I’m here in Oxford for the weekend, catching up with a few good friends and generally lazing around. Yesterday I took the train down to London, a journey I’ve done many times before, then caught a train out to Oxford. Despite the amount of time I’ve spent on trains in the past year particularly, I have never had as amusing a journey as I did yesterday…
Boarding in Glasgow, I sat down in my reserved seat next to a nice little ol’ granny. Turns out, she didn’t ease off once! She ganched away to myself and the man opposite us, told us all about what she was doing, how long she’s been retired, etc. She kept giving off to herself, apologising, ‘oh I better let you get back to your homework!’ (I was trying to read a report before some meetings on Monday). She was the most ADD granny I’ve ever met! She jumped between her novel, her puzzle book, staring out the window, and then… this topped it all off for me… her CASSETTE Walkman! Bless her soul, she fumbled around trying to rewind her cassette with a pencil rather than putting it in the Walkman. She cant have actually listened to much music with all the chopping and changing she did.
After switching trains in London, I settled down for the last hour of the journey out to Oxford… to be joined by a couple of rather drunk fellows! All a bit of a laugh… the guy beside me asked tons of questions, then wanted to read my book with me.
I have a new job. I’m still in the same office in Glasgow with CA, but now doing online PR work. I started yesterday, and the next few weeks are mostly induction stuff. Very excited to get stuck into it properly.
I’ve started doing the Artists Way with a friend from work… and it is kicking my ass. Sooo hard. I’m trying to persevere with it though.
I’ve been on a bit of a onehundredhours kick recently, ever since I saw them at FUEL09. I’m really chauffed with some of the shots I got from their set. I’m learning that my photography is in the details… I’m not so bothered about big context shots, but I love focusing in on one tiny little area…
Today, I got my first tattoo! I had a slightly wobbly start, getting very light-headed, but after some Lucozade and Starbursts we were good to go again. After a half hour or so, my inking was complete…
If you’re curious about the story, read on…
The text is Gaelic for ‘the Wild Goose’, which is what the ancient Celts used to call the Holy Spirit. Why? They thought that following God was like chasing a wild goose: it was wild, unpredictable, and you never had any idea where it was going to go next. For me, the tattoo reminds me of my roots in Ireland & Scotland, but of the crazy journey this God of mine is taking me on… it is truly a wild goose chase!
So it’s not really lyrics this week, but how about some music just? I’m listening to my friend Jules a lot this week… check her out on myspace [Julie Belle on Myspace], and ya know, drop her a wee comment over on her blog perhaps, let her know what you think!
A few more snaps from the Saturday night events at FUEL09. Sorry these are coming so much in dribs and drabs… hoping to get them finished off this week.
There’s been some chatter lately on a few blogs I read (Anne, Joshua) about how people are afraid to be amazing. For me, it’s a throw back to the first time I saw Coach Carter.
I know. You’re thinking, what?!
“Our deepest fear is not that we are in adequate.
It is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
I have some pretty huge dreams. The kind that terrify me, that I question if I will ever achieve. But they also keep me awake at night with excitement. Photographs that change the world? I’ve been told many things. That I’m idealistic (which, by the way, I want to reclaim as a good thing). That my head is in the clouds. That I’m not living in the real world.
Sound familiar?
Well guess what? So what. I’m not afraid anymore. I’m not afraid to say I’m good at this. That I believe in it’s purpose and it’s power. I love how I’ve seen my work improve over the last year especially. I think we’ve spent too long with such a weird, distorted sense of false humility. You’re awesome. Believe in yourself.
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