees. The General Sherman Sequoia tree in Sequioa National Park is 2,200–2,700 years old. It’s still growing taller and wider. Yes, resilience.

And what about those plants, given a small amount of dirt, that seem to push through rock and survive.

We can also photograph metal. I love to photograph metal when it ages and becomes rusty. Metal is strong and resilient, used in gates, trains, cars and more.

People are resilient also. Just ask any mother about resiliency!

Families show resilience through traditions carried through generations, like Christmas and Chanukah.

History teaches us about resilience. Wars, natural disasters, rising out of poverty, and more. Although horrific to some, in 1846 the Donner party showed survival resilience. Their story is told at the Donner Memorial State Park, and nearby Donner Lake is named in their honor. https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=503

The current fire storms in Southern California are testing people’s resilience. People have died, more are displaced and homes are gone. When the fires are out, residents will have to muster up more resilience as they rebuild their lives.

My challenge for you this week is to find how your photographs portray resilience. How do they speak to you?

We had a lot of fun in last week’s challenge, Favorite Images of 2024, and I enjoyed seeing and reading about your selections. Thank you John! As you respond to this challenge, please link to this post and use the Lens-Artists tag. I do want to see all your resilient images. Next week, Ritva will lead our third challenge of the year. Be sure to look for her post. In the meantime stay healthy and live in gratitude.

101 thoughts on “Lens-Artists Challenge #331: Resilience”

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  18. That Sequioa tree is amazing.

    I’ve been following the wildfires in LA (as I often follow the weird and extreme weather across the world). I’m sure the victims will find the resilience to rebuild, but what of the priceless items lost in the fire. The photos. The keepsakes. Perhaps some antiques that had been in the family for centuries. While they can never be recovered or restored, perhaps Mel Gibson’s words (on being interviewed after the loss of his home) say it all in that it’s just stuff. Family, neighbours and pets/animals re more important.

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  30. You’ve started us off with a true challenge this year! I will have to put my thinking cap on to come up with a response. >grin<

    These are challenging times, and we must be resilient. It is a positive resolution for 2025!

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  33. This is a fantastic challenge, and I’m so sorry that being in Spain with my family here means I’m unlikely to be able to tackle such a thought-provoking challenge. I’ll enjoy reading some of the responses too, as I have yours.

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  40. Such an interesting theme to choose! You explain resilience well and have some great images to illustrate it. Of course I liked your rust shots, and I was also interested to see so many places we visited recently featured here – Lassen, the General Sherman tree, the Donner Pass.

    It’s taken me a while to figure out my response but of course it had to link to my travels : https://www.toonsarah-travels.blog/gallery-the-resilience-of-people-and-nature/

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