“To be even-minded is the greatest virtue.” Heraclitus
Hello there my dear friends,
By now you must be tired of reading news like this (and yet, I am not so sure many people understand the seriousness of the virus), but this is a fact and a reality we will have to face in the next few weeks, and bravely! So during this quarantine period, what to do to avoid boredom, panic, paranoia? Here are a few tips, to photographers and non photographers:
1. old photos: this is a good chance to review your old amount of photos, surprise yourself and discover a great deal of new material to edit. I always find myself shocked to see how my ‘look’ still is the same after 11 years of photography. My techniques, gear and editions changed, as now 99% of my work is street and black and white only, but still, my look remains the same, gladly.
2. reading: well, I am a passionate reader. I love to read about everything, from politics to wars, biographies to philosophy and arts to photography, of course. A book is a never ending source of information and knowledge, and never disappoints. Don’t like books? Can’t get focused? Try a good source of blogs, magazines, tutorials. Information is power.
3. loved ones: call to your parents, friends, say hello, check if they are OK, how is everything. Sometimes a gentle word can change our mood from sadness to happiness in a matter of seconds. Spread LOVE!
4. help local artists, entrepreneurs: small businesses can crash in times like this. Support local artists! Buy from the small ones. Help the local business and keep the economy flowing. Big companies as McDonald's, Carrefour, etc. will survive. If you want to buy one of my works, but have not seen it in Singulart website or perhaps it's not the dimension you want, make me a proposal, we can always negotiate! Even now I am able to send my work through our local mail post office, UPS and FedEx. It’s free worldwide shipping!
5. changes: try some nice tea instead of the irresistible coffee. Perspective changes everything.
6. music: listen to music and listen it out loud! Enjoy one of the most amazing things that exists and relax while listening it, music is there, no matter what crisis we are facing. I always remember when Adrien Brody plays the piano amid the debris of war in Polanski's Pianist. Elton John once said “Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours.” And he was right.
7. reflection: what a better time to put your thoughts together and be less selfish? A time to listen to your inner voice. Listen to yourself. Listen to others. This is not the time to be selfish, instead, support each other. We are all interconnected.
8. writing: like to put your thoughts on the paper? Just do it! Write in your journal, blog, everywhere. Dark times can also be creative times, just look at humankind history.
9. online courses: this may be a good opportunity for you to take classes from that online course that you never had the chance to.
10. study: if you are an artist of any kind, study the masters! They have always something to teach us. I never get tired to study them or write about them. Not only they are a big influence on my photography, but also a great deal of how to live one day at a time.
11. online museums: museums are totally out of question, but gladly we can access several ones online look closely our artists masterpieces! Here are a few examples: The National Women’s History Museum, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Louvre, The National Gallery of Art, The British Museum, D.C.’s National Museum of Natural History, The MET, The Vatican Museums. Last but not least, Google partnered with more than 1200 cultural institutions from all globe to provide virtual tours of museums using Google Street View technology. The Google Art Project features fine art from the White House, The State Hermitage Museum, the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar, Van Gogh Museum, etc. It is simply marvelous. You don’t want to miss it!
"Art is the highest form of hope"
Gerhard Richter, 1982
Stay home, stay healthy, stay strong, soldier on!
Lots of love, Fabiolla
