Archive for August 2014

The Language of Pictures

Hello fellow Earthlings! (…or whatever planet you come from)

Just noticed that 2/3 of 2014 is behind me, and this year is clearly broken (did I save the receipt?) because so far it looks nothing like the one I had written down on my to-do list in January. Had all these plans about moving, writing novels & short stories, expand my publishing company Turtle Bite Books, do collaborations and lots of other stuff. What have I been doing so far? Taking photos. Shitloads of them.

Sure, it was amazing when I got my new camera last year. It was like going from banging on pots and pans to get a brand new shiny Mapex drum kit. I could finally do all that stuff I had envisioned in my head but never had the right tools to implement. But I never knew what a wonderful storytelling instrument the camera could be. Suddenly I found myself using it more than the pen or the keyboard to tell the stories I have in my head. Like the famous photographer Ansel Adams said: “When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs” (the quote continues: “When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.” But I’m still working on that bit…)

And of course my mad scientisty-brain began to wonder what would happen if you wrote a book in both words and pictures. I am currently working on that, and with some luck the result will be ready before the leaves turn.

It will be published as an e-book, because it’s the perfect format for this kind of book (and a physical full color print would cost me two kidneys and my sanity, the sanity isn’t much to lose at this point but it would be a bitch to pee without my kidneys).

Another thing I also noticed with photography is that at some point you’ll find your own voice, and if you put enough of yourself in it you will connect with others that speak the same language. Something you’ll notice when the comments go from “nice light” and “cool angle” to “you have an old soul” and “this made me cry”. And when that happens it’s the same wonderful feeling as when you’re at a party and you see someone wearing a tee with that band you love but no one’s ever heard of, or when you’re being the only one completely mesmerized by a painting at a museum/gallery while everyone else just strolls past it … until you notice that someone is standing right beside you, also lost in what they see. That feeling. When you look at each other and share that knowing “You and I are the same”-smile, and you know that you have found a member of your Tribe. Wonderlicious!

So, a big ‘Hello!’, a big hug and an even bigger ‘Thank you!’ to all the exciting people all over the world I’ve got to know through photography. You make my life better and I love you all!

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In other news: Soon it will be the premiere of Doctor Who season 8, and our first look at Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor. A quick explanation for you non-Whovians: The Doctor is an alien from planet Gallifrey, and they have a way to cheat death – the can regenerate their dying body to a new one. But while the intellect and the memories stays the same, the appearance and the personality changes. Every new regeneration must learn and come to terms with who he is. This is of course great for a tv-series – you can keep the core of the show, but still refresh it. And it’s very heartbreaking when you have to say goodbye to the old Doctor (I cried like a baby when Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor said goodbye last December).

Anyway, as exciting as it is when your favorite tv-show is back, this time it feels extra special for me. I think one of the reasons I fell so hard for this show is because I can identify so well with The Doctor himself – a manic madman and a dark, brooding loner, both driven and playful. And this time it also feels like I’m in sync with his regeneration. This has been a year of big inner change for me. I think that I’m becoming a new man as well. There are new thoughts, new ideas, new attitudes, new rules. Things I used to say “Never!” at have become “Why not? Life is short”. And I believe that I also have to learn who this Peter is. (But I hope that I don’t have to ask the same question as The Doctor: “Tell me, am I a good man?”)

As a result of all this there are many other things in my head right now that wasn’t on my to-do list earlier. Things I’ve never thought about before. Exciting things. Strange things. Scary things. But as they say: If you’re not scared, it just means you’re not sticking out your neck far enough.

It will be very exciting to see what life looks like at the end of December. I really hope it includes travel. I’ve been stuck in the same place for too long, battling workloads, bitchslapping problems, sorting out chaos and other soul-sucking stuck-by-my-desk crap. Now I want to drag my ass out the door and see some new places, do different stuff and meet some new cool & exciting people. See ya then!

You can see my photography on Flickr, deviantART, Facebook and Instagram:

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Listening to: Anberlin and Imogen Heap
Reading: Hayley Campbell: The Art of Neil Gaiman
Watching: Outlander
Mood: Wanderlust