On Projects and Stuff
At the beginning of every year, in some random moment of inspiration, I always reach for the nearest piece of paper – a receipt, a Mcdonalds napkin, an empty page of the travel guidebook I’m devouring – and scribble a list of things I want to achieve that year on it. In past years, my lists have included things as simple as making a snowman and some more complicated ones, like touching the Pacific ocean, or finishing my first novel.
My lists are not really New Year resolutions – they’re plans, and while some have been bounced from one list to the next for a few years, I always manage to achieve them, eventually.
Life has been a bit weird lately, and I am sad to say that I haven’t been as happy as I want to be, for various reasons. But when life seems especially tough, I just pick up that list, and see what I have achieved, or remember what I am working hard to achieve, and things, somehow, fall into perspective and start making sense again.
Case in point, my photo travel wall. I’ve wanted one ever since I settled here in Australia, and this year, I wrote in on my list. I want take some of my best travel photos (colour coordinated, of course), one from every country I’ve visited (turns out I couldn’t fit three of them – Slovakia, Holland and New Zealand, sorry but I need a bigger wall!) and turn them into canvas prints like so….
From Top left to right: A couple strolling along Seminyak Bali, a piece of the Berlin wall, Winter in Switzerland, Marsaxlokk Malta, a boy behind the National Gallery London, the Hofburg Vienna, a bathing box on Brighton beach Melbourne, a Buddhist temple in Seoul, a Peranakan facade in Singapore, Castle Hill Budapest, a Turkish cat in Istanbul, women at work Hoi An Vietnam
Today, me and Boyfriend spent a zillion hours putting masking tape on the wall, then meticulously measuring the spots where we needed to place each hook at with correct spacing, then hanging the sticky hooks, only to realise that some of our measurements were wrong, then repositioning some of the hooks, removing the masking tape, hanging the pictures, and obsessively compulsively trying to get them straight. And then, while Boyfriend went on to do other things, I spent a ridiculous amount of time looking at that photo wall, because it is beautiful and it represents memories which are very special to me, and because looking at it was making me happy and helping me forget things in my life which were making me sad.
And then I was overcome by a deep sense of calm, because I realised that changing the things which were making me sad need not be approached any different that turning a blank wall into something beautiful – everything can be a project on which one can work until one gets it right, and if messing up the measurements of a photo wall is nothing to stress about – one just removes the masking tape and does it again – then why should fixing messed up bits of life be any different? I just need to fix that as well, no dramas or stress needed.
Life is one massive project, and sometimes when I look around me I realise that I keep forgetting that I am not doing that badly, and that I’m further into ‘completing’ that gigantic project called life than I actually think.
It’s just a travel photo wall, but it’s so much more than just a travel photo wall.
-Text and Photography by Denise Pulis @www.theartofslowtravel.com
20 Comments → “On Projects and Stuff”
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Ah I love this post. Very inspirational. Looking at life as one big project is a great outlook to have on life. I need to remember to take stock of everything I’ve already achieved too instead of just worrying about all the things I haven’t done.
Hi Lilian,
Absolutely. Too often do we focus on our present ‘failures’ and forget about the great things we’ve done.
Why would you omit Holland of all countries?
Just kidding. I’m from Holland and I find most of my homeland amazingly bland. But that’s probably what most people think of where they come from.
Hi Nick,
I really enjoyed Holland. In fact, I enjoyed every single trip I’ve taken because every country and every place is different. The only reason why I omitted Holland is because (and this is my obsessive compulsive side), I couldn’t find one single picture I liked which fit the colour scheme of the photo wall!!!! Crazy, but hey, I am an interior designer at heart.
I love this post, Denise, it’s personal and universal at the same time. I had my mini-blue period last year and like you, I remembered my list, marked off what I’d accomplished and it made me feel much better. Life definitely is one big project.
I like the idea of the photo wall. We all take wonderful photos but they mostly sit on our computers. Great way to show off your work and remind you where you’ve been. And it adds so much color and variety to your wall. Beautiful!
It does add a lot of colour, especially since I’m renting and the wall HAS TO be white…
Beautiful photo wall
What a fabulous idea. . .loved your post as I can relate to those inspirational list writing moments.
I love this idea and am going to steal it
It is so much fun looking back at pictures and remembering. It always brings a smile to my face!
Exactly! Rather than just buying pretty pictures from a store, something like this has meaning and brings back memories!
Your wall looks fantastic. I have a fridge door photo space. It has friends as well as travel on it and whenever friends come over they check to see what new photos there are – keeps me on my toes.
Your wall of images looks WOW! I love it. I am inspired. Thank you!
I love this analogy. It’s a great way to approach life as a work in progress. I’ve just had large glossy prints made of some of my favorite travel photos and mean to get them framed under glass. But when I read about your canvas prints, I realized that would work so much better with my concrete walls. Framed prints are too heavy for a sticky hook, I think, and I’m tired of hammering nails into concrete. Now, I must decide if I want to change my path and fix it or just continue with what I already chose.
That’s why I also went for Canvases. My apartment has stud walls plus it’s a rental, so I just couldn’t use nails. It’s a bit more complicated to hang sticky hoods at equal height and distance, but it’s totally worth it in the end.
Love your photo wall! We have one as well but it’s nowhere near as beautiful or colour-coordinated. We try and get one photo of our family together on every trip we take and then frame it and hang on our photo wall. It’s not beautiful but it makes me smile every time I walk past it.
Family photos are always beautiful. Me and my boyfriend are terribly photo-shy, but when we have kids I’ll take tons of pictures of them and plaster them everywhere around our house!
Beautiful wall! I don’t have a home create a permanent project, as I am constantly on the road. *Envious*
Maybe I will go raid my parent’ or grandparents’ wall for their birthdays with a canvas wall. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks Naomi. I moved around quite a lot before I could have a permanent home. But I think this is it. My boyfriend and I found it soooo complicated to hang these canvases that we joke we will never leave
Wonderful idea! Your wall is beautiful and inspirational.
Looks fantastic, Denise!
Wherever I’m living, I always construct photo walls with prints of my favorite shots from my travels, but your canvas prints look much, much nicer. And I remember seeing most of these photos here on your blog. Perfect shots for reminiscing.