Tag: identity

by jad

Year of the Dragon

It’s almost the Lunar New Year of the Dragon, which means that this year is gon’ be Christine’s year (it’s her year, it’s gon’ be her year) in more ways than one. And, apparently, it’s also going to be our year – every one of us: “Dragon years are considered the most auspicious years of any in the Chinese Zodiac. As the only mythical creature of the zodiac, the Dragon is considered to be both powerful and benevolent. Because the rules of the earthly realm don’t apply to dragons (think about it: dragons can fly), this year has infinite possibilities. … Continue reading “Year of the Dragon” →

by jad

Black History Month

There’s a lot of talk right now in astrology circles about stepping into our most future-forward selves with the turning of the plutonic clock towards an age of Aquarius, and the best advice has been to figure out what that means by looking at how far we’ve come. There are certain dates they suggest to help mark these shifts, but I’m less interested in the details of the plot than I am in the overall shape of the story being told: that our tomorrow is forged in yesterday’s fire and quenched today. I had the honor of being invited into … Continue reading “Black History Month” →

by jad

Thereness & Hereness

Yesterday, I used the word “thereness” to express how I look at the world photographically, but that’s a retrospective notion – in the moment of decision, the feeling is best captured by “hereness” – here I stand, I cannot do otherwise, so help me God. I’ve noticed this before, whenever I’ve walked through familiar places with a camera in hand; somehow, the world makes itself manifest in a different light that way. But a photo walk with others doing the same adds yet another dimension: the rhythm becomes corporate, a pooling of a liturgy of attention that’s more than idiosyncratic. … Continue reading “Thereness & Hereness” →

by jad

Origin Story (Still in Progress)

I took this on my first ever photowalk today, using the digicam I brought back from Lebanon. I’m glad I brought it along, because it was -9 °C out and I could barely operate my other camera for more than a couple minutes at a time. I very quickly learned that I had the wrong gloves and lenses for staying nimble on a day like today. So, what was I thinking going out on one of the coldest days of the year to cosplay as photographer? I was thinking that I need to start getting out of my own way … Continue reading “Origin Story (Still in Progress)” →

by jad

Father of my Father

I woke up to a surprise this morning; my dad had sent me a photo his brother had sent him after their other brother had shown him an old family album that none of us had ever seen. In fact, this is the first time I’ve ever seen my grandfather. It’s fitting and bittersweet to see his face and my dad’s chubby smile today. I’m heading back home for the first time in five years tomorrow—the first time since I arrived here, and the first time since becoming American. It’s fitting and bittersweet because my heritage is as complicated as … Continue reading “Father of my Father” →

by jad

Light Again

I’m thinking about light because it struck me the other day how I seem to be turning more and more towards words as my mood has darkened, less able or willing or interested in reaching for my camera as well. It’s like my field of vision has narrowed along with the aperture of my heart, my eyes fixated on a single point directly in front of me. Making an effort to look around me has been an exercise in self-care. I’ve been seeking out the light; the camera helps with that. Despite everything the world might be saying right now, … Continue reading “Light Again” →

by jad

Reflections on Seattle’s Light

I walked through the ghost town that used to be my city during these dying days. I saw a holy man crying with mother Mary – all these dying days. x “As difficult as I sometimes find to admit it, I’m a westerner and even, now, a Seattleite. I love being a resident of a remote state, where (we tell ourselves) we’re disconnected from everyone else and therefore forced to make everything up on our own, feverishly hoping that what we come up with will somehow, magically, prove to be indispensable to the rest of the world which, hemmed in … Continue reading “Reflections on Seattle’s Light” →

by jad

Nō Photo

I’ve been thinking about the many masks I’ve worn on this platform; I say “masks” because I’ve just started to read a book on ‘Atomic Bomb Cinema’ where the author draws parallels between the act of writing, as literally reflected in his shadowy form on his computer screen, and the method of acting in Japanese Nō theatre: “Before going on stage, the actor sits before a mirror, with mask in hand, and meditates. This creates a state of ‘ma’ or emptiness within him, thus allowing the spirit of the character he plays to fill the vacuum…Through the actor, the tormented … Continue reading “Nō Photo” →

by jad

World Photography Day 2023

Today is #WorldPhotographyDay and it trips me right out to look back on how far I’ve come with whatever this is since last year, when I wasn’t sure why people kept giving me cameras or what the hell I was supposed to do with them. I took photos, of course, but I wasn’t sure if it was “photography” — and I knew I wasn’t a photographer, that’s for damn sure. But I’m not as sure anymore. x Someone who gave me the best compliment I could have ever received* about this silly little hobby of mine posted something the other day about … Continue reading “World Photography Day 2023” →

by jad

Let Us Compare Mythologies

Leonard Cohen’s first publication was a book called “Let Us Compare Mythologies,” a phrase that kept nagging me as significant to my trip to Montreal. What if we compared mythologies? Settler versus indigenous; English versus French; Expo 67 versus FLQ 70—what would we find at the other end of that trigonometry? That line comes from the slim volume’s second poem, I would learn, one with a most elusive title of its own: FOR WILF AND HIS HOUSE. The poem itself is a touching testament to the harsh contrasts of Jewish agency within Christian structuration. You can find it online read … Continue reading “Let Us Compare Mythologies” →