Author Archives: Jordan

Does there have to be suffering?


So the past few weeks have been busy, I have been trying to reflect on what it really means to be homeless. When I started out this project I just wanted to do some community service and take some nice pictures, but it became so much more. I realized that being homeless doesn’t just mean you don’t have a place to call home or a bed to sleep in; it affects and is your life. I also learned that there isn’t only one type of homeless, everybody situation is unique and everyone is homeless for different reasons. Throughout this project so far, the one thing that has really stuck with me is the idea of treating the reason why people are homeless and not just treating the homeless. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people so far, many of them homeless and they have all had a lot to say about the resources that are there for them. Many raved about how wonderful they all are and how they don’t know where they would be without them. then there have been so many people that I have met who don’t even know that resources that try and help get them back on their feet, give them food or a safe place to stay even exist. They have been thinking that they are completely on their own. What good are these places if people don’t know about them? But then that also leads to the problem of once everyone knows then there won’t be enough help to help all of the homeless people. All of this has made me think a lot about awareness and advocacy, because I know that right now I can’t help everyone even if I tried. Take a look around you, what little thing can you do? Something that should go hand in hand with awareness is consideration and being conscious of what’s around you.

Any can be an advocate, you just have to open your eyes to what is around you and make a conscious effort to at least think about things. I understand everyone can’t or won’t do everything to help homeless people, but being aware takes virtually no time and will cost you nothing. Because maybe everyone just being aware isn’t enough, but if more people are aware I feel like there is more of a chance that something or someone will do something about it. Homeless people aren’t going to go away and the reasons why people become homeless aren’t either, why does anybody deserve to suffer or struggle?

Does there have to be suffering?


So the past few weeks have been busy, I have been trying to reflect on what it really means to be homeless. When I started out this project I just wanted to do some community service and take some nice pictures, but it became so much more. I realized that being homeless doesn’t just mean you don’t have a place to call home or a bed to sleep in; it affects and is your life. I also learned that there isn’t only one type of homeless, everybody situation is unique and everyone is homeless for different reasons. Throughout this project so far, the one thing that has really stuck with me is the idea of treating the reason why people are homeless and not just treating the homeless. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people so far, many of them homeless and they have all had a lot to say about the resources that are there for them. Many raved about how wonderful they all are and how they don’t know where they would be without them. then there have been so many people that I have met who don’t even know that resources that try and help get them back on their feet, give them food or a safe place to stay even exist. They have been thinking that they are completely on their own. What good are these places if people don’t know about them? But then that also leads to the problem of once everyone knows then there won’t be enough help to help all of the homeless people. All of this has made me think a lot about awareness and advocacy, because I know that right now I can’t help everyone even if I tried. Take a look around you, what little thing can you do? Something that should go hand in hand with awareness is consideration and being conscious of what’s around you.

Any can be an advocate, you just have to open your eyes to what is around you and make a conscious effort to at least think about things. I understand everyone can’t or won’t do everything to help homeless people, but being aware takes virtually no time and will cost you nothing. Because maybe everyone just being aware isn’t enough, but if more people are aware I feel like there is more of a chance that something or someone will do something about it. Homeless people aren’t going to go away and the reasons why people become homeless aren’t either, why does anybody deserve to suffer or struggle?

Changing Your Preceptions

 

After a few days of taking photos in Portland, and talking to a lot of really helpful and interesting people I resumed my efforts  to pick up trash around my neighborhood. I have been doing quite a bit of research this week and I was feeling accomplished until silly me misplaced my memory card containing all of the past two weeks photo shoots. So after searching and searching my home and car, where I know it must be, I finally accepted the fact that I probably won’t find it in time to use for the next  peer critique.

I have been spending a lot of time on doing reflective writing after picking up trash and I decided that that’s where I would go with this week’s photos. Thoughts that I have had a lot recently is how important it is for me to be aware are really be conscious and open my eyes to what is around me. I went out and spent a few hours in the sun and in the forest getting new images for this week. I tried not to dwell on the fact that I didn’t have the old images. I have been picking up a lot of trash and it starts to make you see only the ugly in things. I was only seeing the dirty smelly trash and not the beautiful forest and nature around me. That was until I stumbled across a few structures in the forest where someone took the time to make it beautiful.

A wonderful wind chime sort of thing out of silverware and old rusty parts gave me that little push of inspiration I needed to help me see the nicer side of what I have been doing.

It helped me to see that when I am picking up trash maybe I could be reflecting on all of my surroundings and not just the bad parts about it. In doing this just even just for the rest of the afternoon when i was picking up trash made it so much more enjoyable and insightful. Its amazing how this one wind chime changed so much for me, but i’m really glad i saw it. This whole experience has constantly made me think about how I should really be more aware of what’s around me and how I can make a conscious effort to make a difference no matter how small. So I guess my main concept I wanted to get across in my photos this week is to keep an eye out for what’s there and what you could do to make a difference.

Changing Your Preceptions

 

After a few days of taking photos in Portland, and talking to a lot of really helpful and interesting people I resumed my efforts  to pick up trash around my neighborhood. I have been doing quite a bit of research this week and I was feeling accomplished until silly me misplaced my memory card containing all of the past two weeks photo shoots. So after searching and searching my home and car, where I know it must be, I finally accepted the fact that I probably won’t find it in time to use for the next  peer critique.

I have been spending a lot of time on doing reflective writing after picking up trash and I decided that that’s where I would go with this week’s photos. Thoughts that I have had a lot recently is how important it is for me to be aware are really be conscious and open my eyes to what is around me. I went out and spent a few hours in the sun and in the forest getting new images for this week. I tried not to dwell on the fact that I didn’t have the old images. I have been picking up a lot of trash and it starts to make you see only the ugly in things. I was only seeing the dirty smelly trash and not the beautiful forest and nature around me. That was until I stumbled across a few structures in the forest where someone took the time to make it beautiful.

A wonderful wind chime sort of thing out of silverware and old rusty parts gave me that little push of inspiration I needed to help me see the nicer side of what I have been doing.

It helped me to see that when I am picking up trash maybe I could be reflecting on all of my surroundings and not just the bad parts about it. In doing this just even just for the rest of the afternoon when i was picking up trash made it so much more enjoyable and insightful. Its amazing how this one wind chime changed so much for me, but i’m really glad i saw it. This whole experience has constantly made me think about how I should really be more aware of what’s around me and how I can make a conscious effort to make a difference no matter how small. So I guess my main concept I wanted to get across in my photos this week is to keep an eye out for what’s there and what you could do to make a difference.

Changing Your Preceptions

 

After a few days of taking photos in Portland, and talking to a lot of really helpful and interesting people I resumed my efforts  to pick up trash around my neighborhood. I have been doing quite a bit of research this week and I was feeling accomplished until silly me misplaced my memory card containing all of the past two weeks photo shoots. So after searching and searching my home and car, where I know it must be, I finally accepted the fact that I probably won’t find it in time to use for the next  peer critique.

I have been spending a lot of time on doing reflective writing after picking up trash and I decided that that’s where I would go with this week’s photos. Thoughts that I have had a lot recently is how important it is for me to be aware are really be conscious and open my eyes to what is around me. I went out and spent a few hours in the sun and in the forest getting new images for this week. I tried not to dwell on the fact that I didn’t have the old images. I have been picking up a lot of trash and it starts to make you see only the ugly in things. I was only seeing the dirty smelly trash and not the beautiful forest and nature around me. That was until I stumbled across a few structures in the forest where someone took the time to make it beautiful.

A wonderful wind chime sort of thing out of silverware and old rusty parts gave me that little push of inspiration I needed to help me see the nicer side of what I have been doing.

It helped me to see that when I am picking up trash maybe I could be reflecting on all of my surroundings and not just the bad parts about it. In doing this just even just for the rest of the afternoon when i was picking up trash made it so much more enjoyable and insightful. Its amazing how this one wind chime changed so much for me, but i’m really glad i saw it. This whole experience has constantly made me think about how I should really be more aware of what’s around me and how I can make a conscious effort to make a difference no matter how small. So I guess my main concept I wanted to get across in my photos this week is to keep an eye out for what’s there and what you could do to make a difference.

Changing Your Preceptions

 

After a few days of taking photos in Portland, and talking to a lot of really helpful and interesting people I resumed my efforts  to pick up trash around my neighborhood. I have been doing quite a bit of research this week and I was feeling accomplished until silly me misplaced my memory card containing all of the past two weeks photo shoots. So after searching and searching my home and car, where I know it must be, I finally accepted the fact that I probably won’t find it in time to use for the next  peer critique.

I have been spending a lot of time on doing reflective writing after picking up trash and I decided that that’s where I would go with this week’s photos. Thoughts that I have had a lot recently is how important it is for me to be aware are really be conscious and open my eyes to what is around me. I went out and spent a few hours in the sun and in the forest getting new images for this week. I tried not to dwell on the fact that I didn’t have the old images. I have been picking up a lot of trash and it starts to make you see only the ugly in things. I was only seeing the dirty smelly trash and not the beautiful forest and nature around me. That was until I stumbled across a few structures in the forest where someone took the time to make it beautiful.

A wonderful wind chime sort of thing out of silverware and old rusty parts gave me that little push of inspiration I needed to help me see the nicer side of what I have been doing.

It helped me to see that when I am picking up trash maybe I could be reflecting on all of my surroundings and not just the bad parts about it. In doing this just even just for the rest of the afternoon when i was picking up trash made it so much more enjoyable and insightful. Its amazing how this one wind chime changed so much for me, but i’m really glad i saw it. This whole experience has constantly made me think about how I should really be more aware of what’s around me and how I can make a conscious effort to make a difference no matter how small. So I guess my main concept I wanted to get across in my photos this week is to keep an eye out for what’s there and what you could do to make a difference.

Changing Your Preceptions

 

After a few days of taking photos in Portland, and talking to a lot of really helpful and interesting people I resumed my efforts  to pick up trash around my neighborhood. I have been doing quite a bit of research this week and I was feeling accomplished until silly me misplaced my memory card containing all of the past two weeks photo shoots. So after searching and searching my home and car, where I know it must be, I finally accepted the fact that I probably won’t find it in time to use for the next  peer critique.

I have been spending a lot of time on doing reflective writing after picking up trash and I decided that that’s where I would go with this week’s photos. Thoughts that I have had a lot recently is how important it is for me to be aware are really be conscious and open my eyes to what is around me. I went out and spent a few hours in the sun and in the forest getting new images for this week. I tried not to dwell on the fact that I didn’t have the old images. I have been picking up a lot of trash and it starts to make you see only the ugly in things. I was only seeing the dirty smelly trash and not the beautiful forest and nature around me. That was until I stumbled across a few structures in the forest where someone took the time to make it beautiful.

A wonderful wind chime sort of thing out of silverware and old rusty parts gave me that little push of inspiration I needed to help me see the nicer side of what I have been doing.

It helped me to see that when I am picking up trash maybe I could be reflecting on all of my surroundings and not just the bad parts about it. In doing this just even just for the rest of the afternoon when i was picking up trash made it so much more enjoyable and insightful. Its amazing how this one wind chime changed so much for me, but i’m really glad i saw it. This whole experience has constantly made me think about how I should really be more aware of what’s around me and how I can make a conscious effort to make a difference no matter how small. So I guess my main concept I wanted to get across in my photos this week is to keep an eye out for what’s there and what you could do to make a difference.

Changing Your Preceptions

 

After a few days of taking photos in Portland, and talking to a lot of really helpful and interesting people I resumed my efforts  to pick up trash around my neighborhood. I have been doing quite a bit of research this week and I was feeling accomplished until silly me misplaced my memory card containing all of the past two weeks photo shoots. So after searching and searching my home and car, where I know it must be, I finally accepted the fact that I probably won’t find it in time to use for the next  peer critique.

I have been spending a lot of time on doing reflective writing after picking up trash and I decided that that’s where I would go with this week’s photos. Thoughts that I have had a lot recently is how important it is for me to be aware are really be conscious and open my eyes to what is around me. I went out and spent a few hours in the sun and in the forest getting new images for this week. I tried not to dwell on the fact that I didn’t have the old images. I have been picking up a lot of trash and it starts to make you see only the ugly in things. I was only seeing the dirty smelly trash and not the beautiful forest and nature around me. That was until I stumbled across a few structures in the forest where someone took the time to make it beautiful.

A wonderful wind chime sort of thing out of silverware and old rusty parts gave me that little push of inspiration I needed to help me see the nicer side of what I have been doing.

It helped me to see that when I am picking up trash maybe I could be reflecting on all of my surroundings and not just the bad parts about it. In doing this just even just for the rest of the afternoon when i was picking up trash made it so much more enjoyable and insightful. Its amazing how this one wind chime changed so much for me, but i’m really glad i saw it. This whole experience has constantly made me think about how I should really be more aware of what’s around me and how I can make a conscious effort to make a difference no matter how small. So I guess my main concept I wanted to get across in my photos this week is to keep an eye out for what’s there and what you could do to make a difference.

Changing Your Preceptions

 

After a few days of taking photos in Portland, and talking to a lot of really helpful and interesting people I resumed my efforts  to pick up trash around my neighborhood. I have been doing quite a bit of research this week and I was feeling accomplished until silly me misplaced my memory card containing all of the past two weeks photo shoots. So after searching and searching my home and car, where I know it must be, I finally accepted the fact that I probably won’t find it in time to use for the next  peer critique.

I have been spending a lot of time on doing reflective writing after picking up trash and I decided that that’s where I would go with this week’s photos. Thoughts that I have had a lot recently is how important it is for me to be aware are really be conscious and open my eyes to what is around me. I went out and spent a few hours in the sun and in the forest getting new images for this week. I tried not to dwell on the fact that I didn’t have the old images. I have been picking up a lot of trash and it starts to make you see only the ugly in things. I was only seeing the dirty smelly trash and not the beautiful forest and nature around me. That was until I stumbled across a few structures in the forest where someone took the time to make it beautiful.

A wonderful wind chime sort of thing out of silverware and old rusty parts gave me that little push of inspiration I needed to help me see the nicer side of what I have been doing.

It helped me to see that when I am picking up trash maybe I could be reflecting on all of my surroundings and not just the bad parts about it. In doing this just even just for the rest of the afternoon when i was picking up trash made it so much more enjoyable and insightful. Its amazing how this one wind chime changed so much for me, but i’m really glad i saw it. This whole experience has constantly made me think about how I should really be more aware of what’s around me and how I can make a conscious effort to make a difference no matter how small. So I guess my main concept I wanted to get across in my photos this week is to keep an eye out for what’s there and what you could do to make a difference.

Changing Your Preceptions

 

After a few days of taking photos in Portland, and talking to a lot of really helpful and interesting people I resumed my efforts  to pick up trash around my neighborhood. I have been doing quite a bit of research this week and I was feeling accomplished until silly me misplaced my memory card containing all of the past two weeks photo shoots. So after searching and searching my home and car, where I know it must be, I finally accepted the fact that I probably won’t find it in time to use for the next  peer critique.

I have been spending a lot of time on doing reflective writing after picking up trash and I decided that that’s where I would go with this week’s photos. Thoughts that I have had a lot recently is how important it is for me to be aware are really be conscious and open my eyes to what is around me. I went out and spent a few hours in the sun and in the forest getting new images for this week. I tried not to dwell on the fact that I didn’t have the old images. I have been picking up a lot of trash and it starts to make you see only the ugly in things. I was only seeing the dirty smelly trash and not the beautiful forest and nature around me. That was until I stumbled across a few structures in the forest where someone took the time to make it beautiful.

A wonderful wind chime sort of thing out of silverware and old rusty parts gave me that little push of inspiration I needed to help me see the nicer side of what I have been doing.

It helped me to see that when I am picking up trash maybe I could be reflecting on all of my surroundings and not just the bad parts about it. In doing this just even just for the rest of the afternoon when i was picking up trash made it so much more enjoyable and insightful. Its amazing how this one wind chime changed so much for me, but i’m really glad i saw it. This whole experience has constantly made me think about how I should really be more aware of what’s around me and how I can make a conscious effort to make a difference no matter how small. So I guess my main concept I wanted to get across in my photos this week is to keep an eye out for what’s there and what you could do to make a difference.