HELLO HELSINKI PART ONE
21.02.2015
Helsinki, Finland
Exactly 1 year ago, I landed in Helsinki.
A place that I'd been dying to go for 10 years.
I'd finally done it. I'd achieved a dream. I'd been to a place I never thought
I'd be able to go to. I'd jumped at the chance to be able go. I was in New York
City working when I'd seen low-cost flights and decided to check it out. I'd tonnes of points
and miles saved from past tours and trips but had never been able to use them until now. BINGO.
I decided to try something new.
I wasn't going to stay in a hotel for the duration of the Helsinki trip.
I was going to try a Hostel. My shyness had always crippled me and this could
be a chance to mingle. Jesus Christ, my anxiety was off the charts the entire time.
I had my own room, but everything else was shared. I felt closed off from everyone.
And there was this one girl who annoyed me to the point of where I wanted to slam her head
into one of the shower walls. I still remember her, her short dark hair, high pitched tone and the way
her eyes were accusing me long before her words did.
The hostel was warm, comfortable and exceptionally clean. I'd only been in two hostels before this. One time in Paris-we'll talk about that at a later date and once with a mate in Wellington. Each time, dramatically different. It wasn't just culture, it was the, well, quality of the people. They gave a shit in Helsinki, everywhere else, not really. But each time left me wondering "what the fuck"? Life's full of what the fuck moments...I think I could paint quite the piece using only colours from those memories. But that's modern art and that's more fantasy bullshit than I care to allow myself to indulge in these days.
I'd be able to go to. I'd jumped at the chance to be able go. I was in New York
City working when I'd seen low-cost flights and decided to check it out. I'd tonnes of points
and miles saved from past tours and trips but had never been able to use them until now. BINGO.
I decided to try something new.
I wasn't going to stay in a hotel for the duration of the Helsinki trip.
I was going to try a Hostel. My shyness had always crippled me and this could
be a chance to mingle. Jesus Christ, my anxiety was off the charts the entire time.
I had my own room, but everything else was shared. I felt closed off from everyone.
And there was this one girl who annoyed me to the point of where I wanted to slam her head
into one of the shower walls. I still remember her, her short dark hair, high pitched tone and the way
her eyes were accusing me long before her words did.
The hostel was warm, comfortable and exceptionally clean. I'd only been in two hostels before this. One time in Paris-we'll talk about that at a later date and once with a mate in Wellington. Each time, dramatically different. It wasn't just culture, it was the, well, quality of the people. They gave a shit in Helsinki, everywhere else, not really. But each time left me wondering "what the fuck"? Life's full of what the fuck moments...I think I could paint quite the piece using only colours from those memories. But that's modern art and that's more fantasy bullshit than I care to allow myself to indulge in these days.
Uspenski Cathedral
Helsinki, Finland
23.02.16
Just as the sun was rising, I was out in the morning air. I couldn't sleep. I wanted to see the city as it slept. I'd never been this far north before and I wanted to see how the sun rose. Standing in a snow bank, watching little flurries on the ground dance, I watched. It seemed so much colder, the sun. I don't know if it only appeared that way or if it actually was cooler. The golden rays failed to warm me as they always had in the past, but its beauty was something entirely new. It made me want to fall backwards into the snow and just lay there to see if anything would change. There was no one in sight. The footpath was well travelled, but everything around it hadn't been touched. Old and new was how it struck me. I breathed. The park breathed. The second passed.
Helsinki, Finland
23.02.16
Just as the sun was rising, I was out in the morning air. I couldn't sleep. I wanted to see the city as it slept. I'd never been this far north before and I wanted to see how the sun rose. Standing in a snow bank, watching little flurries on the ground dance, I watched. It seemed so much colder, the sun. I don't know if it only appeared that way or if it actually was cooler. The golden rays failed to warm me as they always had in the past, but its beauty was something entirely new. It made me want to fall backwards into the snow and just lay there to see if anything would change. There was no one in sight. The footpath was well travelled, but everything around it hadn't been touched. Old and new was how it struck me. I breathed. The park breathed. The second passed.
Finally, after a decade of loving HIM and being a massive Ville Valo fan, I was able to get his autograph tattooed on me in Helsinki. The 14-year-old me would be screaming right now. Actually, as soon as the tattoo was finished I was that bright-eyed 14-year-old fan again. The shop was rather hard to find, despite my directions. After looking around for about 15 minutes and scouring the area, I asked a bloke leaning against a doorway smoking. He kindly pointed out where I needed to go and gave me a cheery wave as I took off for the shop. I'd never been in a shop like this before. It was in a building that I'd thought was simply offices. The guys inside were warm and welcoming and had already had my stencil ready to go based off the emails we'd exchanged in the weeks before my arrival. It was hard to contain my enthusiasm and excitement about being here. I chatted away, telling him about the tattoo and he asked me questions about my travels and other pieces that I had that impressed him. We shit talked LA, as he'd been there before and chatted about other body mods before I realised the time and decided it was time to leave. I emerged from the tattoo studio into the darkness. The city's silence wasn't eerie but welcoming. It was something to be explored. It was something to be desired, something to be created.
PARADISE TATTOO & PIERCING:
I had no knowledge of the city. I'd had a crudely drawn map I'd done based off Google before I'd headed out to the tattoo shop. I knew what tram I needed and what the stop was. Actually, now that I think about it, without help I could make my way back from the airport to where I was staying just from memory. I remember the way the tram would grind to a halt on that corner and let people off. The cold, industrial feeling of the area I stayed in, never left me. I still remember how the frost would cling to the window, like young lovers afraid that the next day would steal their embrace.
I kind of wish I was there now. I miss that snow and that cold. It freed me. It encouraged me to explore new aspects of the world, my own views and concepts of placement. The time I spent in isolation here was difficult at the time, but now I look back on it and see that it was a period of experience that I needed to go through. I needed to touch the ice. I needed to taste the stars. I saw the movements life that were a curiosity and a mystery to me.
I think everyone needs to do this once in their lives. Not, go to Finland. I mean, go if you want to, but I mean take some time out. Push the limits of intellectual boundaries and concepts, experience things that are opposite to your own and take some time to get out of your comfort zone.FROM HELSINKI 2015
I sell postcards / photo prints featuring my photography from all over Europe. Some of
my photography is also featured on posters, cosmetic/travel bags and more! You can check it
out here:
https://www.zazzle.com/rosegoldanja
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I've not updated this in a while, but I will be adding new photography and new products throughout
the rest of the year and HOPEFULLY expanding this out. You guys can always leave comments on my social medias or contact me via Zazzle.
And yes this is different from my SICKBOY Collection-that deals only with my writing and elements of literature. You can view that here:
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https://www.zazzle.com/sickboymerch
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