CharlieSuh

호미곶 - 2012년 9월

5 months ago 30 notes

조화 - 2012년 9월

My time in Korea was nearing its end and I had no plans. Didn’t have people to see, didn’t make a list of things I wanted to do before leaving. I had a weekend left and I decided to spend that time in the quiet small town of 포항 (Pohang). I had never been there before and I don’t think it’s really the kind of town people go for their Korea sight seeing; at least not one of the first that come to mind. Pohang is a small industrial town that is supported by its steel manufacturing. As we took the highway exit off into Pohang and we were greeted by huge steel factories with smoking chimneys floating up into the grey sky.

A few years ago, before making my move to South Korea, I heard about this statue. It was at the 호미곶 해맞이광장 (Homigot Sunrise Square) where one hand was built in the sea and the other was built on the beach. The sun rises through the hand in the water and I was told that it stands for the power of the Korean people and how they would rise into the world from their war torn past. I knew I had to see it someday.

While living in Korea I had forgotten about it and when I was trying to figure out what to do with my last weekend in Seoul, it jumped back into my mind. It would be the perfect way to end my time in Korea. That same night I called up an old friend who grew up around the area, he said he was free all weekend and that we could do a little road trip out there. I took a train down to Busan where I met with him and from there we began our drive to Pohang.

As of now I’m back home in Los Angeles. I’ll be in Ohio and then New York after Christmas so expect some pics of the USA coming in the later months. I don’t think this is the end of my Korea photography, I’ll most likely be making trips out there every now and then. Cheers everyone.

5 months ago 76 notes

I’ve been surrounded by inspiration yet it doesn’t seem to be affecting me. I guess it wouldn’t be inspiration then. Should-be-inspiration, I’ll call it. A few thoughts that have been running through my mind. It seems that when choice is taken away from you the joy and comfort of your position is as well, regardless of any actual change in situation besides the removal of potential options. Maybe that doesn’t make sense, maybe it does. I’m not gonna try and convince any of this into being well thought out ideas. The excitement in living is the potential of achieving or arriving at a dream, a personal desired position and state of being. I’m not content with where I’m at and I don’t feel excitement, not because I’m not where I want to be, I don’t think people often get to that place, but more so because I don’t feel that I’m currently moving in that direction, or I don’t even have a clear idea of where that even is. I feel like I’m lost without a compass. Not sure what to do so I’m just moving one way and then unhappy so I make a turn, never being sure of where I’m ultimately trying to go. I have my dreams, my personal desired state of being, but I’m not happy with what I’m doing (or not doing) to get there. I want to be free. I want to photograph with a purpose. I want to shoot on assignment. I want my labor to make use of my skills and passions. I know what I want to do well, I know what I want to master, and it’s to be able to document our current history. The state of emotion in humans in this current age. How do I do that? I’m not sure. I want to be a historian. The problem here is fear. Not entirely fear of failure but fear of going the wrong way. Straying too far from the familiar without a compass or trail to follow back. I look around me and it seems as if the people in my life are achieving goals. Various goals that are considered most desirable to our generation. Building a family, higher education, or seeing the world. I don’t feel like I’m doing any of those three nor am I building toward one of them. I need to change something. Sad to admit it but it seems that in order for ~~a person~~ me to make a great change, I need a dramatic push. A big event to knock me into the state of mind. I envy those who know where they want to be. That’s the biggest achievement of all. Once you know what you want to be doing there’s no risk involved. When you are uncomfortable no matter where you stand if it isn’t in the light of that goal, there is no fear of failing or getting lost because any change or attempt in the direction of that goal is progression. I guess this is ultimately what every human being strives for. But in these times we have ~~so much~~ too much access to the lives of those around us. We can see and follow every achievement and every step of progress in the lives of nearly everyone we encounter which leaves a whole lot of room for comparison, self-reflection, and then discouragement. It’s dangerous. It’s complex. Life in this century is insanely complex, everything we do is an attempt to make life more simple, yet the majority of the time we are all adding to the complexity. Are we too smart now? Maybe being so intelligent and having access to so much of the world has actually taken away from human wisdom. Maybe. I think the idea of fate becomes more complex the longer you think about it. It’s not as simple as “whatever is meant to happen happens”. Part of me feels that no matter what, I’ll get to where I want to be. And that’s comforting. But, it also worries me. These busy thoughts won’t make any change but hopefully it’ll be a gentle push in the path I want to take.

It feels nice to spill my mixed up brain out on ~~paper~~ my blog.

11 months ago 37 notes