by Anna Cox | May 1, 2012 | Anna Cox
Here at JUXT we are always looking for ways to make our experience with photography more personal. There is a ever-present dialogue behind every photo we take, even if we don’t share it openly. We have decided to embark on a new adventure here at JUXT. We are stepping out of our comfort zones to share our craft and our hearts behind our shots and we are asking you to join us. If you are a JUXTER feel free to join the conversation here by posting your own blog entry. If you are an IGer or on EyeEM or Tadaa feel free to post there, but please let us know so we can take part in your conversation also.
Every two weeks I will post a new theme for us. You can then go out and find a photo that speaks to the theme. When you post here or on another site please include what the theme means to you, a story, or a memory associated with the theme. Look at it as a place to let your mind wander 🙂 The theme will always be
posted under the title SHOW AND TELL
The theme this time is LAUGHTER. This theme will go on for the next two weeks. Take your time. Think it over. Find the perfect shot. Then come and share. We can’t wait to hear what you have say.
•on IG use the tag #showandtell_1
•on EyeEm post under the tag Showandtell
•on Tadaa i will post the challenge on my feed Annacox and you can respond to it.
My show and tell
Laughter
Today was the first day I have felt like myself in a long time. I have been overwhelmingly sad for a few months. The cloud that has overtaken me is due in part to pregnancy and the after math and also because I was getting ready to be responsible for another little person. Don’t get me wrong I am incredibly thankful for my baby boy, it’s just change and sometimes change is scary. I am still unsure if I can be a good mom to two boys but I believe we don’t receive more than we can handle so I rest in that fact daily.
Today I felt courageous so we headed to the park where my oldest son proceeded to make a million friends and roll in the dirt to his hearts content. I sat quietly by and watched him play, my heart singing every time a smile crossed his face. He is my first great love and I would lay my life down for him. Beside the playground, there were rows and rows of paddle boats. He sat in the boat paddling and paddling but because they were chained to the dock he made little progress. If it was me sitting in that boat, I would have gotten frustrated for lack of progress but he was content to just sit and paddle. He played an imaginary game shooting other ships and sword fighting with pirates. Watching him play, I alternately laughed and cried. He is such a beautiful boy with a huge imagination. Sitting on the bank, I decided I may be sad today and tomorrow but that boy on the dock will be my smile when I can’t. He will be my imagination when my mind is clouded. Most importantly, when I forget how to laugh I can just watch him. He will teach me . I may not be making any progress today but tomorrow it may be different. And if it’s not, I’ll let the boy laugh long and hard for me. And that will just be okay
xoxo Anna
by Anna Cox | Apr 23, 2012 | Anna Cox
Down the street from my Mom and Dad there is a gorgeous house. It has more windows than my house three times over and a beautiful rolling yard. It is a traditional brick home you could find anywhere in the States, in any neighborhood. Not long after my parents moved we were driving home from dinner and we drove past the house. My mom remarked to my father that it was so sad the people that owned the house were what she called “house poor”. When I asked what that meant she explained that sometimes people buy houses that are too big or too expensive and they cannot afford to furnish them completely. As a kid, with little understanding of money or responsibility, this seemed like such a silly thing. Why would someone buy a house just to let the rooms sit empty? Immediately pictures of a family eating in an empty room, sleeping on the carpet, and listening to their echoing voices bouncing of bare floors and walls came to mind. Even now, years later, whenever I drive past that house I glance towards the windows expecting to see the bare rooms instead of the silhouettes of furniture.
This idea of being house poor has come back to me many times since that day. The most recent being a disappointing relationship where I thought we were loved as we loved them. It was sad and shocking to realize my son and I loved this family multitudes more than they did us. I realize that not all relationships are equal and you are lucky if you find more than one friend that loves you as much as you love them. While I was trying to sort out my hurt and anger the term “house poor” came to mind. I was jolted by how perfectly the term fit the situation. On the outside the family seemed warm, inviting, and a good place for my son to spend time playing. But once I peeked in the windows I realized the rooms were bare. All the perceived warmth disappeared and all I was left with was bare floors and empty cabinets. Now before you start thinking “She thinks she’s perfect” know I am no prize chicken. My house has been bare at times even though my exterior looked great. I know I am flawed, cry on demand, and am sarcastic to a fault. But I also know that I am able to love deeply and would give you the shirt off my back if you needed it. These days my “house” looks like it belongs in a trailer park with a toilet for a planter in the front yard and a car on cinder blocks in the driveway. But if you take a chance and can get past the trash on the porch and the old washer that should have gone to the dump you will find a warm interior and a cup of coffee. And unlike my house poor friends, there is always a place at my table for you.
by Anna Cox | Apr 20, 2012 | Anna Cox, Featured Articles
Anna’s Introduction
Over a year ago, I stumbled upon @agentluke’s feed on Instagram. I was immediately drawn to his strong sense of composition. The majority of his feed at that time was architecture from around Chicago. I adored the easy way he shot such detail, his strong sense of line, and the balance he always found in the shots. While staying true to his unique sense of composition, in recent months he has branched out into shooting more than just facades. Luke’s current series of abandoned locations blows me away. As a lover of the forgotten, the tenderness in which he shoots these locations touches a deep place within me. Anyone can shoot a broken down house but only a few can make it speak. Luke is one of the few I have run across that can give a place a voice and help tell its story. Overall, Luke is one of my favorites on instagram and I am so pleased to be able to introduce him to you all.
A: Anna L: Luke
A: I’ve been following you for a year now. Your feed has evolved in that time. How do you see the progression of your craft?
L: In the sense of it all, I think I’ve come a full circle. But before that I really want to thank you for your attention and am humbled that it is so. I’ve really let myself go when the mobile photography genre started getting traction. I was on few other platforms featuring traditional photography as well as digital and canvas artwork, but I never really put myself out there as much. It might have been due in part because I never owned a dslr or maybe that my street art career* called for anonymity. In any case, the ability to shoot and manipulate anywhere, with what I already have, gave me the opportunity I need to really put the focus back onto what I truly felt that I want to do. Create, inspire and share who I am and where I come from.
A: Where do you find the most inspiration?
L: At the beginning my main shooting objective was Chicago architecture. Not really the famous and glamorous parts of town but the everyday grid as seen by just another famous nobody. Which to me, is an ordinary citizen with extraordinary love for the city. I’ll admit that at times I’ll get consumed by the skyline and shoot from a common perspective, but hey, can you blame me? I live in the the most architecturally significant city in the world as far as I’m concerned.
Bricks, arches, and ornaments?. Fire stations, municipal buildings and courtyards. And everyday Chicagoans. That is where I feel my language comes from. That is where I find inspiration.
A: Tell us about your website. I love the idea behind it.
L: If you speak of Urban Lithograph then I’ll tell you it is an idea lab open to the public. My projects reflect the direction it follows so if you visit regularly you know it changes quite often. The main piece that holds it together though is that all the ventures there are bound together by a need to advance and standardize the art of mobile photography, mobile graphic design and mobile art in general. I feel that an Urban Lithograph is as unique as the moment in which the idea or image was conceived in. And the instant connection of today allows me to really push that belief. Thus here we are, creating, sharing and inspiring each other.
My latest project is an art exhibit entitled ArchitecturalBreakDown. Architectural Interiors and Exteriors of places man has forgotten, but time has not. Opening reception is Saturday, April 14th at 7pm, in Chicago.
A: IG has grown by leaps and bounds since we started. I find myself overwhelmed at times with the contests, photos, followers ect. How do you deal with the changes? Have you changed the way you look at IG?
L: Well, I’ll admit that I’ve backed away from IG in the last few weeks. And now, that Facebook is the new owner I think I’ll focus more on other web platforms and events. Keeping in contact with all these amazing individuals that I’ve met over the years is my priority. IG isn’t really the best way to continue or to have an extensive exchange of ideas, so I am very grateful for blogs such as wearejuxt.com.
I think IG has become a gateway of sort for many artists and amateur photographers. It has awakened a sense of purpose within many who never had an outlet and an oudience they can receive feedback from.
But as with all things, progression calls for constant migration of thought and style. So as we enter a new chapter it’s only natural to embrace change and construct future upon it.
Thank you Luke! If you would like to see more of Luke’s amazing work check him out at his website http://urbanlithograph.com or on IG @agentluke.
Check out more of the amazing photographs from Luke.
Juxt thanks the both of you for your art, words, and contributions to the mobile community.
About Anna Cox
Anna Cox lives in Nicholasville, Kentucky where she is raising her two sons. She is a mixed media artist who uses photography as a stepping stone for her paintings. She is also involved with anti-human trafficking and helping women within the adult entertainment industry.
Instagram: @annacox
by Anna Cox | Mar 26, 2012 | Anna Cox
Storms come and storms go. Sometimes they leave you untouched other times they wreak havoc on what you hold dear. Lately, we have had string after string of bad weather. Snow, rain, tornados and hail have followed one another closely. It seems that we catch our breath and then another storm rolls in. Our umbrellas and boots barely dry before they are drenched again. I, unlike my great Danes and eight year old, love a storm. The kind that lights the room up and shakes the window panes. The power behind a storm is amazing in a knee bending, breath taking kind of way.
The last four years of my life have been a time of change and growth. All of the roles I played were stolen by the storm in my life and I barely recovered from the damage. I have emerged in the last year a different person, changed for the better. If not for the soul drenching storm I stood in I can honestly say I wouldn’t be here writing this, watching my son play, or awaiting the birth of the sweet boy that’s growing in my womb.
Normally, I am the one teaching my boy lessons or imparting what knowledge I have about life. I’m not sure he always hears me but I do hope he tucks it away in his heart to think on another day. Last week, it was my son who taught me a lesson. We were walking home from a friend’s house when J noticed storm clouds. He looked at me and said simply, “there is always another storm coming.” I didn’t think much of it then but later his words came back to me. The truth of them hit my square in the face. No matter how many storms come. No matter how well we weather the storms there are always more. Life is filled with lightening and thunder but after the storms we can go puddle jumping. After the storms we are wet but we are clean, we are nourished to bloom. Without the rains we cannot bloom in the spring of our life. Life brings many things to our doorstep but it’s our choice wether we will bend like a sapling or stand like an elm.
by Anna Cox | Mar 20, 2012 | Anna Cox
I stood in my kitchen tonight making my son’s lunch for a visit to a school
Tomorrow. We have homeschooled the last few years but we are considering sending him back to school. With this decision comes a few different trains of thought. The biggest one is trusting him to
The world for 8 hours a day and admitting the fact that may be best for him right now. As a parent and mom, the last part is the hardest to swallow. There is always a point where you have to let go in relationships, but knowing when and where is the hardest part. My boy is a good one, he loves southern rock and is brutally honest to a fault. He is the song in my heart and the melody on my tongue. How do you open your mouth and allow the song to escape without losing it all together? Ani Difranco describes the weight of love best in a song called School Night
“but then what kind of scale
compares the weight of two beauties
the gravity of duties
or the ground speed of joy?
tell me what kind of gauge
can quantify elation?
what kind of equation
could i possibly employ?”
These words echoed through my head while I was peeling an orange for his lunch. There is no good way to decide based on my love for my son because I would keep him with me always. I have to remove myself from the equation . So I am going to chose to allow him to peel his own orange and sing his own song. And I will tap my foot to his melody.
by Anna Cox | Feb 9, 2012 | Anna Cox
My son made a new friend last week. His new friend has a different skin color, different life circumstances, and a different view of life from Jeremiah. Many of their conversations have left Jeremiah confused or angry at the boy or the boys life. For a few days I struggled with how to discuss this boys life with Jeremiah and help him understand. How do you explain that some parents just don’t know how to love their children? Or that in some houses the rules are very different and that’s okay? But really, in my heart of hearts, I know what my real struggle is. I don’t know how to explain the emotion pity and why it isn’t a good emotion to display. It is one thing to recognize circumstances are not optimal and to figure out a way to give a hand up to the person. It is another thing to look at them, shake your head, and walk away.
I view life as a community chest of sorts. If i have it to offer, I do. My friends operate under the same assumption and together we have anything and everything we need. It is easy to give if you know nothing is truly yours to hold on to.
I showed Jeremiah a couple types of chain. One that had soldered links and one that had cuts in the links. We tugged and pulled on both of them. Eventually the chain with the cut links stretched and broke. We compared all of the links and decided they were all the same thickness and weight. He came to the conclusion that the one that gave way was in the perfect place to take all of the strain of the pulling.
I told him people are very similar to the chain. We are all the same, equal in the beginning until the pulling starts. The links that aren’t in the perfect spot to break need to take on some of the pressure for the link that is. It’s not always our job to take pressure away and it’s not always our turn to be in the pressure spot. But where ever we are there is a job to be done. I told Jeremiah that right now it’s his turn to hold on tight for his friend but soon it may be his friends turn to be strong for Jeremiah.
by Anna Cox | Jan 8, 2012 | Anna Cox
My life is extraordinarily ordinary, which is just the way I like it. I homeschool my son, take care of my family, and reach out to hurting women in the adult entertainment industry. A regular day consists of coffee, school books, and trying to improve my sons world view. One of the main lessons I teach everyday is that the details matter. No matter how large or how small they seem. There is beauty in the details and with an eye that sees the beauty knowledge usually follows close behind. I used this onion to represent our lives and steps we take everyday. Life is layers of experiences and depending on what your core is determines what your layers are made from. I want my son to have a rich, inviting presence to those around him. I want him to add to the situations he is in and not distract from them. His life needs a texture that is beautiful when the light hits it, not perfect but beautiful all the same. The onion is a perfect lesson for anyone. When it’s cut it, it brings tears to your eyes but when it is used for a purpose it adds aroma and flavor that had been lacking. People are the same as an onion. While we are being cut and molded for use we mess up but once we are doing what we were made to do we add to the experience and the tears fade away.
