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Imagine your brain as a canister filled with ink.
Now think of your body as the pen where the ink resides.
Fuse the two...
Living in Transit: The Thinkers of a World in Turmoil
War looms over Europe, uncertainty seeps into everyday life, and the weight of history presses upon the present. The world is burning, and yet—there are those who seek understanding, those who bury themselves in the quiet refuge of books, the dim glow of libraries, the solitude of knowledge.
This series captures the introspective minds of young academic women—readers, thinkers, seekers. They wander through old university halls, their fingers tracing the spines of forgotten books, pulling out volumes of poetry, philosophy, and psychology. They drink coffee, they drink tea, they stay up late with ink-stained fingers, trying to decipher the world through words.
They turn to Simone Weil for moral clarity, Hannah Arendt for political insight, Rilke for existential wisdom. They read Baudrillard to untangle the illusions of modernity, Byung-Chul Han to understand society’s exhaustion, Camus to grasp the absurdity of it all. They devour Celan’s poetry, searching for beauty in catastrophe.
But they do not just read—they reflect, they question, they write. Their world is one of quiet resistance, an intellectual sanctuary amidst the chaos. In their solitude, they are not alone. Across time, across history, across the pages they turn, they are in conversation with those who, too, have sought meaning in troubled times.
This is a series about thought in transit—about seeking, reading, questioning, about the relentless pursuit of knowledge when the world feels on the brink.
Where the Thinkers Go
They gather where the dust has settled,
where books whisper in the hush of halls.
Pages thin as breath, torn at the edges,
cradling centuries of questions.
They drink coffee like it’s ink,
trace words like constellations,
follow Rilke into the dusk,
where solitude hums softly in the dark.
Outside, the world is fraying—
war threading through the seams of cities,
the weight of history pressing forward.
Inside, they turn pages, searching
for answers, for solace, for fire.
And somewhere between the lines,
between time-stained margins and fading ink,
they find the ghosts of others who
once sought, once wondered, once read—
and they do not feel alone.
Three Haikus
Night falls on paper,
books stacked like silent towers,
thoughts burn in the dark.
Tea cools in the cup,
a poem lingers on lips,
war rumbles beyond.
Footsteps in silence,
the scent of old ink and dust,
pages turn like ghosts.
ooOOOoo
The Intellectual Pursuit: What They Read in 2025
In a world teetering between war and uncertainty, young academic women turn to books—not as mere escape, but as a way to confront reality, to seek wisdom in the echoes of history, and to understand the weight of the present. They read in dimly lit libraries, at café tables littered with half-drunk cups of tea, in quiet university archives where dust clings to forgotten volumes. They are drawn to words that unravel complexity, books that demand contemplation, and authors who have wrestled with the same existential questions that haunt their minds today.
Here is what they read.
1. Existential and Philosophical Works
In times of crisis, philosophy becomes a mirror—reflecting both the weight of the world and the possibilities of thought. These books challenge, unsettle, and offer a way to navigate uncertainty.
Simone Weil – Gravity and Grace (moral clarity and reflections on human suffering)
Hannah Arendt – The Origins of Totalitarianism (a timeless study of power, ideology, and authoritarianism)
Byung-Chul Han – The Burnout Society (a philosophical take on modern exhaustion and performance-driven culture)
Jean Baudrillard – Simulacra and Simulation (a critique of reality and illusion in an age of digital manipulation)
Albert Camus – The Plague (a novel that mirrors today’s existential and ethical dilemmas)
Søren Kierkegaard – The Concept of Anxiety (an exploration of freedom, dread, and the human condition)
These thinkers guide them through uncertainty, offering both discomfort and clarity—challenging them to see beyond the immediate chaos.
2. Poetry and Literature of Longing, Loss, and Human Experience
Sometimes, only poetry and fiction can capture what analysis cannot—the deep, wordless truths of grief, love, exile, and the quiet resilience of the human spirit.
Anne Carson – Nox (a fragmented, deeply personal meditation on loss and memory)
Paul Celan – Todesfuge (haunting post-Holocaust poetry that lingers between beauty and horror)
Rainer Maria Rilke – Letters to a Young Poet (a lyrical guide to solitude, art, and self-discovery)
Ocean Vuong – On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (poetry-infused storytelling on identity and survival)
Virginia Woolf – The Waves (a novel that reads like a long poem, exploring time, consciousness, and human connection)
Clarice Lispector – The Hour of the Star (a sparse, existential novel that lingers long after the last page)
These books are read slowly, lines underlined in pencil, phrases whispered to oneself in quiet moments.
3. Political Thought and Social Critique
Understanding the present requires looking at the past and tracing the patterns of history, power, and resistance.
Naomi Klein – Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World (on misinformation, conspiracy culture, and the fracturing of reality)
Timothy Snyder – On Tyranny (20 lessons from history on how democracy is lost—and how it can be protected)
Achille Mbembe – Necropolitics (on the politics of death, control, and who gets to exist in modern power structures)
Olga Tokarczuk – Flights (a novel that blurs fiction and philosophy, exploring movement, exile, and identity)
Rebecca Solnit – Hope in the Dark (on why history is shaped by those who refuse to give up)
These books are read with urgency—annotated, discussed, debated. They provide frameworks for understanding the unfolding crises of today.
4. Science, Psychology, and the Search for Meaning
In times of uncertainty, some turn to the mind and the universe—to trauma studies, quantum physics, and new ways of seeing.
Carlo Rovelli – The Order of Time (a poetic examination of time and its illusions)
James Bridle – New Dark Age: Technology and the End of the Future (on the unpredictability of AI, climate change, and human systems)
Bessel van der Kolk – The Body Keeps the Score (on trauma, memory, and how the body stores experiences)
Donna Haraway – Staying with the Trouble (rethinking human and non-human relationships in a time of ecological crisis)
These books stretch their understanding beyond politics and poetry—into the unseen forces that shape the self and the cosmos.
Today is definitely a black and white day. dark and moody fits me right now. Leica M3 Summicron 50mm f2 lens. Arista premium 400 35mm film.
Late night shoot at a CalTrain stop in Mountain View. One of the stop's covered benches had a light out, so I took the opportunity to use my new AB800 as a light source instead. Thanks for looking!
AB800 camera left (bare and high) Triggered by PW, powered by AB Vagabond II
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8-12-05
I'm not feeling too introspective (however that might be spelled) today, so I took a picture of one sweet beer. You might notice that it's cold and moist. The way a good can of beer should be. Tasted damn good, too.
The Girl Project is going well. Way more interest than even I thought, which is rad. Check the ladies out!
And thanks to all the folks that bookmarked/commented/viewed etc. I'm digg'n it.
Unsubmitted photo
Canon’s description of the briefs for 2013.
Reflections - BRIEF 1
The people have spoken. Our Photo5 community have chosen ‘Reflections’ for the 2013 Open Brief (and what a great brief it is). The word inspires so many interpretations – whether it be stark reflections from mirrors, or transparent ones upon glass; you might capture an outdoor reservoir, or an introspective reverie. It’s a broad theme, so head towards what inspires you most and bring your own signature style to the shot.
There’s one key piece of advice I’ll offer for this kind of brief – don’t hold back. You need to catch our eye quickly with something original and compelling. So go big, go crazy and be different. Be critical and challenge your ideas. Ask yourself, “will others do something similar?” You really need to try and stand out to beat the other entries.
FLOUR // CONTRAST - Brief 2
Using flour, create a high contrast image with visual punch. Think about capturing a striking difference between elements – like tones or colours – to create a bold statement.
How will the texture of flour appear in high contrast – whether still, airborne or otherwise? How can you use backgrounds and negative space?
Don’t be limited by the flour* provided – you can use as much as you like.
Flour is such a great subject, so don’t be boring. Use it in an interesting way.
Discovering something unique may mean testing a lot of approaches, so don’t be afraid to fail. Be open-minded and experiment.
As the brief says, think about texture. Shutter speed techniques should be considered to create affects and drama in the piece.
EYES // PERSONIFY - Brief 3
First, make some cartoon eyes using the black and white circles inside your Photo5 box. Then use these to create an image that breathes life into something inanimate. Secret faces hide everywhere – on mailboxes and trees, throughout your home – you just need a bit of imagination to see them. Use the cartoon eyes to bring these characters to life. Think about their expressions and personalities. What are they doing? Do they tell a story?
This is a playful brief, so get out and have some fun. Focus on the ‘character’ element of the brief. You really need to create someone or something. How does the setting and scene add to their story? Try to spot something (and create someone) that no one else will.
JELLY // LIGHT - Brief 4
Create an image where light plays upon – or through – the distinctive qualities of jelly. Sometimes, if you look a little closer, everyday things can become quite extraordinary. What magic can you find in jelly? What can you create with it? And how can light make it even more striking? To bring your idea to life, use as much jelly* as you like (not just what’s provided).
Light is the key to any good image, and with a subject matter such as jelly, the opportunities to experiment are endless. So try something new. I want to see inspired effects created with either natural or studio light. Think about how aperture settings affect the subject and image too. Be a magician – create some magic with this ordinary subject.
SHADOWS // STENCIL - Brief 5
Create an image that incorporates light that's filtered through the stencil provided. You can use one pattern, or all of them. How do the shapes interact with difference scenes? What will the shadows fall across? Are the outlines of the shapes hard or soft, distorted or dreamlike? Think about how these shapes can create mood and texture in your image. The two key words from the brief are ‘mood’
and ‘texture’. How will you create these? What interesting techniques can you use?
Consider experimenting with different aperture settings, light sources and any other methods to play with focus in the image. And as with all the briefs, originality stands out. So surprise me
Canon EOS 5D
2014
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Sometimes you may wonder if the grass is really greener on the other side of the fence. As I looked across the water to the other shore of Betty Park's Alcyon Lake & into the sunset, I had something on my mind. I don't really remember what it was, probably that I was cold & I've taken too many pics, enough already! But when I look at this photo, I see something else. Even if I was merely posing for the sake of art, It looks to me as if I was looking across the water & wondering what was really there. A title such as this can easily mean different things to different people, metaphorically, or perhaps symbolically. Art is meant to engage the viewer, so please feel free to think about the title, take a close look at the expression & take away from this piece what you will. Taken on 2/1/09. For the record, I do not look this perfect! This was modified for tiredness & scars.
Throughout last week i took photos of myself in my most vulnerable states. There are a few more that i took, but I might not post them yet.
i think this is my new favorite picture of my daughter. caught her in one of her quiet and introspective moments.
In psychology we speak about moments of natural hypnosis that consists in that times that you don't feel the time passing or that you catch the subway/bus or you are driving and wen you arrive you simple can't remember what you were thinking or how you arrive in that place. Sometimes people have natural hypnosis wen they are taking bath or brushing the theets...well I think Ginny as that moments too that seems that she is really introspective, lost in her toughts.
I would like to know what is happening in her little mind...
Vladimir was the first ruler of Kievan Rus to convert and be baptized, but I've read that his baptism here at Chersonesos is apocryphal, and that the (reconstructed) church of St. Vladimir was built on the site of the Byzantine church in which he was baptized. So I can't account for the competition and the claims for the location of the baptism site right here under this (although in the ruins of another Byzantine church).
- "Vladimir was the son of the Norman-Rus prince Svyatoslav of Kiev by one of his courtesans and was a member of the Rurik lineage dominant from the 10th to the 13th century. [Norman? his grand-dad Rurik was a Swedish viking]. He was made prince of Novgorod in 970. On the death of his father in 972, he was forced to flee to Scandinavia, where he enlisted help from an uncle and overcame [and killed] Yaropolk, another son of Svyatoslav, who attempted to seize the duchy of Novgorod as well as Kiev. [According to Wikipedia, Yaropolk I succeeded Svyatoslav. One Russian historian "suggests that Yaropolk went through some preliminary rites of baptism before he was murdered at the behest of his pagan 1/2 brother, whose own rights to the throne were questionable, before his conversion was formalized."] By 980 Vladimir had consolidated the Kievan realm from Ukraine to the Baltic and had solidified the frontiers against incursions of Bulgarian, Baltic, and Eastern nomads.
- The history here is so murky in the 10th and 11th cent.s, that there are a good number of incompatible versions and theories. www.flickr.com/photos/97924400@N00/6656607919/in/datepost...
- "Although Christianity existed in Kiev before Vladimir’s time, he had remained a pagan, accumulated @ 7 wives, established temples, and, it is said, took part in idolatrous rites involving human sacrifice. With insurrections troubling Byzantium, the emperor Basil II (976-1025) sought military aid from Vladimir, who agreed [to assist] in exchange for Basil’s sister Anne in marriage. A pact was reached in @ 987, when Vladimir also consented to the condition that he become a Christian. Having undergone baptism, assuming the Christian patronal name Basil, he stormed the Byzantine area of Chersonesus to eliminate Constantinople’s final reluctance. [This seems to say that he was baptized before he arrived in Crimea, contradicting the popular account.] Vladimir then ordered the Christian conversion of Kiev and Novgorod, where idols were cast into the Dnieper River after local resistance had been suppressed. The new Rus Christian worship adopted the Byzantine rite in the Old Church Slavonic language. The story (deriving from an account by the 11th-cent. monk Jacob) that Vladimir chose the Byzantine rite over the liturgies of German Christendom, Judaism, and Islam because of its transcendent beauty is apparently mythically symbolic of his determination to remain independent of external political control, particularly of the Germans. The Byzantines, however, maintained ecclesiastical control over the new Rus church, appointing a Greek Metropolitan or Archbishop for Kiev, who functioned both as legate of the patriarch of Constantinople and of the emperor. The Rus-Byzantine religio-political integration checked the influence of the Roman Latin church in the Slavic East and determined the course of Russian Christianity, although Kiev exchanged legates with the papacy. The Christian Vladimir expanded education, judicial institutions, and aid to the poor."
- "Another marriage, following the death of Anne (1011), affiliated Vladimir with the Holy Roman emperors of the German Ottonian dynasty and produced a daughter, who became the consort of Casimir I the Restorer of Poland (1016–58). Vladimir’s memory was kept alive by innumerable folk ballads and legends." (Brittanica.com)
- Here's a trailer for 'Viking' (2016), a Russian depiction of the late 10th cent. drama surrounding the rise of Vladimir the Great.: youtu.be/yahJUX959qk?si=kE6gkVmLAhdysDQn I borrowed it from the TPL and watched it in my Mom's room at her nursing home. It has great production values, a comely cast, much violence, very much, and tries to adhere to the historical record from what I could tell, but it's no G.O.T. Yes, "heavy is the head that wears the crown", but no-one ever has any fun or makes a joke, no-one's likable (Vladimir and his brothers were Vikings after all, or the descendants of Vikings youtu.be/oEdUa8XRE8Q?si=aagLuC5diJPY2bON ), and it was a bit of a slog. The movie has a tough row to hoe in presenting Vladimir as moral and introspective, whereas in fact he was an opportunist and a warlord and acted like one. The subtext is that "we want you to like this guy [the national hero who converted Kievan Rus to Christianity], but we want cred for authenticity, so he has to kill his brother, rape his unwilling wife, etc. See how he feels guilty later?" Ok, but that disconnect is your challenge or problem, and now it's the film's problem.
- Here the Peçenegs attack (not "Bogatyrs").: youtu.be/Ao7WWL0Oemo?si=hAMOxlCtZ1KJU5qO
- The opening scene with the Ornak hunt.: youtu.be/Uis_P6CWS5s?si=Q0TRUxxfBnMGI4_o
Outside where the shadows live. We made our way to an abandoned hotel, SARS masks in hand. This place was really moldy; really creepy; really cool.
I wanted this to feel moody and introspective, so I played with the levels to get the right look. Then I used the oval marquee tool and copied the center portion of the picture (with a lot of feathering on the edges). I added Kim Klassen's canvas texture, blended with multiplicity (I think) and bumped the opacity down to 50%
There is a reckoning in the soul of every artist. It begins as a tremor, a flicker of light, almost imperceptible, yet relentless in hunger. That precise moment when the artist is alone, silhouetted against the radiance of an internal inferno and stares unflinchingly into their creative self. They dwell in the space between inspiration and doubt, bathed in the glow of possibilities and tormented by the fear of mediocrity.
Model: Wladia
Baby: Laís
Place: Itanhaém, São Paulo, Brazil.
It is just a small homage to a couple of great friends that shared with me this wonderful moment through my lenses.
Contratulations for both and welcome for the little Laís.
Shin pencil 6B on paper
Kitajima Hirofumi ___contemporary art Contemporary Art CONTEMPORARY ART Automatism Surrealism
Meijer Gardens is 30-acre outdoor sculpture park located in Grand Rapids Michigan. The collection includes numerous sculptures like this in a breathtaking outdoor and indoor park like setting. I'm not quite sure why I like this guy but I do.
Art, Rock, & Talk
With Kate Myers and Wiitala Brothers
Saturday Feb. 26th
Chicago Art Department
Kate Myers’ music is passionate and introspective. Drawing influence from singer/songwriters of the past (Jim Croce, Bob Dylan) and of the present (Conor Oberst, Fiona Apple), she has been able to create a style that is completely and recognizably her own and that transcends the standard coffee shop singer/songwriter genre. Her songs are stories of pain, love, hope and the experience that she has collected through her travels, her family and her years.
Kate’s debut, self-titled album was released in 2004, her second album, “Blanket Sky” in 2006 and her most recent work, “Instant Clarification,” in 2008. She has performed on stages all over the USA and in Europe and is currently writing for her anticipated 4th release.
Wiitala Brothers
“The Wiitalas’ new Bad Blood could be qualified as minimalist indie pop-rock but it’s something much more effective than that might suggest. The duo’s stark guitars and lingering vocals tend to waft around, electrifying the air with their simplicity.”
A ’20s themed shoot, and an introspective look at Riley Willson, ft. a fishing spot near his home town of Red Deer, Grandfather’s fly fishing rod/Knights of Columbus attire, Riley's father's fishing rod, Riley's childhood N64 controller, and Riley/Sasha's dog Zoey.
The shoot consisted of various formats, including: 4×5, 35mm and digital full frame.
I’m still waiting to develop the Ektar and Delta frames, and will be posting those at a later date, along with an interview from Riley.
There was only one preview shot included in this set, and that's something I will be doing more of in the future- and iphone as well.
I've been in talks with Riley, and we'll be doing a second shoot, for sure- involving a boat!! Ideas are a floatin' already.
jlcpickett.wordpress.com
500px.com/jlcpickett
INSTAGRAM:mrpickettfence
Twitter: mrpickettfence
introspective...insomnia...and Ingrid Michaelson
bad day...well, a bad night, that lead to a bad day.
I got some bad news last night, that I think I kinda knew was coming, but it didn't really make it any easier to handle. Needless to say, I'm also going through a period of insomnia, so the bad news didn't really help that any. I think I got to sleep around....4:30? Seeing as my normal wake up call is 5:40, I just took a personal day today.
Song of the Day- Breakable, Ingrid Michaelson
Iceburg Texture borrowed from Colin Tobin
I'm also going to go ahead and add this to Theme of the Week, for Fav Things....this hooded sweater is one of my favorite winter sweaters. i only get to wear it around home though, because apparently it's a bit ratty looking for the public, lol. Whatever...it's warm and has a furry hood. *shrug* i heart it
I've been offline for a bit because my computer died. Of rather Windows decided to have a malfunction and the registry got corrupted. I've tried everything I know to do with no luck. One of my co-workers came through and gave me one of his old computers so right now I'm in Pentium II hell. But hey at least I can get online and read e-mail. Unfortunately what that means is I'm unable to edit my pictures and stuff until I can figure out how to get the other computer running without losing all of my stuff. I was in the middle of backing everything up when it crashed. Luckily I was able to save this one before my Linux drive crashed as well. But the other pictures that go with the group were not so lucky. Oh well.
I've been having too many wtf !@#?! moments lately. More than the usual I think. I always find it curious what people seems to think about me, or rather how that see me. For the life of me I don't really know where some of this stuff comes from but it ranges from really dark to "wow, really?". More often than not I am extremely private and have been actively trying to work on it. So I'm always surprised at the responses I elicit from people. I must not be doing a very good job if I keep mentioning that I'm trying. Heh, heh.
I've had friends comment on the fact that I write a lot with my photos rather than letting my pictures talk for themselves. Yeah, that may be true a little. Sometimes it's just about working out an idea in my head, but sometimes it's more about markers to where I've been more than anything else. There are days when I do the same in my life where I'll just talk and talk. But then there are other days where I'll barely utter 5 words. The latter happens, unfortunately, More than I care to admit. Recently I had a co-worker tell me that talking with me was like having a one-sided conversation because I'm not always responsive. I get that lecture a lot but I think people aren't really paying attention to the fact that I'm actively listening to what they are saying and trying to process. What they really want is a debate I have found. I tend to run from those types of conversations because more often than not they tend to be more emotional than informational. I guess it's just one of my things. I've been told that I have issues.
It's interesting to me how people will treat you based on what they think about you. I had someone tell me once that they were glad that I was born. "I'm glad that you were born". Do you know how powerful those words are? Even my own mother has never said anything resembling that to me. I think I'm more of an embarrassment to her sometimes. But she definitely wishes I was more "Obedient". LOL Not going to happen! I have a history of being surrounded by inflexible people. I also have a bad tendency to cater to other people to make them more comfortable at my own expense. I haven't figured out what lesson I'm supposed to be learning here but it happens often enough that I probably need to pay better attention to figure it out.
Often I am my own worst critic and I have been told that I need to be kinder to myself. But isn't that true for most people? I actually had two people that were worse to me but I had to get them out of my life> I couldn't really see it at the time, but after my life became less complicated without them in it I was able to see many things. These people that I let into my life have no use for me unless I fit into whatever they think I am. Rarely do they see me as a person, let alone my own person I think. Crazy.
I don't know if I mean anything by all of this. It's just where my heads at right now. A lot of random stuff that I'm trying to sort through. I tend to get more introspective the closer to Winter it gets. I've always been that way for as long as I can remember. With a pending family trip to Atlanta in a couple of weeks I have more on my mind than usual. I care about my family deeply but I can't be around them for too long if that makes sense. Too many issues I think and there is this unspoken thing about how they all treat me different. Yeah. Anyway, I imagine being in a car that long with my mom and her sister is going to be a bit of a challenge. Who knows...
Sorry, I tend to ramble sometimes.