Film photography

It used to be such an important thing for me to take film photos. Such a comfort to use something that was part of my past, something so unpredictable and also so “real”. At some point, this interest started to slowly fade for me, never completely, but the time that it took to finish a roll of film was longer and longer. I was thinking these days that it will come a time when I won’t be able to process my films any longer and that this is not so far in the future. I really want to use this sunset time, to shoot more film, while I still can. Here are some photos from the last two years, some of them taken with my Welta Weltix and some with Diana Mini.

During the first lockdowns, in 2020, when the city seemed such a distant place, full of regret and longing, one of the many things that I was worried about was that the place where I process my films will never reopen.

January 2021

I’m back here, after a long time. But I have missed this place and I like looking back at my posts sometimes. So, I’ll try to post here again this year, mainly because I like having these random fragments of my life logged here. I’ll start with this video of some of my daily journaling in January.

2019 drawings

I come back to this space again, after a very long time. In the global dystopian atmosphere of this last year, seems strange to me to post here about happy and serene things. But anyway, here we go, these are the drawings I did in 2019 to document the streets of my city, the places I walk by everyday. These drawings are a diary, a compulsion, a daily habit, a way to alleviate anxiety and to keep my hands busy, a place to hide in, a safe space.

Cat

There are two purposes to this post. I wanted to document a shirt I sew a couple of months ago already, but mainly I wanted to present our cat Hibou. She is with us since November, a stray kitten my friend Rodica found on the street freezing and being sick and hungry. We wanted to get her well and find her a home, but in the end, she is staying with us. She gets along ok with the dogs and she is quite independent and easy going.

About the shirt, I had a see-trough fabric with cats since a long time now and never knew what to do with it. I remembered I had this second hand store bought fabric with polka dots that I got for a quilt but never used it. I am quite happy with how the two fabrics layered, the prints on them complement each other nicely  and the texture of the layered fabric is just perfect.

Hibou was really helpful while I sew my shirt (she was significantly smaller in these first photos).

 

Spring

This peaceful saturday afternoon, my friend planted in our urban garden  the spring flowers that kids in school gifted us for 8th of March. We are three teachers in the house, so there were lots of flowers :).

The most improvised meal ever

…but turned out ok. At least the color is really fun. I used what I had in the fridge and cupboards, not too much stuff, but I was too lazy to go shop for groceries. So, this is rice cooked with soy sauce, onions, celery, red cabbage, canned jackfruit and some walnuts that were previously boiled. It’s filling, kind of healthy and my favorite color :).

2018 drawings

I didn’t use this space for such a long time, but in empty days like today it feels good to speak into the void of the internet.

2018 was a very mixed year for me, with an important professional achievement, with new and deepened friendships, but also, on a different level, with new nuances of worry and self-doubt.

But anyway, drawing almost every day in 2018, even if only a few lines, was one of the best things I have done for myself. Drawing without any plan, without any purpose, just putting onto page the images of the streets I walk by. I’ll definitely continue this in 2019.

Goals for this autumn

After a very busy, stressful and complicated summer (but a summer that turned out to be an important one, with a very good outcome), I plan to really enjoy this autumn. It’s my favorite season, when everything seems to start anew.

So, in order to get back to writing in this space that I neglected for so long, I thought to make a list of my plans for this fall.

-I started practicing calligraphy this summer. I’m not at all good at it, but I enjoy it a lot. It’s so interesting to observ what a different quality time has when you slow down motions that usually are fast and routine. It’s so meditative and calming to watch how your hand draws very slowly every letter.

-I plan on making a junk journal and also print out some everyday photos from my phone to put in it. I’m still collecting different papers for it.

-I want to take more walks in my neighborhood and in the city this fall and finish at least one roll of film, and also take some instax photos, too.

-I also want to practise sewing some more (maybe make a shirt or a dress).

-And, I also plan to post here again more regularly and to record snippets of my days and things I make.

Spider plant

At the begging of spring, I noticed at some point a plant growing in the pot of one of my cacti. It grew next to the window, in a spot where I couldn’t notice it till it was already quite tall. I was thinking to pull it out, but somehow I didn’t feel like doing it. My friend told me it could be a spider plant. Meanwhile, it bloomed! It has pretty white flowers. I will have to find it a new pot ( I think the cactus is not very happy to share the pot), but I will do it after the flowers are gone.

I’m so stressed and busy these days, but the quiet, early evenings in my room, watering my plants, eating chocolate, just relaxing are so nice.

 

Spring

…in our urban garden.

I was soooo busy these last months and I will still be, but this long weekend is all about resting and relaxing.