Photo of the Week, #3

Happy Solstice!

I love this time of the year! It leaves me hope- and wistful at the same time. With the vast expanse of summer still in front of me, I feel boundless opportunities for adventure, playing outside, and unexpected connections.

My heart is beating a little more strongly at this time of the year. There’s more yearning – for life.

Yet, this always comes with a drawback. From now on, the days are getting shorter in the Northern Hemisphere. This thought stays in the back of my mind throughout the season. It’s bitter sweet. At the same time, I appreciate that time and opportunities to take in the season are limited. They make summer and these light days so precious to me.

Now, onto the photo of the week.

Photo of the Week, #3

Last night, I went on a late evening walk.

I wanted to see the nearly full moon and take in the mood of the solstice. Also, I still needed a photo for this week. It’s nice that writing this newsletter gets me out of the house. After all, I need a meaningful photo to send you every week.

It was a beautiful evening. The sky was mostly clear, a deep violet that is at once magical and comforting. The full moon didn’t rise behind the mountains for a long time, illuminating them from behind like an invisible lamp. It cast the sky and peaks in a warm, golden light.

Like I said in the intro, I love this time of the year. At the beginning of summer, everything is blooming in the mountains. Life is really happening in technicolor. There’s a promise of life, aliveness in the air that’s electric.

Everything is whirring, buzzing, and chirping – especially after dusk. Summers in the mountains are very short. And in those hours, the intensity of these short weeks and months becomes palpable.

When I walked into the forest last night, I was mesmerized by the sight of fireflies floating through the dark. I watched their dance and listened to the chatter of the toads nearby. And for a moment, I felt the magic of being alive viscerally.

It was a beautiful evening!

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Next Week: An Essay on Internet Brain

I had gone on the same walk the night before with my mom and without a phone. Comparing the two experiences, I felt frustrated – with myself and these tech tools I sometimes feel so chained to.

Even though I was fully committed to being present and only used my phone for photos last night, I wasn’t entirely there. My mind kept wandering back to my phone. I interrupted myself to write something down for the newsletter. Then, I kept taking more photos.

One the one hand, it was worth it, because I was able to send you this newsletter because I took my phone with me. On the other hand, I don’t appreciate my being tethered to this device. It took away the depth of the experience that I felt so strongly the night before.

The Sticky Tentacles of My Phone Keep Reaching My Mind

The way in which this tool has affected my brain and those of many others, is deeply disconcerting. Despite all the blocking tools, its tentacles keep reaching my mind. I could, should write things down. I could take another photo. I could… When it’s there, I’m never fully present, even when everything that’s a distraction is turned off. It’s a matter of how my phone seems to have changed my – our – cognitive architectures.

I’m writing an essay about this that I will send out to you next week. It explores how the internet has changed now only what but how we think. “Do you have internet brain?” will land in your inbox sometime next week. I’m looking forward to your thoughts on that.

The Connective Thread of My Life & Writing

In the future, I’ll write two longer-form pieces per month with original essays, interviews, and maybe even reporting. Those will live behind a paywall. You’ll be able to access them for 8€/month. If you want to support my work, you can subscribe here:

My intent with this is to share my boundless curiosity with you and the stories I find in my life and travels. I write these stories to inspire you and expose you to new ideas. My life, as I have come to realize, is driven by a strong undercurrent of exploration. In these stories, I share my discoveries and learnings with you. That’s so much fun!

When I was in journalism, I felt that too many meaningful stories weren’t told. There just wasn’t space in the editorial calendar and the direction the site I worked for went in. I’m enthusiastic about how Substack provides more space for depth and substance in writing.

I’ll still keep sharing the photo of the week and I’m still working on my creativity and art behind the scenes. I’ve been drawing as much as I haven’t in years and that’s been great! Yet, in the past weeks, I’ve come to realize how much I missed writing properly. So, I’m giving myself a framework to do that now and take you along the ride.

Have a lovely weekend,

Johanna