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Yesterday I read someone was complaining that they went to Starbucks and it didn’t have enough fall/Halloween flair. It is not even September yet… though it does feel like it here.
Some of you know I write and post fiction online. I had written a long detective story during the pandemic, which a new reader has started to read and write comments about. I love reading them of course, but I don’t remember which chapter is which 😅 so I decided to have a quick refresher just so that I know what they’re talking about.
And boy, did I go hard on the political commentary. I remember at that time a colleague of mine read it and said I am not bold enough with the political commentary, but I don’t get how that can be the case, because rereading it a few years later, it seems like my writing lacked any kind of subtlety. I am now writing the second volume and while I don’t think I can not include political commentary (having beef with the society is the main reason I write, which I guess is similar to many other writers), it is at least something to be aware of. If I read it as a stranger, I might have rolled my eyes. Then again, all readers are different… it’s difficult.
I really don’t like reading my own stuff, but maybe it’s necessary. I can plot mysteries like a champion, though, I’ll give myself that.
People with creative occupations, how much time do you spend doubting yourself?
Some of the previous years have involved a smooth and easy transition back to working after my summer vacation.
For some reason, this year was different. All the little things that cause friction and problems in my work seemed to irritate me in a massive way. It’s taken three weeks to get over the fact these are things I just have to deal with, every day.
I’m glad the temperature has dropped enough, it’s no longer an oven outside here. I decided to take a few walks around some parks and noticed that the less visible areas seem much more littering.
I spent the weekend in Helsinki inner city, and now I’m at my father’s cottage in a municipality with 2000 inhabitants and less than 4 people per square kilometre. It’s quite the contrast.
During the weekend I visited Hvitträsk, which is in the capital region. It was the atelier, workspace and home of Eliel Saarinen and two other architects. Eliel Saarinen was a national romantic era architect, father of Eero Saarinen, who you may not know by name, but for example the St. Louis Arch and the TWA Hotel at JFK airport are his works. Eliel Saarinen’s buildings are mostly in Finland, most notable being the Helsinki Central Station.
Hvitträsk was so glorious. Lakeside in super idyllic countryside about 40 minutes from downtown Helsinki. The building is bona fide Finnish national romantic art nouveau, lots of organic textures and the whole thing feels like it has grown up from the ground. It was like the exact antithesis to functionalism and the international style (excluding perhaps some of Alvar Aalto’s buildings), the interior was almost maze like with no clear floors. Just random ass small staircases going up or down a little bit. This means many of the windows on the exterior are at different heights, which looks kinda goofy, but it’s part of the natural organic style.
Wonderful place. If any of you find yourself in Helsinki ever, make sure to make the trip to Hvitträsk.
Maybe because I’ve been watching some older TwoSet videos, or looking through the Elbphilharmonie program, I have been listening to a ton of violin music lately. And one violinist that isn’t talked about as much as others, though in my eyes he is just one of the great masters, is Gidon Kremer. It is rare to see someone so well-rounded as a musician who plays Bach and Schnittke alike and amazingly (usually I have my favorite interpreters for different music periods, but Gidon Kremer would be all time favorite ever). Especially for contemporary composers such as Peteris Vasks, Arvo Pärt, Sofia Gubaidulina (who I started listening to thanks to orangebikini), he is just unmatched. But I love his Bach recordings, too, and I usually don’t like “old school” Bach, but he is just different, I don’t know.
Contemporary music isn’t for everyone, but if you are looking for a little optimism, I really recommend [Flowering Jasmine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M-qYBK1Uns).