My new friend Trevor graciously put his beautiful Commodore at my disposal last Sunday.

Alright, it’s time for an update. I realize these last weeks have been full of noteworthy experiences, and I’m afraid I’ve continually down-prioritized blogging about them. Life is so exciting, sometimes I forget to slow down, reflect on everything I have. I’m so thankful. 

Although I don’t subscribe to the point of view that blogs are windows into another person’s life (my life is so much MOAR!), I still hope that my experience of moving and adapting to life in Australia can be of some value to others - and so I keep on writing.

As my Twitter followers will know, the first few weeks of my photography course have been pretty darn slow. Apertures and shutter speeds, ISO and focal lengths. Stuff I internalized years ago. I understand that lecturers need to get everyone up to a certain level of understanding before they can get into the advanced stuff, so I choose to see it as a challenge for me to go out and explore. Try new things, new techniques and mindsets. Learn from online videos, blogs and workshops. Organise shoots on the side. 

I had Trev drive in a loop for about 20 minutes, just to get this shot!

An unforeseen consequence of my comfort with the curriculum has been the opportunity to share my knowledge with other students. There is such great value in teaching, I feel myself deeply enjoying it. Also, the philosophy here at the School of Creative Arts is firmly rooted in cooperation between everyone, students and lecturers. We are encouraged to openly discuss and collaborate, the atmosphere is truly inspiring!

Was taking photos of this cool car and these crazy buggers ruined my shot!

A subject that I do find intriguing is one called Introduction to New Media, which focuses on the relationship between society, culture, art and technology. We’re currently looking at the last 150 years, discovering how the four intertwine, reflect and affect each other. If anyone is interested, the textbook we’re using is Technoculture by Debra Shaw. However, a more interesting read, in my opinion, is Jaron Lanier’s You Are Not a Gadget. Here’s a NY Times article on the book.

Speaking of technology and art, I was introduced to PressPausePlay just the other day. AMAZING documentary on the ever-changing and ever-expanding world of the creative arts. Are we entering a new creative golden age, or is art headed towards global mediocrity? Download the full DVD here. Do it now!

Finally, some clouds! Woops, that can only mean one thing…

Rain.
Rain and more rain. At the time of writing this, we’re coming to the end of the 6th day of (virtually) constant downpour. A tornado passed through last night, knocking out the power in several suburbs. I’ve had my first proper tast of the Australian “wet season”, and I’ve come to an important conclusion: Umbrellas are handy.

All in all, pretty exciting times!