tempora mutantur, et nos mutamur in illis

It seems cliche, but it really is strange to realize the year is almost halfway done - and what a busy year it has been so far! I know I've definitely written about it before here, but it seems especially true in 2026 that the more things change, the more they stay the same (side note, this post is just chockful of cliches at the moment, so please bare with me); that in and of itself is rather funny, as its most definitely been a year of change.

Before we get into the changes, it only seems fair to get into literally everything else.

So what's really been going on, in between work and travel? A lot of planning and reflection, to absolutely no surprise for anyone who knows me. It's not unusual for me to jump back into old projects when my anxiety levels are high, and with everything going on in the world and with the economy, this year has been no exception. There were losses (pour one out for my Phoenix Minolta, which finally gave up the ghost in the last few months), but with those came some nice surprises (a rescued Canon AE-1 that I've been shooting happily with in the meantime). For the Book Project, which has long been my most active continuous physical project, I've had the opportunity to also jump back into the digitalization, which has been on pause for a number of years simply due to timing and honest procrastination. It's been giving me so much perspective on where I've been and where I want to continue to go - I've been so stagnate in terms of my thought processes, it's been nice to jump back a few years mentally and apply that same sort of inspiration to what I want to do next.

That really dovetails nicely into the change portion of 2026; not to completely bury the lead, but I'm really invigorated regarding what's to come in the back half of the year (with promises of more frequent updates). Although I'm not completely where I want to be yet, this is honestly the most excited I've been about change in ages. It's funny, since although some of my recent anxiety has been about the future, I'm optimistic as well, which is where I think all of my current inspiration is coming from. The perspective of everything is a nice combination of where I've come from to where I'm going. It's a happily weird space to reside in creatively.

Film will be the death of me...

...or would that just be the end of the year?

I've been pondering a few things as the second longest year in memory is coming to a close that I'll be writing about in a few days, but in the meantime, I'm finally getting through my backlog of film. Not counting the three rolls of unprocessed film that are currently staring me in the face as I write this, but I've been editing and have posted some of my favorites in the Film gallery. I'm hoping to have some additional shots added in before end of year (and maybe even some digital shots, too, hope springs eternal), but my continuing story of starting lots of smaller projects from last year continues into the present.

"You don't go to Notre Dame to learn something; you go to Notre Dame to be somebody."

It's taken me a little bit to get my thoughts together regarding the fire at Notre Dame. My trip to Paris in 2012 was my first real trip out of the country; I was a junior in college, going into my senior year, with a love of art history. Notre Dame is a place that is easily on everyone's list when they're visiting the city, and I was no exception. I always hold a little bit of cynicism when it comes to locations or pieces of art that are that famous - there's always a worry they won't live up to the hype. I can honestly say that Notre Dame was everything you could have imagined it to be, and even some things that you probably weren't expecting. Not being a religious person, I've always found places of worship interesting, and the ancient cathedral was no exception. Walking through the pews both during a Sunday service as well as during the week gave me an appreciation of the acoustics and architecture, with the cherry on top the awe-inspiring stained glass windows. Notre Dame is one of my fondest memories from my time spent in Paris, and the video of the fire gutting the spire is one of the most horrifying things I've ever seen.

The title of this post is a quote from Lou Holtz that I believe captures Notre Dame in a nutshell; not just for me, but for anyone who was lucky enough to walk through the doors. I can only hope the next time I visit Paris it's been restored back to its former glory.

More Updates on "Home"...

Isn't it pretty? I made up a new promo for the "Home" exhibition yesterday for my Instagram feed featuring the three pieces of mine in the show, and I've also got some more information regarding the opening tonight as well!

For anyone in the area, parking off South Warren Street (which is usually reserved for Berkeley College students) will be open to anyone coming to the opening, so be sure to park there instead of trying for on street parking. There's over twenty artists also featured tonight, with a diverse range of work, so please try and stop by if you can!!!

Updates on the "Home" Exhibition at Zufall Health

Looking forward to the next couple of weekends :)

Opening for "Home" at Zufall Health is on February 6, 2015 from 5:30-8pm. Check out the marketing artwork for the show, as shared by Morris Arts!

Bring on the snow - I've got good work on my side haha