ramya's photo journal

Category: travel diary

Finding the Flow

The Nilgiris, November 2010

While I'm on a constant search to fill up on inspiration, I see a positive shift in how I feel about photographing and making images in general. Less inhibited. Less afraid of perceptions and criticism. The need to conform to set moulds is also on a receding path. It has something to do withgrowing up for sure but beyond that, I think it has also to do with making peace (gradually, of course) with both the devils and angels of one's creative life. Not the most fun thing to do particularly for the sorts like me, but I'm learning to like all states right from melancholy to joy. Just let them all be. Come and go. Let the negativity and fear hit-and-whizz past without too many questions or confrontations, so there's less chance of setting off new chains of unwelcome reactions. Become also a spectator and not just the experiencer is basically what I'm trying to say. It is liberating and lets ideas stem from one another and from places you'd never expect – simply because we are letting our playground become more expansive and less aggressive, besides bringing an element of objectivity into the volatile lives of those of us who thrive on creativity. I'm trying. So far so good. I'm in the process of developing some new work and the newly alert spectator cap puts me in a better state of flow while I think and work. I like this state of flow and the uninhibitedness that comes with it. Who knows how long it will last , so I'm going to make the most of it for now and report back if this little theory of mine backfires.

Hope all you people are living your most creative lives! I will be back next week with a little post on my favourite season, the monsoon, which is in full bloom right now this side of the world. Meanwhile, I thought this quote by JK reflects the spirit of Flow so beautifully.

July 20, 2011
A New York Sojourn

"I am not born for one corner, the whole world is my native land."

~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca

~ o ~

I adore New york for so many reasons. The city has always filled my heart with lots of inspiration from its diverse menagerie of people, food and arts. As a traveler, I love the experience of solitude that I have found amidst the bustle and energy of this great city. This year I went back for the same reasons; to immerse myself in some classes I was taking and to just recoup my creative self.

Views of the city on a wet afternoon.

I went just in time when the spring rains were starting to give way to the summer breeze and managed to enjoy a bit of both as I walked my way to almost everywhere I wanted to go….arguably, there is no better way to see New York than using one's trusty feet.

Solitude is everywhere.

Something about New York has the power to force the mind to become a sponge and start doing things. It is the energy I suppose. I felt so free to be working on interesting, hands-on and fun art projects among so many talented people. It helps to work on things that are a little out of our comfort zones. It brings the self in touch with wonderful possibilities and forgotten capabilities.

paint, cut, love

….needless to say the fresh ideas for a new chapters and beginnings.

Union Square farmer's market

Food was my other major preoccupation during my entire visit here. I'd often stop at the Union Square farmers market to gorge on the sights of local cheeses, fruit, bread, preserves and everything else. And to fill up my little pantry at home.

Tia Pol

One can never get enough of the culinary pleasures in New York. Of this fact, I am convinced. Food is as intrinsic to the culture of New York as is the cultural diversity.

Butterlane Cupcakes

Eataly (L) ; Momofuku noodle bar (R)

Looking forward to a hearty meal is one of the greatest anticipations of life and so full of joy. As you can see, food did me a lot of good and kept the heart warm and the creative juices flowing….among other things, culinary adventures were a part of my everyday life and I'm so inspired to keep it that way.

Tomato + Fresh Mozzarella salad. Prepared and made so beautiful by a dear friend.

Chelsea Market(L); The Green Table @ the Chelsea Market

Despite all those hours spent at some of NY's amazing galleries, my camera seemed particularly enthusiastic and sensitive towards food. Sigh. That's how I've ended up with so many photographs of food and more of it. However, I had the chance of making it to some of the very best art shows which I highly recommend if you are visiting NY during this time: Alexander McQueen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Kandinsky at the Bahaus at the Guggenheim Museum, Sonia Delaunay at the Cooper Hewitt, Elliot Erwitt at the International Center for Photography to name a few and several other smaller ones drew me in each day and kept my inspiration meter brimming.

Central park (above); Taim, one of my favourite eating joints (below L); Guggenheim Museum detail (below R)

There are so many facets to New York that it is overwhelming and scary to write about it in a single blog post which almost feels like injustice. Since this is about a personal journey, I can say that this photo essay kind of captures in a nutshell, the tiny part of this melting pot of a metropolis I got to experience this time around. I cannot wait for my next trip, and already have activities and plans lined up ! But in the mean time, I am so happy to be back home to where my heart belongs and to my puppies. And yes, I will definitely keep this blog more active and bubbling.

June 28, 2011
Sri Lanka : a journey with the monsoon

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Hello everyone,

My blog turns one this week and I wanted to share a special post that I have put together over the last few weeks. It’s a sort of a photographic journal from a beautiful trip to Sri Lanka last December. It was the time of north east monsoon there and the island was rich with color. This compilation is also a small tribute to one of my most loved topics – the monsoon and her colors.

I hope you enjoy it (be sure to view it in full screen) and I look forward to posting a lot more this year !

Thank you for all the love and support . . .

~ ramya

April 6, 2011
Along the creative path…

"Creativeness comes into being when there is constant awareness of the ways of the mind, and of the hindrances it has built for itself."

~ J Krishnamurti

Sasseruwa, Srilanka, December 2010

One of the most perplexing aspects in the life of a creative person(I mean this in a broad sense) is having to deal with periods of vacuum and darkness inside the head. Just as we start to think that the uncomfortable lull is at the end of cycle, it somehow resurfaces. Apparently the situation needs some sensitive handling and T-L-C, which I have just about started to figure, mostly by trial and error. There's also some fantastic reading available on the subject which I find immensely useful (I will share the reading list). These are just some thoughts and observations that have roots in the familiar creative cycles that are a big part of my life – open to becoming more rounded, meaningful and deciphered; so your participation is very welcome.

Firstly, why does this 'dip' happen when we are on a roll ? Simply put, I think it is the mind's way of coping with it's own complexities that show up during the task of creating, during which it must also align with the heart, somewhat at the least. And then there's also the quest of having to carve out that unique creative vision. As invigorating as it may seem, ideating can be exhausting and seeing it to its final stage is often a long arduous haul. Like the other organs, the brain/mind has its way of recuperating which first hits a dip before reviving. Maybe it’s a natural mechanism essential to complete a cycle, so we can appreciate the end results truly. But we can look at it this way only if we acknowledge and accept what is, I think. At least, that’s what helps in my case. What that acceptance seems to do is create an airy space in place of the vacuum. Gradually. But definitely. I also like to visualize this as a space filling up with fresh air and all things good. Still. Why does the strange discomfort linger ? Because as creative souls, our way of making sense of the world is by creating constantly. When the results produce insufficient meaning(degree of which is subjective) or sense, we tend to feel this way. Filling up time with lots of other things of interest during this time helps. For example, I like tanking up on my reading, travel, take on photo shoots that are standardish in approach, exercise, editing/cleaning out my archives – a fairly mechanical job that can be accompanied by listening to music and podcasts that I’ve been waiting to pay attention to. And so, my ‘meaning making’ happens when I’m wholly absorbing all these and a sense of preparation for projects ahead also begins to happen. . . When information, ideas and inspiration fill up in place of vacuum – thereby feeding the cycle of creating – a light filled new phase is born. For now, I am learning to like the detachment from creatingand the stress of having to create or photograph something.

Seen another way, these phases(if we embrace them) can help us steer clear of the rather disappointing I-must-create-NOW-no-matter-what facet of this cycle. Creative juices are after all, at their best when they flow from the heart and give into its impulses. Since these cycles have become fairly familiar and there’s some sort of a recurring pattern here, penning it all down and sharing made sense.

Surely, there are several stages and complexities between where all of this starts and ends. Some of which I would like to break down and explore in future posts. Please look for posts tagged as creativity and join in with your thoughts !

February 28, 2011
One monsoon to another

"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way — things I had no words for."

~ Georgia O Keeffe

Anuradhapura, Sri lanka, Dec 2010

My obsession with the water lily family has taken on new heights after a recent trip to Sri lanka. From being Buddha's chosen flower to adorning the sacred ponds, the members of this gorgeous flower family are so much a part of this beautiful isle and its culture.
I found these purple water lilies, bejeweled by raindrops, outside a monastery and the vendor happily offered me one of these beauties who quietly journeyed along in a little water bottle until our last day in SL. This particular species also rightly happens to be the emerald isle's national flower. Needless to say, my Sri lankan journey was inspiring and very refreshing. I wanted to post a small series from the pleasantly rain soaked trip but looks like that will have to happen in parts, so please stay tuned. For now, I've picked something that embodies a feeling that has come back with me in my heart.

January 27, 2011
Quiet Wisdom

” Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.”

~ from The old man and the sea by Ernest Hemingway

Muttom (a Tsunami hit village near Kanyakumari), December 2009

Old things and all those that have lived to tell the tale, stand tall and beautiful in my eyes. I have a fascination for them and a reverence that cannot be expressed in words. I was going through my archives and found some such treasures that I had photographed months ago . . On a gorgeous winter’s day last year, when walking about the Tsunami hit shores of a fishing village on the southern most tip of the subcontinent, that I met these wonderful old souls — wrecked fishing boats that have had to endure much in silence over the years. They stood still but I could feel them breathe. And rooted deeply to their land and ocean, the winter skies bathing them in a surreal light, adding to their otherworldliness. Quiet, wise spectators of life as it carries on; past all the things and hardships they have endured.

October 28, 2010
Monks and the Monsoon

” Do not speak — unless it improves on the silence. “

~ Buddhist saying

During a quiet road trip recently to Bylakuppe — an exceptionally peacelful Tibetan settlement in the Coorg district, South of India, there seemed to be a myriad of invigorating Reds in the air, water and the earth . . .The deeply reflective quality of the color Red drew me in. The wetness of the Monsoon pronounced it further.

The color red is auspicious in Tibetan culture. It is a sacred color, one of the colors of the five Buddhas and the color of the monk’s garments. It is believed to have protective qualities and is therefore often used to paint sacred buildings. Red, throughout the development of civilization has had connotations with life and things considered sacred in some way.

On a separate note : I find that the colors of a landscape are so much more intense and pure during/before/after the rains. The clouds allow for the clean, even light and the rain water brings so much texture and freshness to everything. I so enjoy photographing in the rain and the Indian monsoon has always been a muse of mine, despite the fact that she’s a paradox–She takes as generously as she gives. Exploring her various facets and studying color have been on my mind lately. I was thinking I’d tie both the explorations together and see what happens. It could potentially grow into a series of sorts . . . I’ll start posting color captures of the monsoon along with some notes, from the places that touch my life, as these wet months go by and in the monsoons to come . . . these posts can be found under the category called Monsoon Colors in this blog. Do stay tuned . . . !

August 31, 2010
Mountain Diaries

These mountains have a special place in my heart in a nostalgic way and also as a matter of concern as to how best their fragile eco systems and natural beauty can be preserved. We all have places that we love, that soothe our souls and comfort those aching nerves. This place is one such to me. The mountains of the Nilgiris. This is my attempt at bringing the place closer to you all through these personal visual notes I make as I see and feel the place. I hope these notes convey the love, the tenderness and an ethereal quality that exists in the spirit of these hills. And it is a beginning of sorts for me in this endeavor of spreading a message. Please click on the image below to view the complete(continuing) story.

July 23, 2010
Monsoon Love

The respite brought by the Indian Monsoon after a parched summer is incomparable to anything else that may rejuvenate an aching earth and all it’s creatures. She’s here again, ready to bless us with her lush bounties. The outtakes below were captured during a generous spell of the SouthWest Monsoon as she touched the mountains of the Western Ghats recently. Photographed at the gorgeous Thiashola Plantations in the Nilgiris.

~~~~~

rains always show me the way

~~~~~

“A lifetime of showers moistens the soul.” ~ Anonymous

June 24, 2010
Light of a new day …

” Here was blue, here was yellow, here was green, sky and river, woods and mountains, all beautiful, all mysterious and enchanting, and in the midst of it, he, Siddhartha, the awakened one, on the way to himself. All this, yellow and blue, river and wood, passed for the first time across Siddhartha’s eyes.

It was no longer the magic of Mara, it was no more the veil of Maya, it was no longer meaningless… “

~ From Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

Poovar estuary, Kerala, India. December 2009.

May 25, 2010
Beautiful Ganga at Rishikesh

Where fire is kindled,

Where wind arises,

Where Soma overflows,

Mind appears.

~ The Upanisads

Rishikesh, March 14, 2010

May 7, 2010
Goa Evenings…

April 30, 2010