My contract ended yesterday, so my six months with nothing to do begins today. Emotionally, though, I’ve already changed. I took my last two weeks off, and something odd happened. I got possessed by a spirit that compelled me to wake up at seven, do some yoga, eat healthily all day and work towards a purpose in life. That’s what I’ve been doing the last couple of weeks, and I don’t recognise myself.
It feels like someone else has taken over. Perhaps this is what happens when you have enough money, and when you have time in front of you. The person you’ve always wanted to be emerges and takes control. He knows what to do because, from deep in your subconscious, he’s been watching your thoughts and fantasies, and he’s worked out a plan.
It’s as if you’ve inherited a garden planted by an expert, but which the previous owners had neglected. It’s swamped with brambles and ivy, so you launch into it and hack it all back. Then flowers start appearing everywhere: some aconites under a bush, a rose in a hedge and irisis by a pond. It’s surprising, but they were always there. They just needed the space to flourish.
So yes, I was up early this morning and, completely without thinking, I put a day bag together. It contains all the things I need to go out and observe life. Here are the items:
- My camera (Canon 6D) with 28-135mm zoom lens
- A 40mm and a 100-200mm lens
- Lens filters
- Speedlight flash with batteries
- Remote flash triggers with batteries
- Mini tripod for the flash
- Large tripod for the camera
- Small light reflector
- A hardback notebook for noting what I see, hear, smell etc
- Some biros
- A sketchbook (I’ll draw with the biros)
Later on, I’ll add some watercolours, brushes and a small pot for water.
In the afternoon I bought the domain for this website, and made it. Just like that. No research into technologies, like I used to do, and no squandering hours trying trendy systems that have thousands of dependencies that you have to cobble together like the parts of a prestigious, but frustratingly unreliable, vintage car.
Tonight I meant to go out and take dramatic pictures of a withered tree with my flash, but it got late and I was too tired. Instead, I include a photo I took earlier, which shows that I have finally delivered myself from Banjo the Cat.