The Reading Woman
it took a while before i finally figured out how to upload a photo for my profile (i was too shy to ask for help from my friends, add to that my fear of looking stupid, so i had to really figure things out for myself, with BloggerHelp, of course.) so here's the story behind the photo.
about a month ago, i was trying to think of a name for the bookstore i was planning to put up. initially, i wanted to establish a bookstore specifically for women - singles, mothers, grandmothers, in a relationship, married, widowed, divorced, etc.. i found myself visualizing a group of women reading together or a single woman reading by herself at a cafe, by her garden, or at her study. and i thought, that would be a nice photo subject, a woman reading. i could see her smiling sometimes, or with furrowed eyebrows, clearly engrossed in her own secret world. actually, that is how i see myself when i am reading a really good book. i do not care if other people (esp. if i'm at a cafe) find me a little weird smiling or laughing by myself. it's really none of their business. it's between me and the book.
anyway, a few weeks ago, i found myself at powerbooks greenbelt, browsing through the new book arrivals, when my eyes wandered to the novelty items section, where the calendars, stationery, journals were displayed. i started browsing through the calendars. not the chinese-type calendars we see hardware stores give away at christmas time, but those with really good photographs or painting reproductions such as Van Gogh (which i have bought two years back), Monet, or Picasso. lo and behold! i saw a calendar entitled "The Reading Woman". and true enough, it was a calendar with 12 painting reproductions with either a lone woman or a group of women - you guessed right - reading! i was surprised and delighted that my little "idea" was actually thought of way before and was indeed possible, even so many years ago. (it was another instance of serendipity and synchronicity in this corner of the universe.) the blurb said, "Over several centuries, the reading woman as painter’s subject has become a tradition unto itself. " i believe that to be true, for i think there is a certain romanticism in reading a book - the image of someone, especially a woman, engaged in such a solitary, (although, as i've mentioned, there was a painting of a group of women) somewhat intellectual, but often spiritual pursuit. for in these moments of solitude and quietness, a woman hears her soul's voice and often finds that it is also the voice of God.
...
so when my son wanted to photograph me the other day, i grabbed the opportunity to have my picture taken while reading "possession". it's not as "romantic" or "artistic" as the paintings featured in the calendar but it will do for now. i like it. it's so "me."
about a month ago, i was trying to think of a name for the bookstore i was planning to put up. initially, i wanted to establish a bookstore specifically for women - singles, mothers, grandmothers, in a relationship, married, widowed, divorced, etc.. i found myself visualizing a group of women reading together or a single woman reading by herself at a cafe, by her garden, or at her study. and i thought, that would be a nice photo subject, a woman reading. i could see her smiling sometimes, or with furrowed eyebrows, clearly engrossed in her own secret world. actually, that is how i see myself when i am reading a really good book. i do not care if other people (esp. if i'm at a cafe) find me a little weird smiling or laughing by myself. it's really none of their business. it's between me and the book.
anyway, a few weeks ago, i found myself at powerbooks greenbelt, browsing through the new book arrivals, when my eyes wandered to the novelty items section, where the calendars, stationery, journals were displayed. i started browsing through the calendars. not the chinese-type calendars we see hardware stores give away at christmas time, but those with really good photographs or painting reproductions such as Van Gogh (which i have bought two years back), Monet, or Picasso. lo and behold! i saw a calendar entitled "The Reading Woman". and true enough, it was a calendar with 12 painting reproductions with either a lone woman or a group of women - you guessed right - reading! i was surprised and delighted that my little "idea" was actually thought of way before and was indeed possible, even so many years ago. (it was another instance of serendipity and synchronicity in this corner of the universe.) the blurb said, "Over several centuries, the reading woman as painter’s subject has become a tradition unto itself. " i believe that to be true, for i think there is a certain romanticism in reading a book - the image of someone, especially a woman, engaged in such a solitary, (although, as i've mentioned, there was a painting of a group of women) somewhat intellectual, but often spiritual pursuit. for in these moments of solitude and quietness, a woman hears her soul's voice and often finds that it is also the voice of God....
so when my son wanted to photograph me the other day, i grabbed the opportunity to have my picture taken while reading "possession". it's not as "romantic" or "artistic" as the paintings featured in the calendar but it will do for now. i like it. it's so "me."
posted by soulcraftwriter at 2:01 AM
2 Comments:
way to go, girl. Great idea putting up a bookstore. Make sure to stock up on graphic novels/comic books written by women. Kulang na kulang kasi. Puro boys na lang nakikita ko.
How'd you do that photo thing? yung naka text wrap? Gusto ko ring gawin yan but i dunno how and medyo inept ako sa pagsunod ng instructions from a manual, hehehe
thanks for the comment and words of encouragement, sister.
wrt the photo, actually by accident lang yan eh. hehe...what i remember was before i uploaded the image, i set the text wrap settings to left. tapos inayos ko na lang ulit sa mismong message by dragging it to where i want it. trial and error eh.
im sure there's a better way...
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