Journal Progression - The First Journal

The first journal I had created from the start of this semester, I have managed to collect fifty entries so far... However, with this journal in particular, the people who have contributed their past and present aspirational dreams and ambitions - I have been extremely discerning with the people I asked to write in it. The other journals I had left behind in comparison to the first one I had created - there is this contrast to it. The first journal is personal because I feel quite protective of it - I'm carrying friends, co-workers and classmates past and present dreams and ambitions while the other journals are filled with entries from strangers - people I don't know, and in that sense, I feel disconnected with them.

Below are the first three entries of the first journal I started off with.

Journal Progression - The Murdoch Journal has been found !

I was amazed and ecstatic when I came across the journal I left behind at Murdoch University! By the photocopier on the window sill I had found it. I was surprised... because people had actually written in it. What people wrote for their entries were interesting, and some, quite entertaining ( with photographs of the entries below ) . One thing I did notice though, was that several people dreamed and aspired to become / still want to become successful Vet's, which I believe seems to be a 'common' aspiration and ambition that many people wanted to achieve when they were younger... However, with this at hand, I found that that a few too many people had the same 'My dream was / is to become a successful vet', in which I'm grateful for people contributing... but at the same time, gave me little to work on for the photographic compositions that follow. 

An example of one of the entries that wanted to be a Vet.

This one and the entry above it I found quite amusing.

 

Journal Progression - Murdoch and Curtin

I had created four journals, each with different post-it note covers (the original motif that drove the semester project). They all had a similar lay-out, with instructions and a brief explanation of why they were made and what I was hoping to achieve from this.


The first journal I had left behind was at Murdoch University's library - it begun with two entries (photographs shown below). Unfortunately or fortunately, it was taken by someone else - I was unaware of this although I was present at the same time. However, with this in mind, I have become hesitant to continue leaving journals around - because it is again, a gamble to rely on work that may not ever be seen again and many other reasons surrounding it. 


If I do decide to continue leaving journals behind, I have thought of advertising and letting people know about their existence by Facebook and other social networking websites. A suggestion was to fabricate 200-300 peoples' dreams and ambitions and write them down myself in different handwriting every time... However, I'm still unsure whether I want to go down this direction with this project. 


The second journal is slowly progressing - as it is left near my space at Curtin University. I'm satisfied with the rate and pace my work seems to be going down, but I know for certain there is still plenty of work to do - especially in terms of the photographic compositions that follow.

The First Journal left behind at Murdoch University

Brief Explanation on each Journal

First Entry of Murdoch Journal

 

Final Page of each Journal

Photographic Works from the Original Journal

From the first journal I started with, I had created several photographs from them, juxtaposing / contrasting / playing around with the entries I had gotten. I used the simple yellow post-it note motif to further emphasize the anonymous person's past or present dream and ambition entry.

I did experiment with putting myself in the composition because from the feedback I received from my colleagues was that because of the lack of the person / people in the photograph - it disconnects the audience from being able to relate to the project. I'm hoping to be able to stage some photographs or create certain scenarios / situations and then add on to that photograph by using again the post-if note motif - however, I'm also beginning to ask myself questions such as 'is the yellow motif necessary?' , 'does it make it too obvious?' , 'what happens when I exclude it?' - these are all different directions in my photography that I will also be further exploring and experimenting with.

The Beginning of the Dreams and Ambitions Project : Where has it progressed from here ?

I had decided to start a separate blog for this project - because I'm hoping for it to become publically known on a large-scale that will encompass more attention as it is further advertised, discussed and more 'out there' as time progresses.

Originally, my project started with collecting the past and present dreams and ambitions of people I knew - and collecting them in a small black and pristinely kept journal. It was after a group discussion with my colleagues that sparked the idea of creating more of these 'Dreams and Ambitions' journals and spreading them in and around several public places. At first, I was hesitant to do this, because it would be a huge gamble - whether they'd get lost, damaged, vandalized etc. However, I decided to get over this fact, and challenge myself to do it, together with documenting everything before leaving it behind.

With the entries I have gotten in my first and initial journal, I began to experiment with them - thinking of ways to juxtapose / contrast / play around with them to create new photographic compositions. I'm hoping to do this as well with the public journals that I plan on leaving around several public places. 


On every journal that has been made, I have left an email and a 'return' area on the last page - hoping that people will be kind enough to notify me when the journal is fully finished for it to be picked up.


Thank you all for your time.