A few weeks back, I was asked by a kindly soul if I could write something about getting into photography. I was flattered, stunned and a little bit terrified by the request. Why? Because despite shooting photos on and off for over ten years, I know virtually nothing about the art form. One of the… Continue reading Freezing Moments: Some Words On Taking Photographs
They met above the tallest fir in the forest. The encouragement that I've received from you wonderful people who read my blog has helped to spur me on today. It's been an extremely challenging 1st of January. Emotions that I thought I'd buried, resurfaced and I didn't know how to push them back down. I… Continue reading They Met Above The Tallest Fir In The Forest
Something that I've discovered during my Darkest Days journey, and that I haven't been able to stop thinking about, is the age old tradition in Scandinavia of leaving food out for the dead on Christmas Eve. (I know mince pies aren't tradition in the Far North but I didn't have any pepparkakor or lutefisk to… Continue reading The Darkest Days – Feeding The Dead
While researching into Jack Frost, I found out that if you didn't praise the art he left on the window panes, you'd have to face his wrath...which could involve being led astray in sub zero temperatures. This led me to create the following poem. It's a very rough first draft, so please bear with me!… Continue reading The Darkest Days – Jack Frost
Tonight the animals speak. (A poem is in the works...!)
And...it's back to Finnish lore. I think I first heard about Nuuttipukki (it's impossible for me to write Nuuttipukki without referring back to Google search to make sure I've got it right.) when a member of the Folk Horror Revival Group (Not in? Come join! It's the best place on the internet!) posted some fabulous… Continue reading The Darkest Days – Nuuttipukki
For someone who is as tied to the North as I am, my knowledge of Finnish lore really ought to be stronger than what it is. But hell, I need to stop putting myself down. I wanted to develop creatively and that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm gathering wisdom every day on this journey, and… Continue reading The Darkest Days – Louhi
Writing about the Slavic Pagan goddess Marzanna wasn't, for whatever reason, easy. Neither was capturing a portrait. It's happened a few times during the past weeks that things just haven't come together, no matter how hard I've tried. In theory, it should have been straightforward, she's the personification of my favourite season for crying out… Continue reading The Darkest Days – Marzanna
I spent most of the past two years in a depression so deep and dark I never imagined I’d be able to claw myself out. My creativity fled quietly and quickly. My mind, which was always teeming with ideas, was deserted. Days, which were once busy and beautiful and inspired, became dismal and distressing and… Continue reading I Am Healing My Life Through Photography
Celebrating the strange and the shadowy, the damned and unseen 