Book cover of Architectures of waiting photographs by Ursula Schulz-Donburg
One early September morning, a couple of years ago, I enter a bookshop in London and my eye is instantly drawn to a photographic book called Architectures of waiting by Ursula Schulz - Dornburg. The book is filled with stunning images of concrete, brutalist, architectural bus stops. I'm convinced of its relevance to myself somewhere between the use of black and white consistency of photographic forms and its title implying psychological time.
Flash forward to the 1st of June 2017, I decided to take a walk along the seaside of my small town. After a half an hour's walk, I arrive at a viewpoint sitting area; a well-made concrete, architectural structure. I think to myself that I'm where I'm supposed to be at that moment. In that knowing, I take my perfect shot and smile gratefully.
I'm fascinated by the idea of synchronicity, by how all events seem interlinked, so as to evoke beginnings or endings to our personal and collective life cycles. Synchronicities happen in a state of mind in which awareness becomes heightened. They are a subtle reminder that you are a part of something bigger; a part of a collective whole that goes beyond your perception of time. And when the every-day leaves you feeling drained with a cloudy conscience, it only takes a seemingly random choice to pick up the signs; the underlying indicators that you are experiencing what you are supposed to for the sake of self-development and self-actualization. In these tiny fractures of time in which you perceive a connectivity in all events, you are confronting the art of "epiphany" or the so-called "perfect timing".
Creativity has so many aspects, directions and mediums. In the last few years, I felt desperate to find a solid idea to devote myself to and make a living. I kept moving from one job/mindset to the other, always filled with ideas on how to move on with my creative practice but somehow lacking in my work discipline, methods and research. In short, I was financially and emotionally broken and that’s how existential angst and depression took a big part of my energy and every happening was a chain reaction, influencing all other aspects of my personal life.
In the meantime besides all the constant worrying, wherever I went, I kept taking abstracted architectural shots, playing with light compositions and still lifes with my crappy, outdated iPhone. I used to sharpen, crop, desaturate and brighten my photos on apps, then post them on social media just for the fun of it.
Long story short, what had started as a hobby then grew into a full-time project. I had closed a deal with an architecture company to create and direct their portfolio in exchange for a proper camera equipment. This led to being noticed by other creatives, more commissioned work and collaboration opportunities became available. Although these occurrences have enabled my creative expression, I still have a long journey in achieving my goals and aspirations but now being clear-sighted, I can pick up the signs with stamina and determination.
Arrivals and Departures
We will always be unknowingly arriving at and simultaneously departing from stages in our lives, until the final unknowing; death. One beginning is another ending and vice versa. Personally, I don't believe in coincidence, in the sense of not taking responsibility or initiative for your own life but I do believe in synchronicity as a reference point, a motivator and an inspiration, a source of strength and an understanding that a cell belongs to a macrocosm equally as to a microcosm.
Through the difficulties that life has thrown at me so far, I've learned that while you patiently work towards something, you have the ability to architect your own thoughts and habits according to your imagined vision.
" Synchronicity conveys the holographic nature of our physical reality and the illusory notion of time. By practising the art of detachment and attentiveness the mind is kept open in perceiving possibilities. "
- I.