Author: jeremy

  • Art exhibition at St George’s Cathedral

    Art exhibition at St George’s Cathedral

    On the weekend I went to see my son’s painting in St George’s Cathedral in Boorloo. I’ve seen his painting so I know it well, and the plan was to quickly check it out and also the level of art from the other students.

    But I ended up staying over an hour and getting blown away by the general quality level of all of the art and the crazy building that is the cathedral.

    If you get a chance, visit the exhibition of the senior art students. There’s some amazing work.

    And at the same time check some of the details of the cathedral, I’ll be going back to learn more.

  • I Wander’d Lonely as a Cloud

    I Wander’d Lonely as a Cloud

    William Wordsworth (1770 – 1850)

    I wandered lonely as a cloud

    That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils;

    Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

    .

  • 5 years of swimming

    5 years of swimming

    I think it’s been at least five years, swimming every (almost!) afternoon after work.

    Years ago I decided to take my physical health a little more seriously. I can’t remember the actual reasons tbh, but I wanted regular exercise that was achievable, practical and not too expensive.

    I tried running, but it just wasn’t me. I can run, but it just feels like such an effort for minimal results. Maybe I’m doing it wrong 😂

    I’m so far, not a gym person. Instead, I use the kettle bells at home and I seem to be able to do most of what I want with those.

    My regular full-body exercise though, is swimming and I love it.

    It’s my switch off after work, it’s a cool down , it’s my mechanism for changing over to my time and it’s great exercise for my whole body.

    It is very cold in winter tho! But I’ve found over the years that I’ve gotten stronger and stronger with ignoring the cold. If the ice water is really healthy, then I’m getting a good dose of it. Recent research seems to indicate few benefits though it seems.

    If you’re looking for regular exercise regimes, what works for you and each person will be different, but I can recommend this combination. It works for me.

    In tough times, or when stress has been high, exercise and art have saved me and kept me sane. Regular physical body movement is the best, especially if you need to get out of your head.


  • We arrive and leave with nothing

    We arrive and leave with nothing

    In this life, we’re born small, naked and in possession of absolutely nothing.

    Not a single thing. When I reflect on that for a moment, we really do arrive in this world with nothing.

    But in some ways, it’s everything.

    We’re born with everything we need. Hopefully we have parents who will care for us. We have health, warmth, a food source and all of the genetics to grow into an adult.

    And yet in life, we chase everything else.

    We spend our time chasing wealth, things, entertainment, power and whatever else the world of commerce wants to trend.

    It would appear though, that each person arrives at the point where we recognise that chase. The way we’ve spent our life, how and what we’ve chased.

    For the lucky and enlightened ones, that point might be early on in life. For others it’s part way through and for some, just before death.

    But at some point, I think the vast majority of people pause, look back and review their life.

    We do leave with nothing.

    When our physical life ends, it’s like despawning in-game 😂 Or as SpaceX puts it, perform a rapid unscheduled disassembly 😂 Well hopefully we don’t disassemble!

    The point is, we drop everything that we had spent our life chasing.

    Whatever money, things, power and everything else is suddenly given up in one single moment. We exit the world with nothing but our memories.

    We are gifted this life though and to live amongst society, we need certain basics. Still I find myself admiring those who are able to live with a completely different set of basics, or barely none at all. A privileged perspective really.

    So what do we live for and focus on? Each to their own, but for me it’s things that feed or light up my soul. Soul work. When I choose work now, that’s my main criteria. I need to be doing good for the world, it’s people or giving back in some other way.

    It really does train you to follow your energy to the truthful work that gets you lit 🔥 You can do work for the money or other reasons. But that work is counterintuitive (in the long term) to what you were likely brought here for. Burn out can be the symptom of choices that didn’t align. Choose the path that energises your soul.

    For me, I use the reminder that we leave here with nothing, as an end check point and level reset for life.

    If I’m ever uncertain about what aligns, there’s lots of things that guide me, but when I’m really lost, sometimes projecting out to the end and tracing backwards is an interesting method to guide the path forward.

    Actually when I leave, can I just take a nice freshly toasted bagel 🥯 with salted butter please? 😂😂✨



  • Capturing moments

    Capturing moments

    Each week as a photographer, I get to capture people’s special moments and each one is a unique experience.

    During the shoot, there’s all sorts of responses:

    • You’re funny!
    • I feel seen
    • I’m tired and this is extra work
    • I’m shy, but this is kinda nice
    • I’m so worried and my world is heavy, thank you for this tiny breather
    • Thanks for spending a few minutes with me
    • I can’t focus well, how do you expect me to smile?
    • I’m not sure I look my best, I’m trusting you

    There’s all sorts of people in different states of mind and level of chill before the shutter is pressed. Many want to chat. Lucky I’m a talker 😂 But similar to getting a tat, it’s someone else trying to encourage you to be comfortable and look the way you’d like to be seen. It can be a moment of vulnerability.

    It’s a trust exchange.

    When all the factors align though, there’s some that are captured just at that pure joy moment. A laugh or smile that’s free. A moment of pure energy where the soul shines through and it happens the shutter was pressed at just the right instant. And when it happens, it all comes together, it’s magic.

    I look back at those photos and they radiate truth. All the filters are off, the worries of life are gone. It seems like full release and or peak trust. Where the process and tool have been forgotten and the person is so in the moment.

    Somehow when it happens, what’s captured in the pixels feels like a tiny little glimpse of their true special self. Loose for a moment, free and happy.

    Maybe this is one of the major goals while behind the camera. And also I guess, just generally in life.

    To try and forget the process and just uncover the joy in each and every moment.