Noticing More: Arrows

Have you ever counted the amount of arrows you encounter in your daily life?

We live in a world where many arrows are many arrows shot towards us everyday. Arrows that direct, tease, exhort, sell, cajole us all day long. It’s a curious paradox that although arrows are silent (non-verbal) they are often visually noisy and powerful. Yet like so many Super Ordinary things we grow numb to them and if they are not saving us from imminent danger or directing us to a place we need to find, we tend to ignore them.

We live in a world where many arrows are shot towards us everyday. Arrows that direct, tease, exhorting, sell, cajole….

Jean-Michel Folon was a Belgian illustrator, poster artist and sculptor.

“Folon began as an architectural draftsman, and many of his drawings feature wall after wall of impenetrable skyscraper facades marked with obsessive rows of broken lines that evoke prisons. Another frequent metaphor was directional arrows explosively springing from humanlike figures and other forms, shooting in many directions.” NY TIMES

"Arrows," he once said, "are the symbols of confusion of an entire era. What would happen if, one night, someone were to remove all the traffic signs from the face of the earth?".

London

London

London

Tokyo

Tokyo

Tokyo

Have you noticed any interesting arrows recently?

• Send them to us in a quick email. letting us know where each pic was taken (just the city will do).

• Don’t worry about perfect photography. We are more interested in what caught your attention.

• Let us know how you would like to be credited. Your name, website, Instagram account etc.

Really looking forward to sharing your observations!

Email: Yasumi @ superordinarylife . com

Noticing More: TOTAN IN KYOTO

We really like the stripes on this photo. Deceptively simple, it’s very much a case of the more you look; the more you realise. The stripes and shadows from the textural folds of the corrugated iron sheeting, the shadows of the cables - the reflection in the window!

This photo was sent to us by @ihendersuk (Instagram) and was taken in Kyoto in 2015. in his own words”

“At first, it was the deep red colour that caught my attention; but the more I looked the more I saw lines – and stripes – cutting across each other in all directions.”

Thank you for sharing this memory with us, Ian.

Find Ian on Instagram: Instagram: @ihendersuk

Aside from the beautiful stripes, this also appeals to our love for corrugated iron. Or as Japanese call it; “totan”. If you are interested, wrote about it previously here.

WAYS TO SEE: A RESPONSE TO JOHN BURROUGHS

Here’s a level-headed thought provoking response that I received from Alexander Hoyles:

“I think regardless of your status in relation to a place (be it tourist, local, employee, visitor, photographer) our brains are wired in such a way that we mostly take in only what we pay attention to, and the finer details only of that which we directly focus on - locals may see subtle difference between things that seems the same to outsiders, but outsiders can find points of interest in things which fade into the background for locals... The colour of streetlights in a city or municipal signage might be 'just how it is' and go unnoticed to a long time resident, but be a wonder to visitors. We often as photographers (especially those of us interested in the everyday and urban spaces) speak of liminality and the spaces between  as though these are concrete features of a city/the urban environ globally, but in reality what is and isn't a liminal space has a lot to do with attention and consideration - to a person driving a daily commute, everything between home and work is simply 'The drive to work' and so all a non space, un/under examined - where as to those who walk that same route or live and work on it, it's is rich with detail. To the average museum visitor the exhibits are the focus and the building and spaces between display cases are ignored - however to a cleaner working in the building the spaces between are all that exist and the display cases contents ignored.”

Thank you Alexander for the insightful chat and inspiration to keep on reasoning with ourselves about what we capture and why we share.

Alexander had 2 accounts to follow on Instagram.

His portraits and still life work can found here https://www.instagram.com/alexander_hoyles/?hl=en

His street side observations can be found here https://www.instagram.com/reflected_repetition/?hl=en

His website: https://alexanderhoyles.com

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YOUR THOUGHTS

We really value hearing your thoughts.

NOTICING MORE : STRIPES IN PORTUGAL WITH @GHOSTZINE

I’m delighted to share our first guest collection of stripes and couldn’t be happier that it comes from Alexis/@ghostzine.

The following stripy captures were all noticed in Portugal:

Cascais, Portugal by @ghostzine

Almada, Portugal by @ghostzine

Estoril, Portugal by @ghostzine

Nazaré, Portugal by @ghostzine

Sintra, Portugal by @ghostzine

Alexis is from York, UK and is currently living in Almada, Portugal. If you’re interested in visiting Portugal and seeing a less popularised version of the country, be sure to follow Alexis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostzine/?hl=en

NOTICING MORE: STRIPES

The history behind stripes is long and fascinating. Their appeal is timeless. We know this as we see brand after brand attach themselves to specific stripes.

But what about the mundane stripes?

Here are 3 Super Ordinary Life stripe situations to inspire you to notice more mundane stripy goodness:

Komabatodaimae station, Tokyo

Crisp Street Market, London

Yoyogi Uehara Station, Tokyo

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SET OF STRIPES

We’d love to share your favourite stripe themes photos!

• Send them to us in a quick email. letting us know where each pic was taken (just the city will do).

• Don’t worry about perfect photography. We are more interested in what caught your attention.

• Let us know how you would like to be credited. Your name, website, Instagram account etc.

Really looking forward to sharing your observations!

Email: Yasumi @ superordinarylife . com

Ways To See: Resist Grind Culture

"SEEING...

is an intellectual aesthetic exercise which increases one's inalienable capital, riches that can be accumulated without cost, once acquired, cannot be lost or stolen.”

George Nelson

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Highly recommended bit of reading:

Source: https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/10/23/10-years-of-brain-pickings/

WHAT IF WE EASE OFF THE GLORIFICATION OF BEING BUSY?

What if we used that energy to tune into ourselves and surroundings rather than reducing life’s details into a kind of background condition visual muzak?

I think now more than ever before is a good time to move against the grind culture that capitalism promotes, and pull something back for ourselves. Putting it bluntly, Capitalism thrives on exploitation, greed and oppression. It’s built on a prejudiced (race and class) system that abuses the rights and needs of people to line the pockets of a few.

Our fast-paced lifestyles normalise that damaging kind of competitive grind culture. We pushing ourselves to the limit for the sake of being busy. We’ve reached a point where we feel anxious and uncomfortable when we are less busy. We grind ourselves to the point of burn-out and then we seek escape from it all.

Grind culture is damaging. Damages our health our relationships and our connection to nature.

I’d like to think that Super Ordinary life is a gentle resistance against this. We can go slower, we can rest, we can stop to “smell the roses” and appreciate the “little things”. We do not need to feel anxious, guilty or unproductive for slowing down enough to notice more of all the stuff we’ve been busy overlooking.

We have so much to gain from stepping away from grind culture.

Resources for further reading:

10 Learnings from 10 Years of Brain Pickings - a lot of which has to do with take time out of the grind. https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/10/23/10-years-of-brain-pickings/

The Nap Ministry examines the liberating power of naps as a form of resistance and reparation: https://thenapministry.wordpress.com

https://www.instagram.com/thenapministry/?hl=en

https://thenapministry.wordpress.com

https://www.instagram.com/thenapministry/?hl=en

Ways to See: Super Ordinary Life in The Guardian

It was a huge honour for me to be featured on The Guardian. Thank you everyone who read, shared, reached out and followed because of it. Thank you!!!!

Link to the article: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2020/may/22/awakening-a-sense-of-wonder-in-ordinary-life-in-pictures

Noticing More: Yellows

Here are three yellow scenes in Japan, taken by one of our favourite people on Instagram; MINIMALISM TOKYO

Location: Tohoku Shinkansen

Tokyo

Tokyo

Connect with Minimalism Tokyo:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/minimalism_tokyo/?hl=en

Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/minimalism_tokyo/?hl=en

VSCO: https://vsco.co/minimalismtokyo/gallery

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COLOUR COLLECTIONS

We’re changing up our colour posts. We’re making them shorter and snappier so we can share more of them, more often! Colour is a huge source of inspiration for many people and a great way to sharpen the eyes.

If you have a collection that you would like to share on the Super Ordinary Life blog (and Instagram Stories), please do email them to us. Here’s what we’re looking for:

• 3 pictures following 1 colour theme.

• Send them to us in a quick email. letting us know the colour and where each pic was taken (just the city will do).

• Don’t worry about perfect photography. We are more interested in what caught your attention.

• Let us know how you would like to be credited. Your name, website, Instagram account etc.

Really looking forward to sharing your observations!

Email: Yasumi @ superordinarylife . com

Noticing More: Off Whites

Three off whites from an ordinary side of Tokyo

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COLOUR COLLECTIONS

We’re changing up our colour posts. We’re making them shorter and snappier so we can share more of them, more often! Colour is a huge source of inspiration for many people and a great way to sharpen the eyes.

If you have a collection that you would like to share on the Super Ordinary Life blog (and Instagram Stories), please do email them to us. Here’s what we’re looking for:

• 3 pictures following 1 colour theme.

• Send them to us in a quick email. letting us know the colour and where each pic was taken (just the city will do).

• Don’t worry about perfect photography. We are more interested in what caught your attention.

• Let us know how you would like to be credited. Your name, website, Instagram account etc.

Really looking forward to sharing your observations!

Email: Yasumi @ superordinarylife . com

Noticing More: Oranges

Happy Monday, folks!

Here are three oranges from our archive.

Super Ordinary Life : Okinawa, Japan

Super Ordinary Life : Tokyo

Super Ordinary Life, Tokyo

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COLOUR COLLECTIONS

We’re changing up our colour posts. We’re making them shorter and snappier so we can share more of them, more often! Colour is a huge source of inspiration for many people and a great way to sharpen the eyes.

If you have a collection that you would like to share on the Super Ordinary Life blog (and Instagram Stories), please do email them to us. Here’s what we’re looking for:

• 3 pictures following 1 colour theme.

• Send them to us in a quick email. letting us know the colour and where each pic was taken (just the city will do).

• Don’t worry about perfect photography. We are more interested in what caught your attention.

• Let us know how you would like to be credited. Your name, website, Instagram account etc.

Really looking forward to sharing your observations!

Email: Yasumi @ superordinarylife . com

Ways to See: #UNNOTICEDCONVERSATIONS

The way that we engage with the countless overlooked objects in our immediate surroundings is always interesting to us. But when photographer Jim Eyre and Blue Shop Cottage kicked off their collaborative project entitled (UN) NOTICED CONVERSATIONS, it really struck a chord with us and unravelled sentiments that we’ve not been able to articulate about the unspoken emotional mirrors humble street objects can be.

“

HOW YOU FEELING?”

The question is direct and the answer is submitted through what we capture on our phones

THIS IS HOW I FEEL……

It was unexpectedly cathartic to convey how I am currently feeling in this way. Thank you Jim and Blue Shop Cottage for launching this photography project it’s given us yet another perspective to consider whilst we are out and about noticing things!

If you would like to take part, find Jim Eyre and Blue Shop Cottage on Instagram and submit your pics using #unnoticedconversations.

Noticing More: Story Corner

We recently shared a collection of corners that have caught our attention on our Instagram Stories. The corners included all appealed to us for different reasons but it was only as we finished the series that we realised that our favourite corners were the ones that told a silent story about their neighbourhoods. We think that these unassuming details say a lot about the values and thinking of Tokyoite culture.

Tucked away in a back alley of residential Tokyo, we noticed these reflectors fixed onto a corner of someone’s wall. A quick glance around confirmed that whilst there are no street-lamps, we can imagine a glow of spill light during the evenings, from the neighbouring homes. Someone must have taken the time and thought to add these - just to help themselves and/or other people find their way through the winding alley safely.

This corner belongs to an abandoned and tumbledown house in western Tokyo. It’s an understandable one to dismiss and just march on past. We imagine loads of people consider it to be an eyesore - not us! Take a moment to observe the details and it tell you about how how this and many other traditional style Japanese houses were built. A wordless free lesson about materials, age, how the country is evolving and so much more.

This in an entrance to a doctor’s surgery, again, in Tokyo . One side is for adults and the other for children. Do people ever walk into each other? We wonder!

A corner of an izakaya in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo. Vinyl curtains cut the corner of the entryway. The broken zipper has been secured with blue vinyl tape which is a very super ordinary item in Japan.

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PLEASE SHARE YOUR CORNER PICS WITH US:

We would love to add your pics and/or words to our future corner associated post. If you have anything that you would like to share, email your pictures and friendly words to : Yasumi @ superordinarylife (.) com

Noticing more: BEAUTIFUL DECAY

Why is this Super Ordinary?

We tend to overlook the beauty at our feet in favour of the blossoms in full bloom overhead. Even in decay, there is a kind of beauty involved in these petals. Once petals start to fall - they are regarded with tinges of sadness before they are seen as a nuisance and quickly swept away by locals.

Sakura season was a weird one this year, and it taught me many things about Japan.

One lesson was how difficult it is for Japanese people to keep away from gathering in groups to sit beneath the bellowing pink blossoms regardless of the COVID-19 threats.

The other thing that I learned was more about myself. As much as I adore gazing up at the efflorescent clouds of pink, I also enjoy the pools of patterns made by the fallen petals. Floating on water, strewn across pavements, pooling in gutters and filling in cracks on the roads. Battered and bruised as they often are, they are an alluring curious kind of confetti.

Noticing More : THINGS HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

These are the kinds of things that people disregard without even consciously realising they are. Visually dismissed quirks. Silent Super Ordinary Life humour - not everyone will get it. Like a not so private joke - it makes some people smile whilst others will miss the humour entirely.

You might question how ordinary these scenarios are. Good point! We reckon that there’s often a glimmer of the extraordinary hidden in plain sight, within the ordinary. Don’t take our word for it. Just notice it.

Noticing more: Bannisters

“Use curves for beauty and angles for strength.”

Bernard Leach

Here’s a collection of bannisters that I’ve collected over the years. These are all part of outdoor staircases so anyone can see them. Lately, I’ve noticed that there is a huge variety of banisters here in Japan - more than I could’ve imagined and it’s beginning to get quite distracting when I am out and about! It’s the colourful ones and the ones with interesting geometrical presence that really catch my eye.

Tokyo

Tokyo

Tokyo

Tokyo

Tokyo

Tokyo

Tokyo

Tokyo

Tokyo

Tokyo

Tokyo

Tokyo

Tokyo

London

Tokyo

London

Thassos

Malaga

Tokyo

PLEASE SHARE YOUR BANNISTER PICS WITH US:

We would love to add your pics and/or words to this post. If you have anything that you would like to share, email your pictures and friendly words to : Yasumi @ superordinarylife (.) com

Golden Hour : in Taishidō, Tokyo.

One of my favourite everyday walks in Tokyo, is the stroll I take from Daizawa to Sangenjaya. The change of vibes and general streetscape is great to take in along the way. These photos were taken late afternoon on a side street parallel to the main thoroughfare. Behind a gym and a Family Mart.

The late afternoon light was just too beautiful to ignore. That’s a nice thing about Tokyo, a lot of people noticed the quiet phenomenon and nodded their admiration as they walked on by.

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Share your golden hour with us

We’d really like to see a golden hour moment in your neighbourhood that’s stopped you in your tracks recently. Please send your pics to us letting us know the general LOCATION and anything else that you’d like to you. It would be kinda cool to share more golden hours from across the globe here.

Email: Yasumi @ superordinarylife . com

Ordinary Tokyo - Blossom scene at yamashita Station

Picture this. A neighbourhood greengrocer pumping out hip hop beats filtered through angry cuss words. Grannies and mums picking their daily fruit and veg oblivious to the profanities. On the opposite side of the road is a tiny local train station with a patch of a platform that leads directly onto the street. No ticket gates required here.

A single blossom tree stands beside the station with its branches pressing blossoms against the frosted panel of the glass. The blossoms peering through become station art. Unlike any painting, it’s impermanent, fleeting, shifting with the weather and the sunlight. I revisited the station a couple of days later, the sun was out, many blossoms had shed their petals and that same panel looked quite luminous.

There are so many different species of cherry blossoms here in Japan. The one in the scenario above is Kawazu-zakura. It’s an early blooming variety. One of my favourites because it’s so radiant whilst the other sakura trees in my area are still dormant.

Ordinary Tokyo: Seeing Signs

October 2019. Kitazawa, Tokyo

February 2020, Kitazawa, Tokyo

The first time I walked past this little clinic, I was struck by it’s colours against those of the road signs. The second time, I noticed the reflection of the signs. Something as simple as walking on a different side of the same street, different light conditions or even a different mindset can affect the way we see everyday things.

Location: KItazawa, Setagaya, Tokyo

NoticinG More: FENCES

Wire fences add an extra visual layer to a scene. Visually, they add texture and geometry. They can also distort, frame and restrict what we (choose) to see.

On first impressions, I immediately liked their grid systems. Noticing wire fences in mundane moments, I’ve begun to appreciate the visual effect that they have on a setting.

They are designed to restrict access to an area by creating a boundary. They control access, protect, prompt a sense of caution and interrupt our line of vision but in doing so, they can also add interest to what we see.

Wired

I like noticing things getting caught in fences. Especially plants - plants have a sense of emotion attached to them, I think. Or is that just me?

Warped

I’ve always liked a rebel. Rebellious breaks in the pattern on fences included! Warps, breaks, attempted repairs, they must have a story and perhaps it’s that thought that makes them oddly inspiring.

Background

Colourful backgrounds have a way of highlighting the patterns and details of any fencing in the foreground. Together, they create an interesting canvas for the eye.

Foreground

Fences obscured by trailing plants are take on a more solid visual appearance. There is a sense of enchantment mixed into there, too.

Away from the purely aesthetic appeal of fences and the mundane things I notice about them. Although it is ingrained in human behaviour to be more curious about concealed, areas sectioned off from public access. fences do require a sense of caution especially when they are protecting institutions such as schools.

Sharing Your Fence Observations With Us:

We would love to share some of your Super Ordinary Life fence observations alongside ours. If you would like to send one, or even some with us. Here’s how you can:

Instagram

#super_ordinarylife on Instagram. We’d love it if you shared your captures there. We will always credit and link back to you when we use your pics both here or on Instagram.

Email

Send your pictures and friendly words to : Yasumi @ superordinarylife (.) com

Noticing More: You've Got Mail

I’ve always had a thing for things with loads of compartments. Since I was a kid, my eyes would light up at the sight of pigeonhole shelves, antique chemist cabinets and the like. To little me, the more compartments, the better. Zoom forward to me now. And yep! I am still making heart eyes at compartments. One of my favourites are cluster letterboxes that you find at the entrance of apartment or office blocks.

Here are some that have caught my attention and also the attention of some of my fellow letterbox-liking -keen-eyed observers:

Location: Suginami, Tokyo

Location: Suginami, Tokyo

Location: Shoreditch, London

Location: Setagaya, Tokyo

Location: Shibuya, Tokyo

Location: Setagaya, Tokyo

Location: Setagaya, Tokyo

Location: Daikanyama, Tokyo

Location: Shibuya, Tokyo

Location: Setagaya, Tokyo

Location: Setagaya, Tokyo

Location: Setagaya, Tokyo

Location: Setagaya, Tokyo

Taped up letterboxes…

means that the apartment or office is unoccupied, here in Tokyo.

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What our friends and followers have noticed:

We’re thrilled to share these excellent letterbox observations with you! Big thanks to Present & Correct, Sophie Hustwick, and herslowerlife for being extremely generous and letting us share their pics here.

Noticed by : PRESENT / & / CORRECT

Website: https://www.presentandcorrect.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/presentandcorrect/

Source: https://www.presentandcorrect.com

Location: Banton Frameworks

Source: https://www.presentandcorrect.com

Location: Rochelle Canteen, London

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Source: https://www.sophiehustwick.com

Location: Salton City, California

Noticed by : Sophie Hustwick

Website: https://www.sophiehustwick.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiehustwick/

Noticed by : herslowerlife

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herslowerlife/?hl=en

Source: https://www.instagram.com/herslowerlife

Location: Madeira

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Sharing Your Cluster Letterbox Pics With Us:

We will definitely revisit cluster letterboxes in future blog posts, so if you do have any pics or words that you would like to share there are a few ways that you can get involved :

Instagram

#super_ordinarylife on Instagram. We’d love it if you shared your captures there. We will always credit and link back to you when we use your pics both here or on Instagram.

Email

Send your pictures and friendly words to : Yasumi @ superordinarylife (.) com

Pinterest:

We’ve dedicated a Pinterest board to cluster letterboxes. You can take a look here: Super Ordinary Life Cluster Letterbox Pinterest Board