Hey y'all. I hope life is treating you well. It's definitely been a bit interesting.
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I've been dealing with a great deal of anxiety / stress / fatigue the past few weeks.
Despite the good in my life and the simplicity of my daily routines and activities, there has been a lot of space for my mind to diverge and wander down paths one would prefer not to. With big projects, never-ending to do lists, family, responsibilities, relationships, self care, and the abyss that is the internet all weighing down on me, it feels as if my chest has been constricted to a point beyond dilation. Although I know it all to be temporary and that a lot of the stress stems from a good place, it can be hard to overcome and differentiate when it all becomes a problem vs it being something normal. All I can do is practice mindfulness when it comes down to it. Remind myself of life's temporary nature, the insignificance of so many of my worries, the fact that nothing is in my hands but God's. It seems I've been chasing this life to a point of exhaustion, and I'm burned out. So, I'm trying to get that energy back. Still working through it before I can recharge, but even during this state, my imagination runs rampant, and not towards anything good, unfortunately. It's just a part of one of those cycles though. A facet of our pattern of existence. We'll always see the other side. Just need to work through it, insha'Allah.
Indeed, with hardship comes ease. I must remember.
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Recently Watched:
Mystery Train
By Jim Jarmusch
Definitely not my favorite film of the Jarmusch films I binged the past 2 weeks, but still damn good. He's fantastic at creating and maintaining the exact atmosphere he wants to portray, with not a single element missing. This is my favorite scene from the film lol:
Three Colors: White
By Krzysztof Kieślowski
Hmm. I think this was the more entertaining film of the trilogy. (Yes I finally finished the trilogy, took long enough). What a sad life Karol, played by Zbigniew Zamachowski, lived in this story. Lame, sad guy, feel sorry for him but at the same time not really. Dominique, played by Julie Delpy, is also just a huge dick, so there's that. It's crazy to think of the things people go through in real life through a lens like this. I'm happy this trilogy exists. Also it's fun seeing the characters from the other films interweave various scenes. I wish to make something like this one day. inshallah.
Art Updates:
My photo book is coming very soon, insha'Allah. I know it's been a little while, but just perfecting things, trying to put out the best product and experience possible. Not necessarily for the audience but myself. More concrete updates coming soon.
Here is one of my favorite photos from the book in the meantime:
Pinkhassov
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Definitions:
Sequester - isolate or hide away; take legal possession of (assets) until a debt has been paid or other claims have been met; form a chelate or other stable compound with (an ion, atom, or molecule) so that it is no longer available for reactions; a general cut in government spending.
Tete-a-Tete - A face-to-face meeting, or private conversation between two people, usually in an intimate setting; a head-to-head.
Hemingway: Selected Letters - Ernest Hemingway: Selected Letters, 1917–1961 is a book composed of letters to and from Ernest Hemingway found at his Cuban home after his death, edited by Hemingway biographer Carlos Baker. Hemingway was a prolific correspondent and in 1981 many of his letters were published by Scribner's in the volume.
Excerpt --
“Then there is the other secret. There isn't any symbolism. The sea is the sea. The old man is an old man. The boy is a boy and the fish is a fish. The shark are all sharks no better and no worse. All the symbolism that people say is shit. What goes beyond is what you see beyond when you know.”
― Ernest Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway Selected Letters 1917-1961
Mephistopheles - Mephistopheles is a demon featured in German folklore. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust legend, and he has since appeared in other works as a stock character.
Cinema Verite - Cinéma vérité is a style of documentary filmmaking, invented by Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch, inspired by Dziga Vertov's theory about Kino-Pravda. It combines improvisation with the use of the camera to unveil truth or highlight subjects hidden behind crude reality.
from Grey Gardens by Portrait Films
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"Society benefits from a full range of minds addressing emotionally complicated issues" - Barry Lopez
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That's all from me for this one. Thank you for reading. And please feel free to reply to these emails if you feel inclined to. I'll be here.