6 months onwards

Man oh man, have I lost the blogger's touch. Seems like years since i last scribbled down some text and threw up a photo, it's probably now time to unleash some more photographs upon cyberspace, and do a little writing about what's been happening in the life lately.

2011 was going to be all about relocation and taking another swing at financial independence, but it didn't really turn out that way. I've just about reached the end of semester for my absolutely final university study of German, as a bachelor of fine arts wasn't quite enough for me, and i'm preparing for some form of great escape to a warmer climate.

A couple of months ago I embarked upon one of my most exciting photography assignments, and learned plenty about picking out interesting people and attempting to get decent shots of them. It was relaxing. Strolling around Bridgewater and Gagebrook and waiting for a kid on a quirky scrap-assembled bike to ride my way. And these bikes were incredibly interesting. Some were amalgamations of red-taped racing handles facing upwards like bull-horns, or the faring of a motorbike fixed to the frame with cable ties, really quirky.

Birthday Time

I was just about to throw the ultra intense coffee my mum has just made for me dramatically out of the window, I fear that a tablespoon of instant may well lead to some pretty nasty side-effects, but i'm not going to, because today, the 14th of November is my birthday. However, besides the significance of the date to myself, I'm finding it rather difficult to catagorise my 22nd compared to my 21st, or any other birthday that I've had. I decided to accompany my mother on a trip to the Bagdad for a school's garden showing. She'd organised a great deal of the gardens there, and a large group of admirers of Gardens had bussed down to, um, admire the gardens.
My current educational experience has also finished, after a rather rough German exam and a 'fingers crossed' photography assessment, i'm free to reap the rewards of my fine art degree. I expect a lot of hard work ahead of me, as I keep being told that sending out emails just ain't gonna cut it.

I'm making plans, slowly, trying not to relax, and going to commence the search for professional experience, somewhere in the world. It's a confused state i'm in, probably cause the educational system is a warm blanket of repetition, but i'm sure we'll all adapt to the reality of the real world, whatever it throws at us. So, congratulations to all the graduates of 2010, and good luck with working intensely until you find that ideal job.

And a very special birthday wish to that twin of mine. Happy 22nd Damon. Keep jumping those rocks baby!

Fine arts degree, you're almost mine.

Allowing myself a little break from writing travel stories in German, I'm going to commit some words to the blog. Firstly i'd like to thank the Tasmanian weather system for the painful walk amongst the hail this morning, and also for the red sunburn i acquired across my chest yesterday. But i suppose that love shouldn't always be predictable, so i'll let you get away with it Tasmanian weather.

Three weeks and all hard working university life will be finished, fertig.

My initial hunt will be for a $60,000 p.a job, hopefully the world values a fine arts degree as much as the art school does, otherwise i'm damn excited about where i'm heading, and that's anywhere with a camera.

Party series

I'm starting to realise my final semester's photography project, i'm aiming for 12 images, and am so far at 6. I've put this image up cause i can no longer contain my excitement. As soon as i get some more time off work, i'm going to hustle more people up like cows, cause i love it.
So, just wanted to thank those wonderful six people who have helped me get this far.
C and L, thanks for helping me get this rolling, and all my models, your patience, ability to take direction and give me super hot pensive, anxious looks, makes my eyes water every time i look at you in my photos.

Team

I'm feeling it, feeling the pressure.
At the start of next week i'll have four weeks left of my university education. There's a good deal to look back on, but that ain't the pressing issue of tonight's blog. You see, i could be doing my German assignment, or i could be writing in my journal, both wise things to do with the short amount of time i have left, but i feel like i need this, need some proof that stuff's been happening, important, non uni stuff.

It's been a rough winter at the restaurant at which i work. Customer levels have decreased and as a result the amount of snaky double standards in co-workers has increased, maybe it's the weather, but there remains a certain level of tension at work that frustrates me to no avail.

But there are plenty of good things. As we know i'm not a hero when it comes to building a too-solid crew of friends, i just don't know how to collect people with similar interests and keep them together for a good while. But there are two people who i'm really appreciating at the moment, one is a walking-talking movie reference joke a second, who never fails to convince me that 'covert special ops' is his normal state of being, and the other is a bio-chemistry, japanese/ mathematical genius who over the past 4 months has given me an unconditional kindness, with added cheesecake, vacations, and ears for listening.


Agent AA and Ash, two excellent associates of team Trent.

studious and distractive.

For those who go to university to study, please find above an example of what to watch out for.
Although i do my best to catch up with Ben as often as possible, today was a rather remarkable day in the brief history of us discussing current situations. Firstly let me state that i am usually in great admiration of Ben's vivacity and control of the english language, i usually liken the conjunction of 'big' words in complex sociological sentences to masturbation, but when someone has a the ability to relate their knowledge to their audience in a way the audience understands, that's something i really appreciate.

Ben sang for me a song he'd just penned and i was in admiration of his unmistakable disregard for self consciousness, cause it's self consciousness that usually stops me from doing these risky things, and i always regret not doing them. Damn, I was glad to be there to experience it.

Cause lately i've been thinking about people and connectedness, and the idea of the individual's ability to relate is usually at the center these thoughts. I study fine art photography and it isn't always my favourite thing. Some say it's less likely to land me a job than an Arts degree, and i don't really have anything good to say back. But when i start to discuss with people my photographs, and the concepts that myself and those who study alongside me construct and communicate in a visual way, that's when the differences in ways of thinking become apparent.

With some people i can only squeeze in half a sentence of art description before they dismiss it as irrelevant 'art wank' and then there is this small group of others who can relate to my ideas, and these people usually don't follow the art line, or study at university.

Such people make such a difference to my belief in my own practice, and as most of you know, if you don't believe in your product, you're never going to sell it.

Big ups to the ability to relate, arts, science, society, psychology and life. It makes better friends.

Rationalisation

I've been thinking lately, why is that my mood jumps so rapidly around between anxiety and excitement, to the point that i'm often left feeling deeply confused about the state of my mind?
I think i'm normal, mostly, but then there's this little stream of doubt that springs up when things aren't working in my favour, like when i'm involved in a conversation with a collection of other people and i somehow find myself in the back seat of the discussion. To be disengaging in conversation is something that i've only recently grown to accept. I used to think that it was all about being the central talker, the question poser and the avid responder, but then Bam! some form of depression hit me in february, coinciding conveniently with the start of Uni and suddenly i've got a complex.

Turns out though, life is rather complex, so why not emerse yourself in thoughts and worries and doubts and...damn, it's not looking good.
How did i rationalise this minor/major issue? I listened to Peter, Bjorn and John who told me i had 'nothing to worry about', and Seth Sentry, who stated 'life is simple i developed a complex'.

I like taking photos- simple statement.

This is a photograph of the lovely Rose, i've been working on a series of photographs that explore irrational anxiety within people, hopefully with some research i'll be able to uncover some solid findings, but for now i'm dipping into my past for inspiration.