Best laid plans

So here we are in week two of lockdown. I’ve submitted assignment two to my tutor using my test shots. It’s not entirely awful but I think it lacks something. My plan is to continue with the written aspect of the course. Assignments three and five are both planned out in my mind. I have some test shots for assignment three already so I’m going to use them alongside my research to get an idea of how the final piece will look. I’ve also found some historical photos that I can use, so I will wait until I can get out and shoot my final images to submit it to my tutor.

Assignment five, I will also do the research portion if I get that far. The essay for assignment four is a goal to get to and my tutor seems happy for me to submit this next.

But…

I realised this morning that I’m going to be spending an awful lot of time sat in front of my computer. In my (other) life, I have two lots of professional CPD to complete. Of course, I don’t have to do it right now but it’s a good idea to use this time constructively. There’s also other stuff like tax return and business stuff. Then there’s house stuff. I’ll probably have to clean the cooker at some point, clear out some cupboards, all that mundane stuff that you put off.

What I’d been looking forward to this year was the landscape course. A really good excuse to get outdoors. Whilst I’m having my walk each day, and the other morning was beautiful: soft sun and a hard frost, for a large proportion of the day, I’m indoors sat at my computer. Even my Les Mills virtual exercise classes are starting to loose their shine. Somehow feeling the burn, great guns and fab abs just don’t seem relevant as there are an awful lot of people dying.

My motivation is dwindling. I could easily slip into a Netflix and crisps marathon.

What is pressing, is Assignment six. I’ve been struggling with it since the beginning. What I’ve decided is that it has to be a piece on the lockdown. As a starting point, I’m going to photograph the soap in the bathroom. I’ve set up the image above. The two, his n hers soap that were there, were already partially used, so I’m going to restart the process and photograph it over the next few months.

I’d got the idea the other day when I found a dusty old packet with a (very nice) piece of soap that one of my patients had given me last year. I don’t think it was a comment on my cleanliness rather it was part of a little thank you present. I’d put it on the kitchen windowsill. We’re in the habit of washing our hands even after handling some post through the letterbox or simply if we’ve been outside.

I’m going to take some images regularly of the soaps but also anything else I can think of. Slightly macabre maybe but I was thinking of teaming it with graphs on virus spread, maybe news headlines… we’ll see.