Another Monday

Today is one of those days where I genuinely don’t know what to write about, so I’m just going to put things down as they come to mind for the next half hour or so. I spent quite a bit of time this past weekend finishing up part five of the Japan Escape photo stories, so please check that out if you haven’t yet the chance. I am somewhat ashamed to say it’s taken nearly three months since I’ve returned from the trip to finish writing about it; it’s a lot of work, but honestly I could’ve done it faster and moved on to other things.

The common person have little idea how time consuming it is to put together pictures and words into one coherent story. As a person who cares about photography, the process of editing the pictures alone can take a huge amount of time. Then there’s the writing portion, the part where I describe what’s going on in those photos, and attempt to weave up something coherent and interesting (you can tell me if it isn’t.) It takes about eight to ten hours combined to produce one photo stories article; in contrast the finished piece can be read in around 10 minutes.

It’s like spending two hours cooking an elaborate dinner, only for it to be wolfed down in 15 minutes.

Let’s be clear: I am not lamenting this situation at all. The contents of this website is something I enjoy putting together, and even if there weren’t a single person out there reading my stuff, I’d be perfectly fine with it, and would still continue to put in the many hours required to produce more. I’m merely pointing out the utter disparity between time spent consuming content and the time it takes to make the content; it’s easy to forget or not realize how much goes into making what seemingly is not a lot. Next time maybe think about this before you badger your favorite Youtube channel why they haven’t upload any new videos recently.

I have tremendous respect for freelancers and creatives putting in the work, especially those who’ve chosen to follow their passion full-time. forgoing the comfort and security of a steady 9-5 paycheck. Of course, passion alone doesn’t pay the bills, and it’s tough out there to monetize to sustainable level. The people making tremendous bank from Youtube are the outliers, not the mean. I make sure to support a few of my own favorites on Patreon, or I actually buy the stuff they make.

Because some day - and that day may never come - I may need those favors returned towards me.

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Support physical books and art

Despite the amount of trees felled every year in order to produce them, I still can’t peel myself away from physical books. An Amazon Kindle would be so much easier and a more environmentally friendly way to consume books (digital copies are cheaper as well), but it lacks character and soul. The tactility I get from touching a book’s pages and the smell it gives out is a significant part to the overall joy of reading. Besides, I am a serial highlighter, and making markings on an actual book helps me retain information far better than sliding my finger over a Kindle screen.

There’s also something very zen about shelves full of properly lined books, giving off a suitable facsimile of being in a library right in my room. Libraries are awesome places that gives off endless vibes of learning and discovery; coupled with the inclination towards quiet and silence, it’s no wonder the library was one of my favorite places to hang out as a kid (our family was also quite poor, so there’s that, too.) These days as an adult I can afford my own books, and have created a small library of my own.

Physical books are cool, and I especially like it when the creators I follow comes out with these tangible works of art. The bulk of creative content - this website included - reside in the digital realm on the web, where cost of entry is superbly low. Compared to producing an actual book, and the material costs alone almost makes it not worth the effort; a problem particularly acute for photographers, where printing costs are exponentially more than simple words and paragraphs. I’ve printed a few photo books for personal use, and they are easily in the hundreds of dollar.

So I make a point to support creators who come out with physical books by actually buying them, because I understand how much effort and money goes into making it possible. In doing my little part, I hope to spur on the incentive for these creatives to keep making prints and books, that there is a sizable contingent who still love the unique experience of interacting with actual materials. Plus, it’s important to monetarily support your favorite authors and content makers anyways, most of whom are simple freelancers just looking to get by.

Due apologies to the environmentalists out there. I also keep the air-con at 68 degrees.

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To industry!