Passion Projects
I once heard someone say “you need something to be excited about when you wake up in the morning.”
Something with a magnetic energy behind it. Because when you do something you love, life is a hell of a lot better.
It’s safe to say 2020 gets a designated spot in the book of unfortunate events - a year full of uncertainty, discomfort, and an overwhelming amount of feelings that all led to a universal state of emptiness. It makes sense right? A year that would usually be filled with the things that spark enjoyment were simply… unattainable. And the worst part? We didn’t know how long they would be out of reach.
Life is full of moments - happy, sad, messy, beautiful moments. The happy ones feel like riding the perfect wave. You have momentum and it feels safe, yet there is this exhilarating rush as your body finds the right combination to keep you balanced. I tried really hard to find some of those waves to ride in 2020 but it didn’t come with ease. However, as the year finally drew to a close, that sense of balance felt possible again.
I have always loved pictures. Taking them, looking at them, watching other people take and look at them. There is a stillness within it, photography that is. For a brief moment you see the world through a lens and you control what it captures. At the end of the day it becomes your own personal form of art, your own personal canvas of small moments that make you feel alive.
As I entered 2021 I made a promise that I would dive into a passion project. And for me, that was the world of film photography. It wasn’t about perfecting the skill, but more so about pushing myself to get out there and learn as I go. You know the saying “you don’t get to choose who you love?” Well my camera process went the same way and the Olympus OM-1 chose me. After stumbling across an Etsy shop with restored vintage cameras, I had a gravitational pull to this one and before I knew it, my film photography journey was set into motion.
I have been dabbling into film since March and it has made me appreciate the art of photography on a whole new level. Some days I get a perfect roll back and other days, light leaks and blank negatives fill the spaces. If I told you the mishaps weren’t frustrating… well I would be lying. But what I love so much about film is the raw, unedited snippets it brings to life. Whether it is the smile of someone I love, calm waters, or something on the street that moves me, film embodies the now. It is the moment.
If 2020 was anything at all it was a learning experience. An eye-opening continuum of months that confirmed how much flashes of happiness make life worth living. So if you have a passion or a hobby that fuels your soul, go explore that.
Having something to be excited about when you wake up in the morning… that saves you.
It is the one thing I know to be true.
