On-Longing

"The body is the primary mood of perceiving scale."

This photo was taken of my best friend, Taylor, in Paris, France in front of the Eiffel Tower. It was intended to be taken so far away so that Taylor perceived to taller than the Eiffel Tower because as anyone knows the Eiffel Tower is massive. However, in this photo, the Eiffel Tower is perceived to be much smaller than Taylor and proves that when a human body is placed in a certain position in front of something the scale of things can be completely changed. 

"The souvenir reduces the public, the monumental, 

the three-dimensional into the miniature, that which

can be enveloped by the body." 

Since I was very young, my dad has always cut down a rather large Christmas tree and throughout the years we have collected multiple extravagant ornaments. The most meaning ornaments to me, are our Swarovski crystal ornaments. Each Christmas, my grandmother gives my mom one as a gift and they are all hung at the top of the tree shown as a symbol of our tradition of Christmas and family. The Swarovski crystal ornaments are all engraved with the year it was given to my mom and when I am older they will be handed down to me. So when I look at each ornament I have a special memory for each one. 

"To have a souvenir of the exotic is to possess

both a specimen and a trophy."

Each ring on my fingers come from a different place but given to me on my high school graduation. They are all exotic in their own way, one being from Flagstaff, Arizona welded by a Native American and given its own unique print. Another is from Vail, Colorado and is considered "the symbol of the Vail Valley". The other comes from a small town in Normandy, France and given to me by my great aunt. I consider them all trophies that were given to me for accomplishing the first major step in my life. 

"Nostalgia cannot be sustained without loss."

This photo was taken of my best friend and me our senior year of high school and it reminds me of the greatest memories we created together. Nostalgia oozes from this photo because it constantly reminds me of the friendship that I have lost and mostly will never regain.  

"The place of origin must remain unavailable 

in order for desire to be generated."

This photo was taken of me in Lake Powell, Utah during Thanksgiving three years ago. My family and I would spend our Thanksgiving break there for five years in a row until I moved to Florida for college. And now every year when the holiday season rolls around it brings me the sadness that I won't be able to visit Lake Powell for Thanksgiving. This place is like no other place on earth and most people only get to visit there once in there life. However, I have been going there since I was a baby and being able to visit this magnificent place is a privilege and I will never take that for granted.