Wow!

That snuck up fast. I’m going go reset my intentions to include monthly blog-posts again starting January 2024. That last quarter of the year went in a flash.

It was a tough one wasn’t it? I am sure some of you have had worries on an individual level, but to me it felt like their was/ is a collective sense of malaise in the country, and there are so many reasons why.

When our son was younger, and having a moan about something (or more likely, having a moan about having to do something) his Dad and I used to band about the response “nobody said life would be easy”. Our lives were certainly easier than many, and the same can be said now, when so many are suffering at the hands of others. I wish this was an easy issue to resolve, but here we are in the throes of human existence, and it doesn’t seem those history books change all that much over the years. This is precisely why it is so important to recognise those special moments, to remind ourselves daily for that which we are grateful. If we take on all the suffering of the world, we would never manage to even open our eyes. This is not a sermon, but a gentle reminder, that amongst all that seems wrong with the world, there is always it’s opposition, offering a glimmer of hope and a future to set goals for.

I follow several inspirational people on Instagram, some of whom are sports-people. Owen Barrow is one of those people, and although he seemed very fit anyway, running was new to him this year. I met him by chance when he had just completed his first half Marathon in April. Since then he has been incredibly dedicated, and has discovered the joy of running (something I have tried to explain to non-believers from time to time!) He has run multiple half marathons, started a very busy running club, and completed his first marathon a couple of months ago. His level of discipline puts mine to shame, but I like to watch people progress, and I am in awe of those who really go in 100 percent. **UPDATE I am feeling good in one way though, as I just did a bit of fact-checking to be sure my words are true, and I see that my half marathon came in a fair bit faster than his first, so I can bask in the theory that I would up there with the high achievers if I trained a lot more! They say you should believe in yourself, right?

With that in mind here’s some of the things I did, and achieved in 2023:

Participated in two group photography shows before the end of February

Put my long-term project 4 x 4 x 4 up for scrutiny at Photo Scratch. The event was held at Fixation in South London.

Took the Fun Bus to Brighton to celebrate turning fifty (if you know, you know).

Visited Florence with a friend, and Mallorca with my Mum. The sun shone on us all.

Held my second ever solo show Getting To Know You, and created an accompanying publication under great time constraints!

Getting To Know You: The execution.
Image by Sandra Roberts.

Other things I did:

Surprised myself

Maintained a full-time job

Remained single

There are other things I intended to do, and those I had hoped for, but one can only do so much, and now I have written it down in a way I wasn’t intending, I see that I kept myself busy as usual! So now all I need to do is make plans to make 2024 an exceptional year. I have already started!

Words to live by! Another intention, and a Banner I made this year at Marcus Orlandi’s banner-making workshop to conincide with Thamesmead Festival.

NEWS!

Some of my fellow artists at Lakeside have initiated an online shop for some of our works. This will grow over time, but if you are looking for a unique gift, check it out now or later!

Look out for the Performance Delivery To Your Home! Sonia Roshal approached me to collaborate with her on this unique concept of having a takeaway delivered by us, whereupon Sonia will create a spontaneous site-specific performance. I will document the event, and send some images to the participants as a memory of a delivery that is literally one-of-a-kind. If you have any Bohemian friends with cash to flash, then this could add some flavour to their takeaway!

Please let me know anything you have achieved or had fun doing this year, and what’s in store for the year ahead. Whatever it is, be kind to yourself, and keep chipping away!

Go forth, and hold on to the good bits (not those!).

Much love

Amanda x

This blogpost was going to be called 'Keeping Inspired as a Photographer', then I realised, I have no problem keeping inspired, but I have a huge problem finding time to execute my ideas, and even worse, to really get 'involved' with them; to take them to the next level.

Life is a busy place; if you live in a city, even more so. Being a London Photographer means I am constantly given inspiration via all of my senses, whether that's from walking the streets, talking to the myriad people one meets or by participating in any number of cultural delights, be it eating great food, watching a live band or visiting an art gallery.

Discovered Fenton House and Garden, a little gem hidden on the backstreets of Hampstead recently.

Some years ago I had a conversation with a Psychotherapist I met at a business-networking event and she helped me write out a weekly timetable that factored in time to do 'fun' things like visiting galleries or taking some exercise. As far as I'm concerned, this stuff is essential to keeping an open-mind and triggering creative ideas. It may seem luxurious to visit a gallery on a Tuesday afternoon, but really it's a research and reconnaissance mission!

I still have access to that weekly timetable, which I print off when I want to focus on a few key targets in a given week. Beneath the tabled agenda are these words from Nicole, the Psychotherapist:

"Keep this flexible! Always keep in mind long-term goals, but work clearly and patiently.

Let the pressures and the 'shoulds' go. Do one thing at a time. Go slow - stops crashes!"

Since I've been attempting to live in a less-agitated state (must do, got to do, rush, rush, rush) I have found way more equilibrium and allowance for myself not to achieve everything I intended to do in a day. There really is a limit, in time, energy and efficiency when it comes to living an agreeable life in the twenty-first century.

I had a particularly wild summer this year in terms of external events and inward emotions. It was great, but I recognised the wisdom needed to kick in, and that something had to give. I don't want that something to be my sanity, so I eased my foot off the pedal and have been attempting to filter in more downtime. Of course there's still been lots of fun, and plenty of late nights, but that's been my bag for years, so I'm cool with that!

My favourite inspirational quote right now is Do Less Better. I remind myself of this quote regularly, as for me, it sings. I cannot accept every invitation, I cannot do all the things I would like if there were two of me, so I have to choose wisely what I agree to doing both inside and outside of my work.

As we are in an age of the pursuit of self-discovery, another practice I have been honing is to hang around with people that inspire me. So instead of getting annoyed that your parents don't 'get' what you do (guilty) spend as much time with the people who do. I'd be nowhere without my peers and friends that allow me to do what I do without judging me...

People that understand why you're staying up until 2am because you have something you just need to complete, like this blog for example! Traversing London from one side to the other because you have to secure an item to execute an idea that's in your head. A little masochism goes a long way in the life of an artist, entrepreneur or madman!

As I only managed two days official holiday this year thanks to bad planning, I scheduled five 'me days' into my diary last week. That somehow turned into two very long days of catching up with admin and prop-shopping for a new personal project (talking of inspiration!) before spending two and a half days shooting said project!

What I had planned though was a day-trip to what has become a preferred bolthole of mine: Leigh-on-sea in Essex. It had got to around 11am and I needed to be back in London by 5pm to get home and ready for a Private View at the Printspace. I almost talked myself out of making the trip, but I am so glad I stuck to the plan!

I now had about three hours to explore, which involved some picture- taking along the beach, stopping for a salmon bagel, buying some sweets for use in my upcoming project - kinda knew that every seaside town has a Sweet Shop, and my piece de resistance - visiting the little gem of the Francesca Maffeo Gallery

On show was Alexander Missen's Q & A, a fascinating collection of images following Missen's journey across America, 'providing an examination of cultural symbolism and how the motifs we associate with America have affected the reality of place and people.'

Runs until 28th October.

Alexander Missen's Q & A at Francesca Maffeo Gallery, Chalkwell, ends 28th October.

There was an added bonus for me at the gallery, as in conversation, Francesca told me that the good folk of London Independent Photography had paid a visit, and there on the counter was one of my pictures representing the group on a recent promotional flyer!

In Twenty-Eighteen I intend to get stuck into my next long-term project. That's a year behind schedule, but you can only do what you can do! I will spend some time over Christmas researching further and hope that I can be fully involved with no cutting corners, and pushing myself to new limits!

I am hardly the person to demonstrate high levels of efficiency with my powers of distraction , but I am aware of the things I can do to stay on track and keep reminding myself of where I am heading (there is no final destination by the way!)

Happy Headspace!

Amanda

Another year in pictures, and other stories.

WANTED: Creative Headspace for Photographer