Favorite space and creativity – 31.05.2009

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Today is the last day of Everyday in May. A month (well, almost, because I started a bit late) of daily pictures, of a bit of journaling too. It’s the first time I committed to doing a certain creative thing daily for a month, and the commitment itself made the process very interesting. The assignment (a photo a day) was simple enough not to be too overwhelming, and flexible enough to fit my schedule and/or my mood on any given day.　This self-imposed assignment motivated me to take the time to go outside and really look. It also was a good opportunity to look at my daily environment a bit differently. To look at it with a purpose. To really see what’s around.

As I’ve written before, I learned a lot about what kind of photos I like, what stops my eye, what taking pictures actually means to me. These were all good things that I feel are going to continue influencing the way I take pictures from now on. I really had to push myself sometimes to get outside of my little comfort zone and not focus exclusively on leaves, rusty pipes and water…all things I could take picture of endlessly.

I’d really like to do commit again to one specific creative activity daily for a month. I yet have to decide which one, but I know it would be an opportunity for growth and the source of many discoveries !

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Cucumbers or the summer has come – 30.05.2009

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This time of the year has come again. The time when the only thing I really feel like having on the dinner table is cucumbers. Fresh, watery, green cucumbers. How I love thee ! Add yogurt to these and you have my perfect summer meal.  If I’m in a very generous mood, I might be willing to extend the privilege of the table to small tomatoes and a few olives.

While I like my oven very much most of the year, I think we’ve officially entered the season when this little guy is not relevant any more to my cooking patterns. Sorry oven, it’s not you, it’s me really. Me, and summer in Japan…and summer in Kyoto (which gives another dimension to the words hot and humid). But oven, we’ll share some good times again, I promise. Just wait until Fall for some major (oven) cooking spree.

If you have any summery recipes in your pockets, could you please (really please ?) enrich my repertory ?

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From the train – 29.05.2009

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I took the train back home in the afternoon, after a very busy-rich-interesting-motivating five days. I’m here, typing from my sofa, and though I am home now, I haven’t completely arrived yet. I need to readjust a little bit after the swirling days that just went by.

I had the opportunity to talk with a few persons, and the essence of some of these discussions boils down to “publish or perish”. I’m a part time lecturer and if I want to even think about applying for something more permanent, I have to publish papers, there is no way to escape this academic reality. Sigh. I wish I had the kind of healthy confidence that makes you try and go for it, instead of the “what-i-could-write-will-never-be-good-enough” paralysis. But I guess the time has come to power through this . Mmm.

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What kind of weekend are you all planning ? Have a good one !

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Self portrait of sorts – 28.05.2009

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A lot of things today set me a little bit offtrack, a little bit off balance. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. It led to questions such as “where am I heading ?” or more precisely “where do I really want to be heading ?”.

That’s when I started taking pictures of my eye(s). I don’t know exactly why I started. Somehow I did. And it was pretty fun. Not the obvious kind of fun, but fun nonetheless ! I like this partial self portrait. Probably because it is me, but not exactly/totally me. I think this is something I might like doing : trying to do some self portraits of sorts, all focusing on details.

So I still don’t know exactly where I’m heading, but I think I know what my next photo project is going to be !

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The love of colors – 27.05.2009

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Beautiful details.

Beautiful soft colors.

(happy sigh)

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