#sundaybluesedit Sunday Selection @booksandshit

For this weeks sundayblues selection I’ve turned the writing over to Izzy. Although I have long admired the work of @booksandshit, the connection that Izzy has to this artist is deep and intense. Ultimately, I believe this is what is behind the beauty of the #sundaybluesedit, identifying and finding artists and friends who’s work and experience you can identify with so deeply. It’s through this tag that I have found so many places that feel like home. Have a wonderful Sunday.

Izzy: Becoming a part of the #sundaybluesedit is still somewhat surreal for me. Its a tag that has been dear to me for some time especially since this year has been a year of turmoil with my marriage shattering and me grasping with desperation to keep it together for the sake of my kids. Pretending to be happy is probably the most miserable thing I’ve ever attempted, as I’m a rather straight shooter in my day-to-day life. It was a mask I didn’t wear well. With the #sundaybluesedit tag I could take off the mask and pour forth whatever was left behind at the end of the day. Depression was my daily life and it hung on me like a lonely wet suit I couldn’t wait to get off of me.

I found myself immersed in taking pictures to escape my grief. For a long time I had envied my friends that had time to paint and draw, for me it became an utterly impossible task, but Instagram has taken my interest in photography to new heights. Realizing after years of carrying an iphone that I could make art with it was like getting glasses for the first time. I began to see the world completely differently because of the freedom of mobile arts photography.

So the door sprang open and with it a sea of amazing others out there doing the very same thing across the globe with their own flair. In places like Switzerland, where @booksandshit resides. He takes the most ordinary of items like a pile of immature hazelnuts he discovers on a walk with his niece and makes it into a story in black and white and his self-portraits are always undeniably sensitive. He purges his soul with his portraits and shows himself in every light possible. I always have questions when I look at his pictures as he makes it impossible to double click quickly and scroll. He makes one linger with his unrestrained beauty and this is what makes @booksandshit mesmerizing for his gallery is truly a photo diary worth unlocking.

Here are @booksandshit thoughts on his gallery:

Self-portraits are a wonderful way to try out new ways to edit and edit oneself without hurting others’ feelings (even thought I’m always eager to edit others “selfies” and am always open to collaborations). In addition to that I learn a lot about my own face and myself, which is ever changing.

However, landscapes and animals or strange out of use objects are also fantastic subjects to photograph. I love to unwrap forgotten objects to others and show them just how I view them but nothing is better than human expressions they inspire me most.

You can experience the amazing world of Michel on Instagram at @booksandshit