Sorry for my lengthy absence on this space. If you've caught up with me recently/if you're a personal friend of mine/if you have me on Snapchat (username: camillenathania) then you'll know I've been up to a lot. On the plus side, I now have plenty to write about, so I'm just going to get straight to it. I've decided to write my Head/Heart posts quarterly this year, because I know I'll be concentrating on shooting, chasing goals and life in between.
What I'm grateful for:
Being the master of my days and weeks.
Having two spare days a week has meant I can dedicate more of my time to whatever I choose. I've found a new lease on life. I've been a little bit selfish in the sense that I am spending more time doing things I want to do, versus things I feel like I have to do. I may be financially poorer, but I am spiritually, emotionally and physically thriving.
You know all those thoughts you have, like, “I want to learn guitar someday” or “I wish I could spend more time reading”—this year has been about acting on those thoughts and integrating them into my life in whatever small way I can.
I think making time for little hobbies and nurturing your inner discoverer—the part of you that really wants to learn and try new things—is really important for your overall wellbeing. There's a reason why you're drawn to doing certain things. Follow the thread, because you'll be surprised at what you'll learn about yourself and how it can have a positive influence on other aspects of your life. What's your someday daydream?
What I've been thinking of:
What's next?
I love/hate that I can be this way, but I'm usually 5 or so years ahead of myself whether I like it or not. In a way it's good to be a forward-thinker—it gives me purpose and something I can strive towards, but on the other hand, if I let myself get caught up in it, it can cause me to feel very scattered and unable to enjoy what I currently have right in front of me. Now that I'm pretty aware of this, I make conscious efforts to take a step back when I start to feel internal chaos spilling into external chaos. I specifically schedule days and weeks in my calendar that force me to have “pauses”. The current fortnight I'm in is one of those pauses.
Some of my recent, recurring thoughts have been about: upcoming shoots; what workshops I can run next; who can I work on a new shoot or project with; organising overdue catch-ups with friends; selling things I don't need; how to get more paid photography jobs later in the year; how can I do what I'm doing now but better; and 50,000 others where that came from.
What I'm excited for:
The grounding, slower nature of the cooler months.
We here in Queensland have waited a long time for autumn to arrive this year. It's already May and some days in the last week alone have still reached 31ºC. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to June and July already—my schedule in April & May has been a little overwhelming, but I left June & July clear to allow some ease and space back into my routine.
My brother's return.
My brother will be coming back to Brisbane after his 6 month semester in Montréal next month. I hope I can post at least one Canada post by then—I promise they are coming, it's just a matter of sitting down, writing, and hitting “Publish”.
Sydney visits.
I'll be returning to Sydney at the end of May, June, and in the middle of August. Looking forward to a few mini-holidays, but right now I am most looking forward to seeing Bon Iver play at the Sydney Opera House next Sunday—it's been a few years since my last gig, and this will be my very first one at the Opera House.
Being part of the Creative Mornings Brisbane team.
Creative Mornings has just begun here in Brisbane and I am so honoured to be joining the team as a photographer! If you don't already know, Creative Mornings is a monthly series of free breakfast talks, with a different theme and different speakers each time. Next Friday we join Frank & Mimi for their talk on Reality and what that has meant for them as creatives, businesspeople and humans. More exciting still—Creative Mornings Brisbane is the official side event for The Design Conference which I will be attending (as a guest! Whoa, look out), so it's going to be a big week for Brisbane's creative community all 'round.
What I've been doing:
Adjusting, re-adjusting, adjusting...
I have now been working part-time for three months. Although I'm loving this new adjustment, it has meant my schedule is all over the shop because every week can be so different. Some weeks don't feel like they have days off at all, while other weeks feel less productive.
This together with a on/off neck injury I've had for the last couple of months has thrown my standard exercise/yoga schedule off track, and I've fallen behind my Yoga with Camille 365 project—or rather, I've let those things slide so I can prioritise others. It's more important to me that my neck heals up properly than it is for me to post photos to the 'gram, after all.
There has been one new, constant anchor in my week, however, which brings me to my next piece of news.
AcroYoga & additional training.
I have been doing AcroYoga for 10 weeks now, with a small group of amazing individuals at Vulcana Women's Circus. I've loved every second of it and I know this is something I'm going to do more of. It's like all of my childhood gymnastics/acrobatics/circus dreams come true!
If you follow my yoga account, you may have seen me mention a couple of times that one of my fitness goals this year was to work on my upper body and arm strength. As a result I've also just started personal training (another excellent advantage of having spare weekdays). It feels pretty good to do half an hour of training outdoors and then sit in a cafe to work for a couple hours. I find doing my work in the busy but relaxed ambience of a cafe actually helps me to be more productive.
What I've been reading/listening to:
Status Anxiety: Alain de Botton
It's taken me a very long time to chew through this book; I'm barely halfway (I started it around February). It discusses the origins of our competitive nature as humans, how our jobs and the things we own affect our perception of self-worth and, as the name suggests, status. In a day and age where we care too much about the number of likes we get or the number of followers we have, this book could not be more relevant.
YogaRevealed Podcast
Whenever I need to sit down and stay focused on a tedious, mundane task at work I like to tune into a podcast. I recently discovered YogaRevealed after a recommendation from a dear friend and I'm really enjoying listening to yogis, meditation teachers and the like impart their wisdom. If you are interested in yoga, meditation, mindfulness and mental fitness, definitely have a listen.
Below: found pauses, February-April 2016.
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