I’ve discovered my favorite kind of apple. Hat Harris Teeter had free samples of them recently, and as a result of their surprising tastiness, Xavier Restrepo Jersey I brought home a couple.

Identity? They are called Jazz Apples. Bryson Rodgers Jersey Duncan Robinson Michigan Jersey There is even a website dedicated to their existence.

Immediately upon bringing them home I realized the coloring looked exactly like the glass apple jar my mom has always kept in our kitchen display. Shawn Shamburger UT Jersey Remarkable isn’t it?

If I had to describe them: satisfyingly crunchy and crisp, Riordin Stauffer Jersey sweet but not sickeningly so, Kelvin Hunter Jerseys and happy like a warm, Adam Miller Jersey sunny, Joe Namath Jersey Luke Petitbon FSU Jersey healthy day. Stanford Cardinal Yes,

So Rachel tried something new! (Freshly back from college… Jadar Johnson College Jersey experimenting with… what’s that? A tripod?

Rachel’s in a photograph she took? Yep. I got ideas floating through my head now. Conceptual stuff. Probably the influence of being absorbed in the art school culture and coexisting with the hoards of extremely talented SCAD students.

Many of them photograph so differently than I do… going out with an idea to portray in their images. Creating, crafting, constructing – from nothing. Fanciful notions of Alice in Wonderland evolve into explorations of femininity, courage, and the transition to womanhood. Self-portrayals. Intentionally misrepresenting what is actually there. Anyway – those are not things that typically run through my head. These alternate modes of thinking fascinate me… and until now they have not been something for me to latch onto.

So I have this notion of a portrait composed of: person (me!) + objects + environment that seem to emanate from the person… because they represent the person. Objects representative of their owners. Pieces of soul embedded in possessions… this is definitely the influence of my lovely teacher’s assistant for Black & White technique this spring, Junko Muta (pronounce: June-koh). I adore this woman so much, and it is too bad I could not get to know her better. She just graduated with her M.F.A., and I had the privilege of receiving personal feedback from her and viewing her thesis show, Through Pinhole. But what she taught us about kawaii, か わいい, is definitely influential in this new interest of mine. Beaux Limmer Jersey As I understand it relating to her artwork, kawaii (no, don’t be thinking of Hawaiian islands – pronounce it “Cow-why-ee”) is the Japanese idea of tiny pieces of soul being tucked away in our belongings (and the significance of giving gifts as giving away little pieces of ourselves). It is a complex idea that doesn’t translate very cleanly to American-speak, so I’m going to leave it at that. Nick Rakocevic USC Jersey (There is a lot more to it, but don’t seek Wikipedia as an authority on the subject – their article is terrible.) So. Her exhibit was filled with gorgeous 25 x 25 inch prints of intimate still lifes – spilled orange juice soaked up in a paper towel, lovely purple shadows in the folds of a delicate, wispy blouse, tiny eraser shreds surrounding a red colored pencil marking… just delightful. The quality of the printing matched Junko’s personality perfectly – quiet, gentle, softy-colored. Everything was Junko Junko Junko! And in her artist statement she talked about the body of work being an opportunity for her to capture these scenes and accept them as a part of her identity.

So these thoughts Junko must have been having (largely the influence of her Japanese culture) about her possessions and her identity stuck with me. If you know me, you can probably see the attraction. Personality. Trinkets. Metaphors. Simplicity. Clutter. Representation. Rico Scott Jersey So what would a person’s portrait look like if it was filled with imagery that mirrored a personality and interests? Or extended from it? I suppose that is what I am exploring. Also… I just have this wonderful fascination with peoples’ stuff. Belongings. As evidenced by this picture:

(Notice roommate May emerging from cave.)

Hilarious. I love people’s stuff. I seem to have ideas churning in my head slowly… through the influence of Junko’s show and a book of Kaylynn Deveyney’s work I stumbled across in our college bookstore (and blogged about back in January). My latest obsession is with this photographer named Lara Rossignol and her lovely Piewacket blog. She photographs the arrangements of her belongings that decorate her house – even using her bathroom as the set for a photo she took for designer Anne Barge! Mostly I am drawn to the charm in a photographer who loves to cook… and then photographs her creations… who is also wildly passionate about thrifting for treasures to fill her home with… and documenting them on her Flickr photostream. Something about possessions and personalities… this is what occupies my thought-space.

But. Ernest Hausmann Michigan Wolverines Jersey I digress. (And I really just wanted to slobber over my latest find in a photographer/human being.)

I picked up my camera the day May was packing up, for reasons thoroughly discussed in the preceding paragraphs. And we have a lot to catch up on.

So this image captures what both my friend Scott and I went through at one point this past quarter…

The tortures of working with wire. Major ouch. I poured the entire sum of my physical energies into my final project for 3D Design – an elaborate winged mechanism that fits snugly on my body… and too snugly, I suppose, with all the cuts it had given me by the end of my 12-hour construction marathon. More on that to come.

And the typical view on my desk when working on 3D assignments:

So that brings us to this summer, since I am bursting with photos and ramble to share but lacking enough energy to dive into the task of sharing actual artwork. (Sorry. It will come soon enough. I have been putting off this particular blog post because I knew it would be massive… DeAndre Moore Jr. Texas Longhorns Jersey but now that it has been written we can soon get back to recent happenings.)

I returned home to find my house a lovely place to photograph – and particularly my back porch.

My yard is so green! (Though these photos do not capture that.) I have been sitting and pondering on my porch quite often. Savannah is lovely but it does not get this green. Tiz wonderful. I found this scene on my back porch quite amusing:

Hee hee. Tina Stephens Jersey Oh yes! And one last piece of news: my internship. Last week I started working at the Summit Church in Durham, NC (our home church) in the media department. I am loving it so much! I must have met at least thirty new people in my three days of actual work and two Sunday services. All of them so nice and friendly. Pastor Charlie went out of his way to welcome me on my first day. And I do feel welcome there… I am proud to be behind the scenes, helping make the little things happen. And contributing to the group design process. This week’s main accomplishment (for me) was tackling the world of Wikipedia. It looks all nice and clean on the outside… but the inner guts and workings of posting and editing are nasty to figure out. Somehow I managed to navigate the endless pages of instructions and pounded out two fresh articles that should be going up this week – one on our pastor, J.D. Greear, and the other on the Summit.

And of course, one of my other jobs is photographing. This is my prize of the week:

I love the colors and the suggestion of people in the background. Any feedback on what it communicates to you? Just curious… Christian Keeling Jersey I want to see if the external vibe aligns with the internal thought process that flickered through my head as a I shot it. A simple adjectives on the “feel” you get from it would be tremendously helpful.

Well, that’s about it for now. (Wow, this tired me out!) Good to be back. Aaron Duhart Army Black Knights Jersey Toby Johnson College Jersey I’ll try to keep it that way.

Oh yes! Lastly. Isaiah Mobley Jersey Please go listen to this wonderfully funny recording I discovered at college. I would recommend only listening to it and not viewing the video. This is absolutely brilliant and so amusing.

But. Things.

1. I had my first college migraine yesterday. Took me half the day to realize it actually was a migraine, and when I finally did get back to the dorm to take a fancy pill for it – it took away the pain (an hour later) but replaced it with a heavily medicated altered state of consciousness. This cannot happen during the week. I will suffer with the pill or without it.

2. Trenton Simpson Clemson Tigers Jersey I can’t sleep.

3. I’m going to stop complaining. The weather is fantabulous, if it’s not the same where you are. It really is. I couldn’t help but be all smiley and bouncy on my walk back from church.

4. I still can’t believe I’m living in Savannah. Damon Payne Jersey I’m too busy to have my camera with me – and I would be too afraid of it getting stolen… just having it with me all the time. It’s different for me. Carsten Groos Oklahoma Jersey But at the same time, I am enjoying just experiencing life with my hands and feet, and absorbing all those photographs into my eyes.

5. Today I saw a Middle Eastern couple with their young son sitting together on a park bench in a square on Abercorn. The father was feeding the pigeons from his hand, and the little boy squealed and laughed.

6. There is so much texture in Savannah. How do I explain what this does to me? … for all you not-quite-so-artistic people. Hmmm. If you love music – you hear notes everywhere. You piece them together like a big spiderweb – each one reminds you of a song you know, maybe one you wrote, one you’re working on – past, present, future. Corban Cleveland Jersey Whatever you love – just think of that. Whichever one of your senses goes haywire the easiest – with pleasure. Well, Savannah, in that sense is like one giant chocolate truffle that I can walk around in and eat from wherever I am. (What a Willy Wonka mental picture!) Every building is different – some are brick with faded logos stamped on the sides, some are covered in thick vines and intricate iron railings. Garden gates. Corner plates – est. 1933. Sunlight shifting through the Spanish moss – shadows playing tag with the broken pavement. Everything is dusted with visible history. It’s either decaying or looks like it used to be but got patched up. Shown a little love. This city – the people, the air, the sun, the breeze, the sounds, the junk on the ground scattered everywhere for me to find… I cannot get enough of it. Just a few minutes on a walk to church or after lunch – all I’ve been getting.

7. Practical things I have learned: tea is better from a cup than brewed from a coffee pot. Faheem Delane Ohio State Jersey Leaving the door open is like a giant window -> happiness. Chewing gum keeps you awake (but I already knew that one). Having friends with cars is extremely helpful. If you bring something to Savannah, prepare to have it stolen. Sleep is crucial. Everything deteriorates without it. (Especially brain function.)

8. Church, once again, was awesome. As I’ve told some of you, every pastor is somewhat doomed to failure since I have experienced JD, but they each do have something to offer. They do. Jacquez Jones Jersey And it is teaching me that I need a network of places to learn instead of just one or two.

Today I met a bunch of cool people. I think I’m pretty set with plans for a Life Group this Tuesday – so I’m really excited for that. I met the guy randomly this morning and he gave me the impression that he’s been doing this for a while. Also, I’m extremely excited for the homeless ministry I found out about. Met a guy named Mark who coordinates all the ministry stuff and he pointed me toward The Old Savannah City Mission, which Latechurch partners with and also a particular Life Group (with members a bit outside my age range) who do a lot of service there. Ahhh!

9. Marcus Tate Jersey Jesus For President is turning out to be a fantastic book. I highly recommend it and The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne to anybody who loves Jesus, knows about Jesus, doesn’t really understand Christians – whatever. Read it. This is the real stuff – not the Splenda kind (also something I learned. Splenda is NOT sugar). Or, as my brother would say it, “this is the junk.”

10. Oh yeah. Ha. The important one. I love my college. But I am now in a pickle as far as majors / minors / course of study in general. I went to SCAD’s Majors Fair. I made friends with a few professors (one in particular who really really could have been a student if he wanted to) and asked them too many questions. But now it has come back to this question: what combination of graphic design, photography, and writing? I think I have narrowed the writing mainly down to the professional writing department, probably dabbling into creative writing and dramatic writing here and there. But. I have so many ideas! And each persuasion I heard from the professors made sense… and as soon as I walked out of the doors with my arms loaded up with paperwork, feeling pretty stuffed with information… I realized how much all those views conflicted. All I know is that I’m going to meet as many people as I can, ask a lot of questions, get involved, dabble wherever I have room for it … and it will work out. I’m so excited about all this. Robenson Therezie Jersey Specifically: fibers dept. = new fascination. I’m all over that experimental bookbinding class. Deontae Lawson Jersey And the possibility of meeting a 24-year-old writer/photographer who’s been extremely successful and has traveled the world and pretty much done exactly what I want to do – combining art with stories & people.

11. I’m 1/3 of the way through my peanut butter jar. We’re not even talking sandwiches. The stuff is good and I’ve been craving it. Eating lots of bananas (duh).

12. I have the hugest creative itch ever. And I cannot scratch it until certain books arrive in the mail.

Otay guys. Oh yeah – and here are some pictures of my roommate. This is what feet look like when you walk around Savannah. This is what your hands will look like when you take a Color Theory class. And this is what I look like at college. A few days ago. Send me letters! Talk to meeeeee.