saturday

i think i'm cherishing my saturday mornings more than ever. having a little while to sit down, to think and write and maybe read a little before the day catches up with me. and to have a sitting-down breakfast for once. today's was:

coffee and a simple bircher muesli
coarsely grate an apple into a bowl, add some oats and a little boiling water. sprinkle with a little brown sugar and stir well. add a little liquid cream and some cinnamon, stir again. if you like, add some toasted nuts on top. done in less than five minutes.

also enjoyed this morning:
kate's windows down mix
the trailer for documentary film food stamped - is it possible to eat healthy on a food stamp diet?
(take a look, these guys are at sundance at the moment and hoping to get a distribution deal. if you do that kind of thing, you might consider following them on facebook (via their website), which could help them get the film into theatres. oh, and spread the word!)

happy weekend!

on finding inspiration II

be patient.
(this might be the hardest part.)

p.s.: my friend eva made these paper flowers for me. they are real drama queens and yet quite subtle with that white silk paper.

on finding inspiration I

leave your familiar routes and take an unknown sidestreet.
you may find a branch of blossoms.

(thank you mary for your advice of trying to shoot with another film and another camera!)

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just thinking

there are so many things to say about inspiration (or the lack thereof) - thank you so much for your comments!

the other day, jude sent me a note about searching for inspiration, or rather the wish to lure it back:

"i've been thinking about this and decided that sometimes it is okay to be fallow. just like in a garden, being fallow allows for some rejuvenation and so when the next inspirational moment happens it falls on rich ground. being still and fallow also allows for the deep part of the brain to work on things."

perhaps i'm just not very good at allowing for this and should give it a try? that being said, i've been impatient again and, wanting to shoot, have taken mary's advice to work with another kind of film in a camera i haven't used in a while. we'll see.

(the above photos were taken in early december, i only got the roll back now. do you see that little ring of light appearing on the scans i had made at the lab? i'm trying to find out what caused it. i hope it's only a smudge on the scanner's glass plate.)

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how to catch that rare beast

these photographs were taken by my mum in the early 1960s, when she was spending her holiday on the lago maggiore, northern italy. she took such wonderful pictures with her simple little agfa camera. and, judging by the second photo, which a friend must have taken, she had the perfect time. coffee on the terrace, with perlagoniums and a view anyone?

i myself, meanwhile, am feeling truly uninspired. i haven't shot film in weeks. i miss it terribly, but the light is bad. very bad. so how can i catch that rare beast: inspiration?

p.s.: we could start a whole discussion about the notion of inspiration here, i suppose. do we need inspiration, or do we overrate it? is being creative 90% commitment to just doing things, i.e. 'work', rather than something almost magical and therefore elusive? -- and: is pressure counter-productive?

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those were the days

just look at them. my mum and dad, back in the sixties. they look so cool, and so happy. and then my brother and i came along (that's me on the right, i was wearing my hair very short those days). looking at these family pictures made me smile this morning and so i thought i might share them.

last week was very busy, the weekend still is. a highlight was trading a bread with malin elmlid - her bread is the most delicious sourdough i've ever tasted. it was a close call, as i was running late because of the still icy bike paths. luckily malin waited for me even though she was in a real rush. thank you! (read more about malin's bread exchange here.) ++ since mandy mentioned it, here's the link to freunde von freunden, featuring malin's home. it will get you into a right summer mood, i promise! ++

happy sunday and a good start to your week!

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winter days

the best place to be in winter is home. it's still white out there. and icy, which brought the city almost to a stand-still this morning. i'm glad i can concentrate on my translations, at the moment i'm looking at the most beautiful renaissance paintings and drawings. i'm also fascinated by the historical background of the italian courts in the early 15th century, which sometimes reads like a unputdownable novel.

hope you are all well. what are your days looking like?

p.s.: apologies for the delay, but i've finally drawn a winner to my giveaway post in december. and because i felt like it, i drew a second winner too. tschitschi and P.K., you've both won a 13 x 18 cm print of your choice - please email me (see my profile to the right) to let me know your pick and address!