Equivalents

One thing that I've been thinking about lately is trying to come up with some type of project or projects that I can I can work on on a regular basis, something fulfilling to do in the little bit of "me" time that I try to carve out for myself each day.

My first thoughts went automatically to some type of crochet project, since that is one of my favorite hobbies right now. But after thinking about it, I've realized that while I really enjoy crocheting, it's not exactly a fulfilling hobby. It's a fun way to kill time, sure, but I want to find something with a deeper meaning than that.

So then I turned my thoughts to photography. Photography has always been my passion, and it has been way too long since I've really focused on it. I studied digital photography at the Art Institute of Tucson for a short while, and I really do miss it sometimes.

One of my all time favorite photographers is Alfred Stieglitz. If you don't know who he is, I would challenge you to Google him. His portraits of Georgia O'Keeffe are stunning. But my favorite collection of his, possibly my most favorite photography collection ever, is titled Equivalents. The Equivalents collection is a series of photographs of clouds. It's the type of collection that most cannot appreciate in today's age, because to most people, they're just clouds.

But I have always found these pictures to be beautiful and inspiring, not only for their content but for the significance they held in the time period in which they were created. Stieglitz shot these photographs in the 1920's and 1930's and they were one of the first (if not the first) collections of photographs intended to be completely abstract. The whole point of them is that they would be free of any interpretation. At one point Stieglitz expressed a desire that one would think of music when looking at them.

I enjoyed these photographs so much that I'd even began my own "Equivalents" series, but after I left the Art Institute, I never finished. So this is my new project, to finish my Equivalents series. I think the funnest thing about this as a project is that there is no set ending to it. It's not like I need a certain amount of pictures, or enough of a particular style or content, and it's done. The project is done when it feels complete. And I am crazy excited to get started!

What about you?
If you're following, and I hope you are, I'd like to ask you a few questions. What makes you happy? What do you enjoy doing? And how often are you doing something that makes you happy, something that fulfills you? Think about it, and let me know (if you want) in the comments. I'd love to hear from you!