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Photography, poetry, and musings by Emily Ung.

#45 – Grace

Nikon F90 + 28-70mm | Kodak Portra 400

 

A familiar flutter
A wayward dance
A wilting rose
Does so with elegance

 

Hello. Hi!

I have neglected this little space on the interweb for a long while – almost 6 months to be (kind of) exact. So, I’ve decided to pop in to say hi. Hello! I hope you’re well, wherever you are on our beautiful Earth.

I’ve been alright, although, that’s like my default answer when anyone asks me how I am. It’s a vague kind of answer, but it’s mostly the truth. Time has, as always, flown past in a blur. There are days where I feel amazing, and days where everything seems to get on my nerves, so I guess “alright” is a pretty good average. Wouldn’t you agree?

When I was last here, I talked about my first solo exhibition Bloom, and I have finally gotten around to editing and uploading the photographs from opening night! (Only 6 months late, but it’s ok.)

Here are a few snippets:

You can click here to take a gander at the full album on Facebook! All images were kindly taken by my friend Brendan Manning.

I will also be putting up the full Bloom collection in the near future, along with an updated portfolio of work + a little revamp to the site! I’ve been saying that for ages now, but I will definitely get to that during my summer break! (I now have this in writing to hold me accountable.)

In other news, I am going to Brisbane next month! I am so incredibly excited to take a much-needed breather and go somewhere slightly foreign to unwind. Brisbane was the destination of choice because of Yayoi Kusama’s Life is the Heart of a Rainbow exhibition currently showing at QAGOMA. I first heard of the exhibition while it was in Singapore earlier this year, and I knew that if I had the chance to see it, I had to grab it. And the moment I laid eyes on the exhibition poster, it was a rather spontaneous decision, but I had to go! My tickets and accommodation are booked, so if you have any recommendations on what/where to eat, things to do and places to see, please leave me a comment on this post, email me or send me a direct message via Instagram!

I plan to take some time off the socials (do a short social media detox) while being away in Brisbane – very much like what I did when I went to Melbourne 2 years ago. Going about daily life, it’s hard to realise the sheer amount of time and energy that is spent online – it’s pretty scary to think about. I’m looking forward to unplugging; to wandering aimlessly with my camera in hand; to take life even slower than I usually do; to journal and read and write; to immerse myself in art; to relax, recharge and refuel; to plan personal projects; to spend some quality me time; and to hopefully dig deep for an intrinsic motivation that I desperately need to drive change in myself.  

But for the moment, it’s come to the pointy end of the semester and I have a mountain of projects to complete in the next 2 weeks (wish me luck!).

Before I go, I just wanted to leave you with a few videos that I’ve recently discovered (click here and here).
Cheyenne is just so honest + genuine + sincere with her presence online, and I’ve fallen in love with her work, her words and her sweet soul. The first video is a reading of her poem paired with video and text and it is so beautiful – I had it on repeat for a little while because it resonated with me so much. It made my heart ache a little, and made me feel tension yet at ease. The second video is just her sitting in front of the camera and talking through her thoughts – it’s a little lengthier but I’m sure that when you watch it, it’ll resonate with you, and she dishes some really wonderful nuggets of wisdom and encouragement in the second half of the video. If you need a little encouragement or pick-me-up, I hope these videos might help in some way as they have for me!

That’s all from me, for now.
You are a wonderful something – thank you for reading x

With love, Emily.