hello friend

It’s been a bit of a slow week. Emails. Accounts. The boring business stuff. I’ve been out a few times trying to capture the last parts of the Liverpool flyover demolition but the light hasn’t been with me. Most of the remaining work is being done behind the museums and there’s no real access or good light there. I’m not really sure what I’m doing with the photos. All I know is that one day soon I won’t be able to. It’s strange to know a thing, a structure for over 20 years and to want to document it because you may miss it one day.

blog

I’ve done some tweaks to the blog this week. There was a big Word Press update that came with a new theme called 2020. I applied it and I think it looks great. A small part of me was apprehensive about doing so because thousands of over blogs will look just like mine. I don’t like to be average but I also want a good theme for my blog and well this fits.

On the blog this week I’ve mainly done photo essays. I’ve tried writing but it just hasn’t really flowed.

• London Portrait
• Coal Drops Yard(Architecture)
• Dusk
• The Earth and Moon at Liverpool Cathedral (A look at art and culture in an interesting architectural space)
• Bruges is a fairytale town
• Autism and loud environments

mental health

This week has been ok. I ran most days and I’ve stopped using my AirPods as they are so flakey now. It’s nice to be connected to the sound of the waves and the seagulls instead. When it’s not windy though otherwise it’s just white noise. But that view. Sunrise only gets better and better this time of year. It’s the best time for running.

I didn’t go to the running group, my new little community, this week because I felt it was more important to go to Trans Day of Remembrance (#TDOR). It was emotional and seeing the young people talk about their issues growing up right now as a Trans person was deeply saddening.

Imagine as you read this that your country, your government basically ignores your wish to give you the freedom to say who you are. That’s how it is in the UK and LGBT groups are calling for gender law reform. Imagine how much that must affect your daily mental health. We watched a slideshow of 350 people who were murdered or took their own lives for simply being themselves.

I paint my nails. I’m a man who paints his nails. Matte purple. I do it simply because I think it looks kinda cool and better than my boring normal nails. I enjoy the looks I get from people where I can see the confusion in their eyes. I enjoy the positive comments I get from friends. It’s kinda scary though. Going out into the world as a man with with what is traditionally woman’s makeup on. Kinda scary because I have no idea what that might invite. That’s just my nails. Imagine going out into the world as your self and the world saying that’s not who you are. Imagine how much confidence that must take to be yourself in that world. Imagine how hard it must be to be yourself. I have nothing but respect for anyone trying to be themselves and be happy in this hellish modern world.

ext(links)

• Hidden grandeur in Chicago’s South Side – in pictures
• On Making New Work: Thoughts from Three Magnum Photographers * Magnum Photos
• Sea-thru Brings Clarity to Underwater Photos
• Venice flooding is getting worse – and the city’s grand plan won’t save it

No ads, no paywalls, no selling user data: Mozilla, Creative Commons, and Coil have launched Grant for the Web, “an ambitious initiative that supports a new vision for what online content monetization could look like.” – Zeldman

loop

Loop. A Disney+ short movie about a non-verbal autistic girl and a chatty boy who must learn about each other in order to complete a trip across a lake. I have high hopes for this film. What a lovely poster.