1.
In the Quiet of October — photography by Whitney Barkman
From the Community
Please, when you have a moment. Take a long and leisurely tour of
's work. These photos are so exquisite. Why? There's probably a lot to be said about technical skill, lighting, and the inherent beauty of nature as the subject... but that's not it.I took my time to scroll through these photos, and I looked at them again and again. I would leave the tabs open on my computer (I'm that kind of person) and when I came back, I would be compelled to take another good long look (yes, completely distracted from what I was 'supposed' to be doing).
As I write this, I'm contemplating what is it about these photos that are so compelling. I noticed that each time I looked at them, I would take a deep inhale and exhale with each image. It's not just my attention that's being drawn in, but my very breath. I found myself imagining my own memories of walking in the woods, and all the times I noticed puddles of water forming on curled leaves - and all the other times I didn't. I feel inspired to at least look outside the window, and appreciate the veiled sunshine behind the clouds and sleeting rain, and how the greens, browns yellows, oranges, and reds of the autumn leaves are beautiful against the grey sky. I feel my intuition - connected at once to the person behind this lens, and the silence in the forest.
These photographs aren't just pixels on a screen. They are captured moments of the earth breathing. These photographs are alive. It takes a human being - present and conscious - to capture such a moment. That's why these are exquisite and compelling.
I have actively avoided participating in any kind of discussion about AI-generated art - the threat that it is to the creative community, how even a panel of competition judges can't tell the difference, etc... But, I have been reflecting on this for as long as everyone else has been talking about it.
I'd like to share with you my personal and subjective conclusion:
If you want to know if it's made by AI or a human... listen to your breath. Can you connect with the person who created this, and intuit their experience of the subject? Do you feel inspired and moved to do something, anything? Can you imagine yourself in the image, or making the image?
When you're connected to another human being, you know. You'll always know. Don't worry about AI.
As for artists' work being ripped off... when your work connects with other human beings... you know. You'll always know. Don't worry about AI.
2.
Witch — a podcast from BBC 4
From the Library
Speaking of owls 😏... Whitney told me that the owl photo was actually taken in mid-morning on a cloudy day - not at dusk as I originally thought!
I wondered what an owl was doing awake at such a time. And then I thought about how the best thing about Harry Potter was the owl-based postal system (infinitely more streamlined than today's Royal Mail I suspect).🦉
And I remembered it's Halloween, and I've been wanting to share with you this podcast series about... what it means to be a witch. It's a 13 episode journey that explores the history of magic and folklore in many traditions, where witch hunts came from and what it has meant for the modern woman, and how we now relate to 'witchy' things - nature, rituals and community.
Enjoy the podcast, and may your reconnect with your inner witch and magic. 🧙🏻♀️
3.
Howl's Moving Castle — a novel by Dianna Wynn Jones
From the Library
For those of you who have seen Studio Ghibli's (Hayao Miyazaki) animation, Howl's Moving Castle... did you know it was based on a book? I'm currently listening to the audiobook version, which is so rich and delightful - in a completely different way from the movie. In the book, Howl is Welsh. So, there you go.
For those of you who are encountering this for the first time... it's available on Netflix in a lot of countries, and other streaming platforms 😉.
🕰️ STANDARD TIME 🕰️
The clocks went back an hour last night/this morning in the UK. I hope that you had a good extra hour in bed - one of the things I consider a consolation for the days visibly getting shorter with each passing day until the solstice ☀️
Thank you so much for including me in your post and for such thoughtful words to go alongside the photos. I am so deeply grateful and appreciative that you see my work as I always hope others will. 🤍🤍🤍
I love Whitney's photos! Yes, always so calming. For me, they're nostalgic as well, reminding me of some of my favorite haunts in the PNW. And ooh, yes, Howl's Moving Castle is so good; I read the book first and then watched the Studio Ghibli interpretation and loved them both separately and together.