Breathe is a post pandemic project, where we were still too nervous being with other people, and nature was your only safe friend and safest escapade. This series captured areas in Canberra and the surrounding countryside, like Bumbalong and Bredbo, the ocean view from Tathra beach, Bombowlee Creek, Captains Flat, and Tumut. Areas in Canberra covered included the Arboretum, the Black Mountain Peninsula, etc. The day trips and many long drives I did for this project provided a different fresh of air that I wasn’t aware I needed to breathe.
My hope is to visually express the inspirational Japanese wisdom wabi sabi and ikigai through these photographs. There is not one way to articulate wabi sabi, but the one layer of understanding that inspired me is the one that articulates it as a state of the heart, where it’s a deep in-breath and a slow exhale.Wabi sabi is a recognition of the gifts of simple, slow and natural living, while ikigai is all about the finding joy in life through purpose. Give yourself time to look and observe the photographs, as I have looked and observed the landscapes. Give yourself permission to stop, to breath and to find that centre again. You may surprise yourself with some delightful findings in this simplicity of space.
