This week’s series is short: it’s simply a photo series from my first week on campus. Not every photograph here is my favorite and they do differ in subject and style, but I thought it would be interesting to show what I see when I just walk around without really looking for any specific subject.
I apologize for a late-night post! Stay tuned for next week’s dose of photography
-Tola
you know where to find me:
akilian@umich.edy & IG @akilian.jpg
Hi!
Regardless of whether you were here last year or whether it’s your first day at arts, ink., I wanted to (re)introduce myself. My name is Tola and since last fall I have been a photography content creator for Arts at Michigan. I love traveling, good coffee, dogs, and bad puns (as you have figured by now). I have exciting things planned for this year: everything from the weekly photo series through photography tutorials to collaborations with other creators and photographers! For my first post, I decided to put some of my favorite images up from different photo series to show you what kind of stuff I usually do – and although travel photography definitely dominates on my hard drive, I also do a lot of portraits, studio work, reportage, and macro photography.
I will post every Tuesday (probably) afternoon, so stay tuned for more content from Tolaroids. Regardless of whether you want to learn something new about photography or maybe just look at some pretty pictures, I will make sure to keep this blog interesting and exciting for you all! That’s why don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns, or just to say hi (or send me a photography pun).
See you next week!
-Tola.
email: akilian@umich.edu
Instagram: @akilian.jpg
Hello! I would like to give a quick rundown of what I will be working on during this academic year. To spice things up, I will create an assortment of pieces in varying mediums. Each month, I will focus on a particular emotion/theme.
The mediums I will include are digital art, photography, poetry, and short story-making. I hope you enjoy what I put together, and feel free to leave comments if you’d like!
See you next Sunday,
EKArts
It grazes,
Slowly.
Then slower,
never losing touch of my skin.
When I was younger,
I welcomed the rain like a game.
I would search for each drop in grey skies
and made amends as I watched them fall,
as if I was looking out for an old friend.
Like curtain call,
they return for every milestone,
to remind me when I have grown.
Rain falls to celebrate.
And just like fate,
it fell three times over.
First, when I met an angel.
In the storms of loss,
It poured.
Even when I was across oceans and away from home.
To comfort emotions I’ve never felt before.
Embraced and enveloped,
precipitation became a safe haven,
And I didn’t realize the touch of rain could heal.
And then, as I slowly fell in love.
Love, it makes you forget the rain.
But it keeps falling with me.
Nature cries to calm the embers
of a girl struggling
to let her guard down.
It creates a glow that ignites
an unexpected bliss.
I didn’t realize the touch of rain
would feel like a kiss.
And finally, when I learned who I was.
A lone walk past empty seats,
Brought me to this evening.
To a 90 minute soundtrack with greater meaning.
It was a calm before the thunder.
I surrendered to my wonder
And I diverged on my own.
I didn’t realize the touch of rain could be powerful alone.
So from now I will walk in the rain like it’s my throne.
So quickly it began
With nervous laughter
Sweaty palms
Hearts racing wildly
The unknown ahead
So slowly it passed
Difficult days
Difficult nights
Tears and sweat and pain
Awaiting the day
Of the end
The last day of the start
Of more difficult days
Difficult nights ahead
But some good ones too
Much bitter sweetness lingers
In every goodbye
With a wave
Say goodbye to
All of the lessons learned
People met
And things yet to become
We must cherish all endings
However bitter
Or deliciously sweet
For they are final, of course
And now,
Onto something new
*Trigger Warning*
This poem contains eating disorder subject matter.
In the realm of hypocrisy
Everything in moderation
The chant that leads to an obsession
An obsession that cannot be moderated
Counting the calories
Saying no
Saying yes becomes a rarity
And even then
Wishing you hadn’t
That number on the scale
Satisfying but wanting
Wanting perfection
That moderation of flesh
Of fat
Of life
Wanting the shock
The surprise
The congratulatory remarks
They didn’t know the damage done
Seasons pass
A new obsession
One of eating feelings
Crying frustration
Counting calories
Unable to stop the pain
You stuff it down your throat
Only for it to come back up
A mess of “moderation”
Of obsession beyond balance
Beyond sense
Polar sides
Neither just right
Always looking
Striving
For the approval
For the stability
Of those words
“Everything in moderation”
