Rest and Return
After a long walk last night, I slept better than I have in months. Deep, uninterrupted sleep. I hadn’t realised quite how tired I was until my body finally stopped arguing. The reason hardly matters. The rest was exactly what was needed.
Sunday unfolded gently. A sleep-in, an easy breakfast, then a short hour of practice. I didn’t feel drawn to Tai Chi today — my arm and hand are still sore, and it feels wiser to let them recover. I seem to have created something that will resolve itself with patience and a few small adjustments.
There are no real plans for the day. Maybe a walk by the river later, once the sun softens. A quiet Sunday, unambitious and restorative. Exactly right.
There’s a noticeable absence of heavy thinking today. No urgent questions circling. Just time spent in good company, sharing the day with a kind, generous woman. That alone feels enough.
Later, a small experiment confirmed something I already knew. When it comes to photography, I like control. Total control, really. It’s not surprising. The aspects of photography I enjoy most are bound up in shaping every part of the image.
The realisation came with a familiar tension. I’m good at this — very good — and yet I’ve made little money from it. For years, I’ve told myself I didn’t want clients to dilute a passion. Lately, that explanation has started to feel thin. Perhaps it was less about protection and more about hesitation.
It feels like time to look at the work honestly. The work I love, and the work that could realistically support me. To commit to building a portfolio that isn’t just expressive, but viable.
That brings up another question — what to focus on. Products feel practical, but also fragile in a world where AI moves fast. When I think about what people will always want, I keep returning to portraiture.
Even as technology accelerates, people still seem to want proof that a moment truly happened. Not perfection. Not polished. Just themselves, caught honestly.
A face.
A breath.
Light falling once, and never the same way again.