A Much Needed Update

I cannot remember the last time I immersed myself in art. I felt revitalised yesterday, after taking many photographs of any subject that momentarily interested me. I'm always imagining taking photographs when I see things in my everyday life, as if my eye is like the camera lens itself and each blink represents the shut.

I went to the Courtauld Gallery to see an exhibition called 'Becoming Picasso'. For some reason, my mind changed yesterday, it was as if a reset button had been pushed. I was looking at these paintings and I could completely understand them when I couldn't comprehend any meaning before. I saw what he had to say, or at least an individual interpretation, and felt that I had something to say too. Although I never aspire to reach the heights of fame that Picasso has, his work has made me want to photograph again. A part of me even feels an urge to have a go at painting. Yesterday, I felt a hunger to be creative, not because I was inflenced by the moment, but because it's a major part of me. His works are so open to interpretation that, unlike writing, it does not have the limitations of a formula that is the result of the viewer's/reader's requirement for explanation. Something registered in my mind yesterday.

I studied A Level Photography. In my A2 year, I received consistent A grades for my theory and practical work, which was wonderful considering I'd never studied Art in my life. I was in my element. I had the chance to learn among other people interested in the medium, and who had a passion for it. I learnt about other artists, would spend hours in the darkroom mixing chemicals and producing prints, went to exhibitions, went on photo shoots at two in the morning, wrote essays comparing and contrasting my own work with others. I even went to New York to visit galleries and wander in Times Square to take pictures. I was constantly developing.

Here's a picture of me being all happy and taking photographs. This is how my friend sees me:

Here is an image I took yesterday. The subject is of one of my oldest friends at university. When I see my friend Diana, I take into account the red background that matches her trousers. I take into account the repetition of the lines, which add perspective to the image. I take into account the contrast of the dull grey with the bold red. Life is beautiful.

Which is why I feel it is necessary to take a break from this blog before anything else happens. I've got Dior products to review, but I feel that life has so much more to offer you and I. Go out, be creative: watch good films, read good literature and magazines, learn to paint, write a story even if it's bad, go to concerts, listen to music, buy a polaroid if you can't focus your subject and take wonderful photographs, travel, play many musical instruments, write a poem even if it doesn't rhyme but shows expression, go to many exhibitions, learn to knit and crochet jumpers for your future children or grandchildren, write letters to relatives you don't see often, volunteer, go to the theatre, learn a language, and most importantly - do what makes you happy.