A Taste Of Culture

Listening to: Machine Head - Battery
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Friday night was a true cultural experience for us. The General Manager of the company I work for is Maori, and wanted to put on a show for all employees and their family, with a Maori twist. Instead of your traditional barbecue, or in my previous employer's case, a spit roast, he decided to put on a traditional Maori Hangi.

To start the night though, we were treated to a Maori welcoming ceremony which was amazing to see. When Kel and I were planning our now-delayed trip to NZ, we were able to learn a bit about the Moari culture and heritage. So to be able to see it right in front of us was incredible. The passion and pride the people involved showed made me think about the fact that, as Australians, we really don't have that much history. Sure, we've got two hundred or so years behind us, and a broad mix of cultures and heritages, but the Maori people have probably thousands of years of customs and history. To be witness to a small part of this history was an honour.

Then came the food... Cooked in a hole in the ground for about five hours, made for some mouth-watering meat. Perfectly cooked chicken, delicious lamb and beautiful smoked pumpkin and potato made for a fantastic dinner.

And to top the night off, a group of Cook Islanders performed traditional dances and drumming for us. Couldn't ask for a better experience, really.

A huge thanks to Clark and his crew for putting together a night that I know I won't forget any time soon. Beats my old employer's work dinners!

Life

Listening to: Dream Theater- The Ministry Of Lost Souls

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Hello mirror

So glad to see you again

It's been a while

Well, here I am, four weeks into my new job. I'm slowly hacking my way through the quagmire that is the current documentation backlog, and am slowly making notes on how to improve the whole system. File storage, file references (the CAD software we use relies heavily on linked files and properties within those files - time-consuming to set up, but very powerful once it's sorted) naming conventions, supplier contacts, that kinda thing.

It's a lot to take in, but I'm getting there. I'm yet to spend some time on the factory floor, getting used to the different stages or production, but it's on the agenda and I'll keep pushing for it to happen. I'm also planning to ask to spend time with the guys installing our products, so I can see what they need to deal with.

It's nice to be able to sit here and work away, without the constant drumming noises of the huge die-cutting machines at my old work. I got used to it pretty quickly, but it's a change being able to hear the keystrokes on the keyboard! Every now and then I'll hear someone drop a length of aluminium rod, or hear the chop saws cutting up the steel tube, but other than that, it's a peaceful environment.

I'm also working on a little design project that's proving deceptively challenging. At first glance I thought it wouldn't be too tough. Man, did I underestimate this sucker! But I'm working through each issue as they come up, and I'm almost there.

And to top this first month off, in about two and a half hours, I'll be flying to Sydney for the Saturday inDesign show. Sweeeet.

In other news, my second photographic exhibition is coming to a close. No luck in selling, but for it was never about sales. I was proud to see my work hanging in a public space. Sure it would've been nice to flog it off, but I've achieved my goal.

Till next time.

New Horizons

Last night was the opening night of Refuge:refresh and was another fantastic night, with three prints selling (two of them Kel's"!). Crowd numbers were a little less than last time, but still a lot of people shuffled through and shard a beer or wine with us.

Over the last month or so, I've been feeling a little... uneasy about my photography and where I'm at with it. I've been getting the sense that I'm in a but of a rut. I've been shooting a lot, but haven't been the satisfaction out of it that I used to. It's like I'm just going through the motions.

A while back, I bought a Holga 120N to try new things and shake it up a bit. But I've only used it once, and it's been in the cupboard since. I made a pinhole camera and haven't had the first film processed yet. I have a box of exposed 35mm film that contains film that are probably about five years old. I have a habit of starting something, but never going on with it. Digital is easier to follow through with, but now it's less satisfying.

Recently, I started to read up about processing my own film. I've never done it before, and thought it a bit daunting, using all the chemicals and stuff. But I found a step-by-step tutorial on how to do it on Flickr, and the light has turned on above my head.

Something's gotta change before I crack the shits and walk away from it entirely. I love photography, and don't want to give up on it. Until recently, I've gotten so much out of it, that I just can't give it up. I'm planning on learning how to process my own film, so I can scan it (somehow - haven't thought that far) and work on it, without having to wait for the lab to do it all for me. A film scanner is a possibility, but I need at least $2000-$3000 for an entry level scanner.

I'm going back to basics, and I'm starting again. I have the creative ability to make this work, and I have the ability to learn the technical side to make this work. Stuff the techno-shit, stuff the rules, stuff the conventions. Anything goes.

The exhibition opening last night reinforced the fact that I'm really not all that comfortable with selling my work. I like the fact that people want to buy it, but there's something that just feels wrong to me. So I'm not sure if I'll be in any more exhibitions - at least not hte next one or two. We'll see.

By the way, Take A Photograph is currently in hibernation, but I have plans for it to be evolved over the next few weeks or so. Stay tuned. :)

Fresh Start

Listening to: Dream Theater - Constant Motion
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I started my new job yesterday. Wow, talk about a great start. I've already been able to fix up a pretty big CAD file and drawings associated with it, and I've been given my first design job. And apparently I'm going to Saturday InDesign in Sydney at the end of the month.



If that's how my first day was, I can't wait to see what's going to happen today!

This time it feels... right. Here's a company that isn't afraid to drop me in the thick of it. They trust me and the skills I bring, and are willing to let me go for it. I like that. A lot. I'm getting a feeling about this job that I haven't had before. I did the whole metal detector thing which felt good except for some of the people. I did the whole box thing which pretty much sucked except for some of the people.

It's like I've been trying to find the right balance between the job and the people. I know it's only my first day, but so far the people have been great. No one is jumping out at me as being a potential tool, which is a rare but awesome thing.

Fingers crossed this is the chance I've been dreaming of for ten years.