I'm like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.
j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.
Month: August 2020
What do you do when your desire to create is stronger than the will to do so?
I had one of those days yesterday.
Having returned from my morning wander and resolved something lyrical (which had been overwhelming me for a couple of days), I felt, at first, that I could make great strides with whatever I chose to work on (being a Gemini, I’ve often got two, three, or more projects on the go). None of them were calling to me yesterday, and the few scant lines on a fresh poem would not motivate me further.
I decided to get away from it all and go for a bike ride.
I thought maybe some fresh air and adrenaline would quell my inner conflict or move my mind forward.
I ended up in Trinity Bellwoods Park, after navigating traffic far thicker than I though it would be. It was a glorious day, and people were out and about (like me).
I parked my bike, sat under a tree, and did nothing but people watching and taking in all the colour. I didn’t even take my camera. A Dixieland jazz band then marched on by and brightened my spirits.
I took out a random notepad and jotted down a few more phrases, a couple of words that had come to me during my ride, and a part of a poem that, right now, makes little sense.
But it might someday.
On those days when nothing makes sense, and really nothing has to, take good notes.
Tuck away the motivation and inspiration for later, when your mood or your mindset improves.
Untill then, enjoy the outside or whatever else you have planned (or unplanned) for the day.
08/10/2020 j.g.l.
Posted on August 9, 2020 by j.g.lewisLeave a comment
One ought — in these days of disease and deception, wanton greed and calculated corruption — to be able to step aside and rediscover what life is all about.
Caught up in the noise, the rhetoric and nonsensical sensibilities, we should each find time, however swift and fleeting, to allow art to influence our nature; and being. And grace.
Create your own solace in the midst of this madness.
Take responsibility for your self.
Be mindful, if only for a moment, of what art is there, and what it can do for you.
You are better off in knowing.
08/09/2020 j.g.l.
Posted on August 8, 2020 by j.g.lewisLeave a comment
I have spent much of my life on the other side
of the camera. My parents encouraged (or put
up with) my interest in photography from a
young age. I’ve studied all aspects of the craft
from composition to darkroom techniques
(and I’m still learning), have worked with small,
medium, and large format film, embraced digital,
imaging, and have had the privilege of earning
a living as a daily newspaper photographer.
I’ve covered news, sports, fashion, entertainment,
politics, and everything in between, spending my
time lugging around an over-equipped camera
bag and never noticing the weight.
I’ve taken a camera with me everywhere, and
still do to this day, and there is one thing I have
come to know . . .
A camera will take you more places
than you take it.
j.g.l.
