ANGELA B. PAN

Just in case you were wondering, walking around in the freezing rain isn’t as fun as walking around in snow. I don’t know, its just not the same…

Since the weather was pretty crappy on Monday, I started playing this new game. Ride the metro for as long as you can tolerate, get off at a random stop, then walk around until you figure out where you are, then (thanks to my awesome sense of direction) find your way to a different metro stop, and go home. It’s a pretty fun game that you all should try!

One of my favorite things to photograph in DC while its snowing is the white-on-white. White snow with the “white” memorials. It’s so simple and beautiful.

While walking around the other day I saw the WWI memorial out of the corner of my eye and made my way over there. It’s a memorial that’s not photographed often but it’s definietly not one to pass up. I got the standard shots of the memorial with the trees surrounding it but it wasn’t until I stepped into the memorial with the beautiful columns and trees that I got really excited.

OK, I changed my mind again. I’m back in love with snow.

Popped a few valentines day chocolates for breakfast and I was off to shoot on this very white Presidents day.

I finished reading Big Magic a couple of weeks ago and it’s a book that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since. If you haven’t read it then I’d highly recommend it. It’s a book for creatives but when it comes down to it, it’s a book for everyone because we all have hidden treasures inside of us. You just have to be brave enough to seek them out. (A little tidbit I learned from the book.)

One of the biggest ideas that I got from this book is that there are other people out there like me! Sometimes you get frustrated or discouraged by your art and sometimes it can be labeled as suffering for your art. Another word to use instead of “suffering” is “dedication”. Dedication to what makes me happy and also what keeps me feeling alive. If an image I created is less than perfect, it’s ok. I’ll still keep on working on it because it’s what I love to do.

“My work loves me as much as I love it.” – Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic.

One of my 2016 goals is to be more present. More mindful of everything I’m doing and take the time out to appreciate all the good times I’m experiencing. A lot of times I rush through things and at the end of the day I hardly remember what I did.

So when I was out making this image yesterday I was noticing the swirls in the icy water. Like I put my camera down and and really stood there to look at what interested me so much about this scene. I thought the patterns were so cool and can only assume it’s from wind. The circular motions and untouched ice was something like I had never seen at the tidal basin. What a beautiful footprint nature left.

Now that the snow is mostly gone, do you miss it? You know you do a little bit. I’m an either all or nothing girl. I want it to be totally covered in snow or completely gone. This in between stuff is a little too messy for me.