To The Window...

It dawned on me recently that a recurring theme has been popping up all over my photography - windows. I'm not sure what attracts me to these delightful architectural details, but I can venture a guess. I'm a big sucker for symmetry. However boring it may sound, I find it soothing and satisfying when everything is in perfect order. The other thing that really gets me going in a composition is repetition. This could be the source of my love for all things symmetrical. After all, symmetry is about repetition; the same thing happens twice, only the second time it's in reverse. That being said, you can imagine that the following blog sends me into uncontrollable fits of artistic arousal:

click image to open link

It does occur to me that a camera's viewfinder is also a window in it's own right. Like a window, it is a frame through which you can see a little bit of what exists beyond. As in the theory of painter/printmaker/mathemetician Albrecht Durer (who coincidentally happens to be an ancestor of mine), any kind of composition is comparable to a view seen through a window. Perhaps it's in my blood, but this theory really resonates with me when it comes to photography. My whole philosophy revolves around composition. I try to show the world in ways that it isn't normally percieved, by finding pattern and design where it is easily overlooked and capturing it within the photo's frame to create a composition. The blog 'Patternity' says it all in this quote:

 "Treasure what might often go unnoticed, look up when you should be looking down, find beauty in the banal, and stop to wonder when you should be walking past."

Although Emily Bronte still has a home in my 'yet-to-read' list, I am nevertheless aware of the symbolism of windows in her writing, as well as in numerous other pieces of literature and art. Windows represent the barrier between inside and out, and the balance between public and private. This is an issue that grows more and more relevant to me as I continue to maintain this blog. 'Momentum' came in to existence when I caved to the pressure to get more involved in social networking, which is becoming an increasingly important tool for those in creative industries. I had considered starting a blog for some time, but being an incredibly private person, I was always too nervous to go ahead with it. For that reason, you still won't find me anywhere on Twitter, but I'm in the process of working myself up to it. It's interesting that this symbol is so prominenent in my work at a time when I'm struggling to find a balance between public and private, creatively and personally, with the immense influence of the internet and social networking on the world right now.

Favourite Faces

This summer I plan to take on about a million personal projects, and it is my hope that said projects will provide enough material to cover a hefty portion of this blog. My to-do list has been collecting a plethora of various tasks (like finishing a painting I started two years ago, finalizing a tattoo design for my sister, making a Hogwarts Express costume for the Harry Potter movie release, etc.), and it's high time to start crossing off some items before things get too out of control.

There is one project in particular that I like to call the Favourite Faces Portraiture Project. The title is lame but the illiteration makes it legit, right? Up until a few months ago my photography was entirely limited to still-life and a single photo of a dog. After dipping a toe in the portraiture pool at school this past semester, I decided it's something I want to learn to do well, but it's going to take some practice.

The premise of Favourite Faces is to produce at least one decent portrait of anyone and everyone of importance in my life. It sounds impossible, and it probably is, but that's no reason not to try! If my work improves even a little, I will consider this project successful. I simply hope to take my experience of portraiture from dabbling to deliberate, starting with this photo of my awesomely cool friend Daniel:

Thread

While visitng a textiles show, I took this photo of some embroidery thread. Thread, as it happens, is a symbol for life. It represents destiny - being pulled by a divine power*. Like any typical Facebook addict, I use a 'thread' to stay connected with my best friends - and yep, those girls are my life.

*Source: Bruce-Mitford, Miranda. “The Ilustrated Book of Signs and Symbols,” Dorling Kindersley Limited, London, 2004.

The Theory of 'Momentum'

Inspiration is an odd thing. Anyone who has ever attempted any kind of creative endeavor knows that it does not always, or even often, come easily.  If you are living in the contemporary world (and not under a rock), Pop Culture has probably conditioned you to only understand concepts as metaphors that reference yet more Pop Culture (a la Friends, Gilmore Girls, Juno, or any film/television produced in the past 10 years). In that case I would have to tell you that Inspiration is akin to Harry Potter's fame; it is a fickle friend. But if you are an art student, like myself, you already know that. You would therefore agree that finding inspiration is always a pain-in-the-ass, and can also be totally fucking awesome when it is finally discovered.

My own experience with inspiration is a bit like a game of 'Fortunately, Unfortunately'. Fortunately, I have been immersed in art all my life, so this ongoing struggle for ideas is something I am used to. Unfortunately, this does not make it any easier. Fortunately, this year I stumbled upon what I might call 'The Greatest Source of Inspiration in my Life Thus Far'. Unfortunately, right upon the heels of discovering this magnificent motivation, it was quickly gone. This blog is my attempt to recover from that experience, learn from it, and use it to my advantage.

There are two things I hope to get from this blog:
1) A place to archive my creative achievements (photography, drawing, graphic art, writing, cooking, sewing, etc.) and sources of inspiration.
2) A reason to push myself - what better motivation than documentation?
In a nutshell, I figure that with this blog as incentive, I will inevitably be forced to find motivation within myself, and ideas in new places. It is this constant creation that I refer to as 'momentum': a self-generating snowball of Inspiration.