YouTube faves right now – Part 2
Cecile Emeke If you haven't watched Cecile's Strolling series, go watch it now! I think she's done it in like 6 different countries. I remember watching them a few years ago and being so moved by these stories. I could relate to so many of them and it also gave me a lot to think about my own identity in the African diaspora. And for all my feminist out there you have to watch this poem! Jenny Mustard I'm not a minimalist like Jenny but I find her aesthetic quite soothing. Rachel Ama My new favourite vegan food channel. She's got me craving plantain! Dyland Magastar I don't have a driving license and I have no plans on getting one yet I'm obsessed with watching these van life stories.
Lichen me like
In the past few years, my new year's resolution has simply been "get shit done!". I've said it to myself as a reminder to not wait around for things to happen but to actively go after and do the things I want whether life altering big or everyday small. One thing I need to get "done" more this year is get outdoors more often. In the past I would have said it's in my nature to be a homebody but now I wonder if it's more of a habit than a trait. Either way I need to be outdoors more because it's simply good for me. I always feel better after a long walk or a trip to park or forest. These pictures were taken last November when I accompanied a classmate on a lichen gathering trip in Nuuksio National Park. She was working on a really interesting textile project about plant based dyeing. The weather was horrible but it really didn't matter. It was calming to be outdoors and yet another reminder of marvellous mother nature and the endless magnificent things you can find in the forest, like a variety of lichen and other growing things.
YouTube faves right now
Up until recently YouTube was the place where I watched music videos, stand up clips and movies trailers. I thought all the YouTube stars I was hearing about were teenagers creating entertaining content for other teenagers. Then one by one I started finding (mostly by accident or probably sophisticated algorithms) these awesome channels with great content. I found myself spending Saturday mornings watching several videos by one person. So I thought I'd share a few channels I've found really inspiring, entertaining or both. Lavendaire Sometimes when people are giving life advice they can come across as smug and just annoying but when Aileen says the same things it sounds much friendlier and actually doable. I have yet to figure out what her secret is. She's the one who inspired me to start writing a gratitude journal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0rPcpvTygw Yagazie Emezi This woman is my hero! I love how she's fiercely pursuing her passion and how honest and open she is about her journey. She's also really really funny! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffaKvZnN-QU Evelyn from the internets Evelyn is just hilarious! I can watch her videos for hours. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ0zXl0sSEw&t=2s Kicki Yang Zhang Kicki posts a wide variety of content but I have to admit it's…
The internet brought me here
I've lived in Helsinki for almost 7 years now and as much as I try to explore different parts of the city, there's still a lot of gardens, islands and museums I haven't visited. Every once in a while, I'll see a place in social media and I'll be like, why didn't I know about this? That's how images in my insta feed led me to Alppiruusupuisto in Haaga one sunny Sunday afternoon. I felt a bit silly for being such a social media slave but I can't turn down an opportunity to see a concentration of blooms in one place. Once there I learned that the flowers in question were rhododendrons and azaleas. Rhododendrons are having a bit of a moment if I may say so (or it's because I've just learned of their existence). I think I saw them in the botanical garden in Lund and they were discussed a bit during the midsummer celebrations. It didn't take long after I arrived in the park to realise that I was too late. Most of the flowers had faded and fallen off. I walked through the park anyway and found a couple of spots where some were still blooming and…
Mood Board Love – Antique Lemons
Image credits : The Met - Rijksmuseum I love making mood boards. So much so I've sometimes wondered if mood board maker could be a full time job. I would maybe get tired of it though. I usually prefer making my mood boards like my collages, by hand from old magazines. But lately I've been testing doing them in photoshop and I thought I'd share some of them with you. I still haven't settled for one layout, I want to try out different ones for a while. I hope you find them inspiring.
Fairy tale gardens
Yoyogi Park on a summer Sunday is full of locals and tourists having picnics and unexpected performances. When we sat down for a lunch break that hot june afternoon I felt like a local for a brief moment. I don't know if it was the group of teenage girls dressed like sailor moon or the rockabilly dancers that got me so distracted that I forgot to take pictures. I did have my camera ready when we visited the Meiji Jingu shrine and the surrounding forrest. There was something incredibly majestic and serene about that forrest, even though there were almost as many people there as in Yoyogi park. The shrine itself was under renovation but we still managed to "crash" one wedding. We also visited the garden with the iris flowers that were in full bloom. I was captivated by the shere height and variety of the trees but here I got distracted by the ladies in the lovely kimonos. When you're walking by serene ponds like this you forget that you're in the middle of a busy capital city. I don't think I've ever taken so many pictures of fish in my life as I did of carp on this…
The accidental wedding crasher
Ok, so I didn't actually crash any weddings per se, I just happened to be among the tourists outside the shrines when these weddings took place. I was so intrigued by the couples' wedding attire that I couldn't help taking some pictures, I really hope they don't mind! I would like to learn more about these garments so if you know about a good book or documentary on the subject, please let me know. I just love the pattern and colours of this kimono. Funny story, at some point this groom was waving some kind of device in the air as the wedding photographer was telling the family where to stand. I asked my friend what he was doing and while she was telling me that it was some kind of 360 degree camera, he made eye contact. He nodded in our direction and smiled like he was saying "I know you're talking about this cool gadget of mine" This couple seemed very relaxed when they were getting their picture taken. The other weddings parties we saw felt much more formal somehow. I really like the shape of this bride's headdress. Every bride and groom should have an umbrella carrier at their wedding! How odd…
In a galaxy very very near
I have thing for fireworks. I love watching them and in the past few years I've been very keen on photographing them as well. This has not always been the case. There was a time when fireworks made me incredibly tense as the sound reminded me of bombs. It took a while but eventually I was able to go outside and enjoy the explosion of colours. As for photographing fireworks, it started with my previous camera that had a fireworks setting. I don't think I was using that setting properly but I loved the messy abstract images I got. Now that I've gotten better acquainted with my dslr I know I should use a tripod to get the proper shots. I however find that it is the random experimental images that speak to me. You know the ones, that look like someone put a laser in a blender or nebulas and galaxies far far away. I do plan to buy a tripod and then I'll try the more professional way of photographing fireworks. After I watched the fireworks marking the beginning of Finland's centenary anniversary and the euphoria of that experience had worn off, I started thinking how I'd just basically watched tens of thousands (maybe even hundreds…