I’m thinking about (and we all know there are SO MANY things I THINK about but never DO, so…) a photo series of “things that were my mother’s.” This photo by Holly Farell (do you guys know Holly Farell? She does the LOVELIEST paintings of just normal, everyday things that we tend to overlook and she makes them so charming) inspired me to do a photo series of the 1950s Japanese bowls that my mother brought back from Japan after their time living there while my father was in the Navy.

And then I started thinking of the other things I have that were hers…a vase, a Japanese porcelain bowl, a frothy 1950s tulle cocktail dress, a red velvet dress and cloak outfit, the gilded bamboo mirror, rhinestone jewelry…the list goes on, but…these are things that I have carried around with me for 30 years from house to house, apartment to apartment, and they always hold a special place in my heart and my home.

But they do get hidden away from view. The dresses. While I can picture them in my mind’s eye, they’re actually buried in a plastic tub somewhere and I rarely see them in real life. The delicate lotus bowl is hidden on a crowded storage shelf behind a stack of boxes. So I thought how nice it would be to create a series of lovely portraits of some of my favorite items to frame and hang on the wall (or lean, cuz one of the anxieties of apartment life is not getting your security deposit back when you move out because you’ve put holes in the walls) to enjoy all the time.

And yes, I mean “portraits,” even though these are objects, not people. Because to me, they all have personalities and they have kept me company and given me pleasure throughout the years, just as a beloved friend or family member or pet would do.

But…thinking about it is the easy part. Of course. I’m picturing minimal, clean white backgrounds and lovely soft light and shadows in thin black frames. But light in photography is my nemesis. It’s like THE most important thing. And yet anytime I have gotten lovely light in a photo it has felt like a happy accident, not something *I* orchestrated. I’ve studied light, read about it, took workshops and classes, practiced with artificial light, and…sigh. So that will really be a challenge for me. Especially in this particular apartment with The Worst Natural Light Ever.

I shouldn’t say that. I’ve seen plenty of basement apartments with no windows, or windows facing brick walls, etc. But for me, light is something I SO treasure. That to not have it just seems cruel. I can literally sit on the sofa for 30 minutes, just watching the afternoon light create a slice of golden window pane shadows on the floor…up onto the wall…then onto the ceiling…as the sun drops lower in the sky. No sound, no words, just…watching the changing of the light.

Sometimes when I say “I’m so busy,” it’s because of things like that. I’m not doing “nothing.” I’m busy watching the light move around my apartment. I’m so appreciative to have that little momentary gift in my day. I want to give it my full attention.

Anyway. Yeah. So. I’m going to be taking pictures of bowls now 🙂