Last minute to... Paris!

Wow, I just can't believe it! In case you didn't know, Hive account@hiddenblade, a brilliant artist (yeah, I called it before she got famous and stuff), will expose her work during the Focus Art Fair in Paris next week. She finished a huge canvas that she had to ship to France (from the Philippines)... Like, one so big that it will make you wonder how she is going to get it there. The painting was received by the Focus Art Fair, and out of the blue, she asked me if I was busy on the 1st of September... IF I COULD GO THERE TO PHOTOGRAPH HER WORK... I mean, to professionally illustrate the event and her artwork during the exhibition with photographs. That's within a week!

I can't express how grateful I am for that, on so many levels. Truth is, my work stagnated during COVID, so much, so that I ended up having the idea to stop working as a freelancing photographer. I used to be so busy all the time, but that has been some time now. A gig like this might help me to spark something and let my neglected network on LinkedIn know that I'm still available for work (and alive). Hiddenblade, which assumed I was busy with work, does add some value to the idea that I should just reboot and get things going. On the other hand, Lackofcolor has been sick for quite some time now, and most of my time went to her wellbeing. I mean, that's what partners in crime do, right? You take care of each other, in the good and in the bad times. This situation got me kind of neglecting anything professional, just because I needed to learn a lot about how to deal with her illness, which is a much more valuable way to spend your time. This is one evil disease, I tell you.

The irony is that I told Lackofcolor I was going to take her to Paris someday when she got better. Right now... we got the news that she's going to be getting clinical treatment, which means she'll be away for the upcoming 6 weeks. Starting on the 5th of September. I talked plenty of times about how beautiful Paris is, and I can't wait to show her.

Another note is, is that during both my visits to Paris, I never got to see the Louvre, both the museum and the mall. It's something I regretted not seeing, or having photographed... Another thing that I'm grateful for since I finally have the chance to see it. You might be thinking... such a coincidence... so much luck... And to be fair, I still have no clue why hiddenblade wanted me to go to Paris. It's not that I live "around the corner", even though it is 3.5 hours away by train. It would've been so much cheaper to hire a photographer that lives in Paris... right? Another thing I'm grateful for... friendship.

And something else... "It will hire you when I get famous", well now she did! I can't believe how fast she has grown in these last 4 years. I bet acidyo is supporting all of her decisions and ideas (IM ALWAYS ROOTING FOR YOU TWO, (in silence)).

So, what to do, what to do?

The first thing I did was check prices for accommodation, train tickets, and gas prices, and estimate the expenses I would make during my stay. I thought it would be cool to bring Hive account@lackofcolor with me, since the obvious above. So when hiddenblade asked me what my rate was, I just told her that bringing Hive account@lackofcolor with me is my rate. I'd rather create memories and have a great experience on so many levels than earn a few more bucks. Besides, I feel honored that I was being asked to do this with all the other "easier" options out there.

Well, going somewhere isn't cheap anymore. Wtf happened world? I didn't travel for more than 2+ years due to COVID, but I thought I could expect that travel expenses didn't 3X. Crazy. Parking your car? 55 Euros! One way ticket to Amsterdam? 27 Euros. One way to Paris? 150 Euros. That's just insane. I remember paying about 1,30 for a train ticket when I went to college or flying to Ibiza for less than 70 Euros. I probably sound very Dutch right now... Apologies.

Oh well, the last-minute thing is causing a little bit of stress in the house of 'eating disorder'. Panic? A little. Happiness? A lot. Chaos inside the head? Positive. But be not wary, we got this under control.

I might have shed a tear or two... But I'm not telling it might be true.

Anyway, I can't wait to share these photographs that I'll be taking for hiddenblade with you.

Cheers,
Ruben