A short holiday nearby from 7th to 11th March 2018, visiting Hoi An and Da Nang in Vietnam, with friends Jude and Keith. My travel photography adventure became more of a food and coffee adventure, than a travel reportage adventure. This was something different from my previous travel adventures, there were learning and enriching experiences, away from my personal travel styles and standards. Travel delays, technical hiccups, adapting to changes, all part of the unique travel experiences that makes traveling so special for us travel wanderlusts.
After returning from this trip, I know what I would need to do and plan for my future trips to Hoi An and Da Nang again, in the near future I hope. Hoi An gave me the aura, environment and ambience that might help in my history, heritage and creative artworks segments that might have an influence in my photography. Da Nang, on the other hand, gave me another totally different perspectives, views and style of photography that I would/am able to do. I will be back again to Hoi An and Da Nang, along with Hue and Hai Van Pass. I would write and share more on my travel photography adventures, destinations, food and locations at a later time when my other priorities are cleared away.
Whenever I have my personal time during my travel adventures, whether traveling betweeen destinations, I would take this time to read, think and plan, what I would like/need to do, seeking inspiration and ideas. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, regardless of the situations and outcome, I will always make the best of everything.
I brought a book along for my trip, “The Little Book of IKIGAI” by Ken Mogi, I reckon it was just perfect for this particular travel adventure. During the short time that I had for my reading, I read Chapter 5 “Flow and creativity” and Chapter 6 “Ikigai and sustainability”. Some of the key phrases and lessons were “starting small”, “releasing oneself”, “harmony and sustainability”, “the joy of little things”, “being in the here and now”
The teachings from those Chapters 5 and 6, left an impact inside me, reinforcing some thoughts and ideas that I had been pondering deeply – wanting to return back to my roots on photography content that comes from my heart, mind and soul, what I really wanted to shoot, document, write and share. All the inner joys and satisfaction, I seem to have let it slip behind somewhere, now I want them to return to me again.
Borrowing a phrase from the book to paraphrase my own quote, “So make photographs, even when nobody is viewing and understanding. Write a short story from my photography and coverage that no one will read.”
The time is now for me to be my own master of “being in the here and now”.
Some of you may be able to understand, some of you may not be able to understand.
Moving forward, what I have written might come to light, through the fruits of labour that I reap and sow with my words, flow, creativity, thoughts, ideas. The puzzles and pieces, follow my flow and journeys, might produce something special and unique.
However, back to the harsh and cruel reality of the capitalist world, I am back to the grind, continue to build up my photography business. There is a commercial and revenue aspect that I need to fulfill, to earn a living and survive. Maybe an addition of another business or multiple jobs makes perfect sense in this highly disruptive world of ours today in the 21st century and beyond.
Moving forward, get the jobs done, do it well, earn the revenue to survive, grow and expand. Concurrently, I am returning back to my roots, creating quality content that my heart, mind and soul that truly tells me from inside me.