#7 Spring is here. At long last.

Spring has well and truly arrived. Finally.

Spring is my favourite time of year, not because my birthday falls in spring, but because I am a sunshine person. I come alive with the sunshine. I am the human equivalent of flowers blossoming in the spring. I have long noticed the struggles with my mental health during the winter months. With that awareness I have tried to take this head on in various ways, but when the warmth of the sun finally arrives and the sun rays light up my room, I can’t help but feel this natural high. Like life is now full of colour and warmth. I have this energy and motivation to take on the world.

With its rising popularity, I too have discovered the magic of cherry blossom trees in all its beauty. What I have discovered through observation is that you only have a narrow window to document their magic once they have blossomed. What I did not know until very recently ago, is that in Japanese culture cherry blossom trees stand for beauty and new beginnings. And it symbolised exactly what spring is for me: a new start.

In other news, I have decided to join thousands around the world for the Darkness Into Light fundraising walk on May 10th—a walk before sunrise to stand with those facing dark times. The money raised will go directly to my local charity, Telefonseelsorge, which has been providing compassionate support to those in crisis for many years. If you’re able to, please consider supporting this cause by making a small donation to my fundraising page. Every donation—no matter how small—can and will help those in need. Thank you so much for your support.

I have also recently joined Bluesky and Foto. Feel free to say hello. This is part of a wider effort to move away from Meta related products.

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Inspirations:

I recently went to see the Wolfgang Tillmans show in Dresden. Needless to say I left feeling inspired. What I loved the most was the opportunity to purchase his official catalogue only for 8 Euro. A symbol of affordability, which in my opinion is an important topic within the art/photographic circles. I was not impressed by the rather overly cautious security guards there though. Watching every step you take or god forbid you lean slightly towards the wall.

I have not yet seen Adolescence but I have seen quite a few series and films starring Stephen Graham. This includes the brilliant series The Virtues on Channel 4 (for those based in the UK) from Shane Meadows (This is England).

I have seen quite a few Nan Goldin shows in the last few years and there is something so unique about her work. But her recent show This Will Not End Well at the Neue Nationalgalerie was her most emotional show yet. She used the opportunity to only show her works in original Slideshow format. It was so in depth that I had to go back in order to see each part in full. And it did not disappoint. She also gave an important and passionate speech at her opening on the Israel/ Gaza conflict.

I am looking forward to seeing the Yoko Ono Dream Together show at the Neue Nationalgalerie soon. I was so gutted to have missed her show in Oslo last year.

And lastly but most importantly I saw at the beginning of March a brilliantly made film about the very real and challenging conditions nurses face in their shifts. The film Heldin was premiered at the Berlinale and I would highly recommend watching it.

I am off to the UK next month, so I would love to know if there are any exhibitions or anything specific events I should go and see. If so, please do share. My photo in the current Return to the Sea is still showing in Worthing and I would love to know if any of you may be heading there. I also recently got my film back from my trip to Worthing so watch this space…

In the meantime you will find me soaking up all of the sunshine on Easter Sunday. I wish you all a wonderful festive weekend 🐰 🥕 🥚