May | 2008 | A Zestful Quest

I’ve met up with my friend KB. yesterday. We’ve known each other for quite some time but while I was still living in the Lowlands she decided to move to London at some point, came back to the Lowlands after a few years and then moved back again to London. I moved a few times myself over the years and because of that I lost contact with her. Lucky me I registered a while ago with a website similar to Friends Reunited and found out that she basically lived ‘around the corner’ from me in London for two years before she decided to move to Surrey. I asked her to come along to the annual Picture Buyers’ Fair organised by the British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies. It’s a good opportunity to do some networking and see MvdM. at work *LOL*. Although I didn’t expect much it turned out to be a really awesome day.

I talked with some very interesting people which reminds me that I still have to visit a website of a photographer who had some amazing pictures on display. I promised to email him because we ended up having a discussion about web design and how most websites look like crap and so unprofessional. When I mentioned this I was trying to be modest and didn’t use those exact words but he bluntly corrected me and we had a good laugh about it. His pictures are the kind that will keep you intrigued for hours, staring at them. Pictures of forgotten ancient places, specialising in the fantastic and the supernatural. Eight books have been published by him and he had numerous exhibitions worldwide. Some of his pictures are part of famous collections in London, Paris and California. I will ask him if I have permission to use one of his pictures here.

I also met a very nice Dutch woman: while KB. and I were discussing something, she overheard the conversation and we ended up having lunch together and talked for at least half an hour. She lives in Scotland, is a photographer and has her own business. She was extremely interested in my photography and offered to represent me. So if all goes well my pictures will be archived and for sale soon. This is the third professional photographer who shows interest in my pictures which is great. I will also be represented by another company who asked me a while ago if I was interested in putting my pictures up for sale. I haven’t done anything about it yet: I have about 4000 on archive and will have to make a selection first which is going to take quite some time, but it will be fun and I’m really looking forward to this!

In the meantime I’m still busy designing the second phase of a website for a new company that needs branding. I’m not allowed to write anything but it’s fun and quite a challenge and I’ll be working on this over the weekend. I’ve been looking at cameras for some time already and always said to myself that the one I currently use is fine but if this is going to be a success it won’t take much to convince myself to upgrade to a better camera… Just the thought of all this is extremely uplifting and the fact that people seem to appreciate my images on a professional level is the best compliment I could ever get! I’m eager to take the next step! *hehe*

M. at work *hehe*

Repetition

Overview

Business Design Centre

If you wonder where I’ve been… Well besides being busy I had to come to terms with a few issues so I needed time to reflect. Things have been slightly rough again lately or perhaps they still were: I might have been a bit in denial for some time and were forced to face it over the last few weeks. I had some kinda wake-up call and I’m not so sure yet if I should be happy about the situation or not. Actually there are a few, not just one…

Some things can make me feel extremely helpless and leave me frustrated or upset. I see someone close and dear struggling and I see someone else being completely absorbed by a relationship resulting in losing identity. In the first situation it happens long-distance so I can’t do anything about it except being there when I’m needed and I seem to fail doing so because of my own needs, making it hard to juggle. This one is passionate and slightly complicated…

In the second situation I just found out that the person might not be aware or is just blissfully in denial. I can see change in character because of the influence of a partner. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been in a similar situation so I guess that’s exactly why my radar picked it up. Again I can’t say or do anything about it but sit this one out and when it does I better have the Kleenex and a spare room ready. I just need to figure out a way to deal with it in the meantime…

Now picture my chauldron filled to the rim with the above ingredients including an equal measure of my own concerns which aren’t exactly rosy at the moment either. Let it stew for a while… And after making a real meal out of it, the result is something that then needs to be consumed while it doesn’t really look tasty at all: a bit burnt even. Then after consuming there’s cleaning to be done so you might understand what all of this is heading for in the long run.

I’m in serious need of a time-out, so I’m taking one and only focus on the job section for now until that is all sorted. Yes it is kinda tough to me because I find it difficult to put myself first and it feels like I’m running away from others but I figured out that if I don’t put myself first I can’t be there for anyone else. So it will always be a Catch-22 if I don’t decide to do what is best for me. I’m a fast learner but a slow achiever neither is good/bad, just extremely inconvenient at times.

Last week’s other activities involved chasing up someone in the US about an order that I placed a month ago, voting for the first time in London and discovering a most beautiful art deco library [polling station] five minutes from where I live, finishing complex time-consuming flash animations, getting frustrated about recruitment agencies and their inconsistent terms of folio sizes and CV formats, I have twelve different versions of both: the number is still increasing…

So yesterday was May Day in the UK, my parents’ Wedding Day, Liberation Day in the Lowlands and a day for me to relax and clear my head. It was sunny and perfect to go for a stroll in the woods. Today will be another day of annoying recruitment registrations… At least my parcel from the US finally arrived this morning. A creative gift: something I wanted for years, to brighten my day and hopefully someone else’s when I will use it… and I’m eager to!