Take A Seat

I'm just going to leave this here for you to watch because I love this video and I love all Rainn Wilson and Soul Pancake do, like seriously. If I could make a video that makes people happy, like this one does, my life would be complete.

35mm Photography

Something I love is photography. Something I love even more is 35mm photography. It's an expensive hobby, I have to admit, but it's really worth it. I started getting into photography just as the digital age was beginning to really take over, so until recently I had missed out on the chance to do proper analogue photography. Though recently I have been using a lot of old cameras from various decades to rediscover the joy of 35mm film. There are many reasons why I like analogue better than digital.

• Firstly, in my opinion the pictures look better. There is just a nicer quality, and the colours can be fantastic. 
• Secondly, it forces you to take a step back and really think about what you are taking a picture of. You can't risk just taking a butt load of pictures and hoping for the best, you need to plan a photograph, and wait for the precise right moment to snap that shutter.
• Thirdly, I kinda love the wait to get the images developed. Yeah, I can get impatient at times, but finally getting your pictures back is so exciting!
• Fourthly, I feel like more of a proper photographer when I do it, especially when I develop and print my own photographs in the dark rooms. That stuff's exciting!

If you want to keep up with my 35mm photography, I have uploaded my last three films to my Flickr page, or if you prefer Tumblr, I also have a photo blog there. Just depends where you want to look at them really, it's all the same stuff. But to give you a sample, here are some photographs I have taken in the last few months using my Dad's old Minolta Dynax SPxi. I'm actually quite proud of these, and I had a lot of fun taking them. They're probably not what everyone would call fantastic photography haha, but I guess what they are is my style. 

NO FOMO Part 2

Hey, there! It's been a while. I guess I haven't had that much to say, but tonight I want to talk about FOMO again. This post will make a lot more sense if you read my older post from about a month ago on FOMO. If you haven't read it, go read it already. Click here to do that.

I mentioned in that post that something I really struggled with was FOMO. I wrote that entry the day after we discussed it in Potential, and at that time I still just thought it was something that I struggled with a bit, but that was okay and it was just the way I was, . However, in the following days and weeks it occurred to me that this isn't just a little thing that I struggle with... this is everything I struggle with. My fear of missing out was making me paranoid, and scared and just not okay. For example, I would get so upset if I wasn't invited to something, or if I was invited to something that I really really didn't want to go to, I would go, not out of politeness, but of fear. I was constantly thinking of other places I could be, constantly missing the friends that I wasn't with, hardly ever content in the now. I often wondered why I wasn't joyful like I used to be or could be. This is what it was. My fear of missing out was controlling my whole life, dragging me down into a spiral of anxiety.

In this past month I have been working hard on combatting my fear of missing out. Just recognising that I have it and how much of an issue it is was a big step in helping. Every time I start thinking in a way that is affected by FOMO, I immediately recognise what I'm doing and am usually able to talk myself out of it. I have noticed a change, there have been a couple of times in just the last week or so where I would have felt anxiety flare up because of not feeling part of something, but I just shrugged, thought 'No FOMO' to myself, and carried on. I know that doesn't seem like that much of a big deal, but I'm not sure I can truly explain how much this means to me. This sort of stuff never used to fail to upset me, but within the past month or so I am getting over it. I have grown. I think it's maturing me as well, I've been able to look at certain situations with a more neutral and calm eye, rather than focusing on how it affects me. I really can feel a change within me, and that's awesome. I still have it, I still struggle with it. Just a couple of weeks ago, I found out I wouldn't be able to attend something that meant quite a lot to me, and my heart literally sped up with fear. I was terrified! So yeah, I still have a long way to go. So pray for me, pray that I will be able to maintain this new ability to start combating my fears. And join me in praying for everyone who really struggles with this, which I assume is a lot of people. We don't have to be full of fear.

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In every change, He faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.