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jamillatisa

[jamillatisa]

29

Take a self portrait. 

Gillian Wearing is a contemporary British artist whose conceptually driven photographs and videos investigate power dynamics and voyeurism in everyday life. 

Wearing’s photographs explore how public and private identities of ordinary people are self-fashioned and documented. In her portraits and self-portraits she blurs the line between reality and fiction. For her series Album 2003, Wearing reconstructed old family snapshots using silicone masks fabricated with the help of experts from Madame Tussauds. By putting a version of someone else’s face on hers she is metaphorically ‘seizing’ their identity. Here Wearing wears a dress her sister wore in the 1980s. The only bits of Wearing that can be seen are her eyes and teeth.  

From researching the artist, I went to my own family. Who are they, what do they stand for and how could I portray them?  To know this you have to start observing noticeable features and characteristics. 

Eventually I decided to take a self portrait as my little brother Nathan Brice. We have never been very close, due to the large age difference (8 years). Yet we have many similarities. However, our youth has turned out completely differently. My brother is and was often sick, and spends his childhood more in hospitals than outside. Sometimes I forget how bad that must be for him. In this photo series I try to induce the feeling that my brother experiences in his world of medication and doctor's appointments.  

But how could I capture those moments and his youth? Looking back at my notes I think it is horrible that my first noticeable feature about him was ‘sick’. Yet it was an interesting fact for me. How come that his sickness took over his personality? Sometimes we focus so much on the bad stuff that we forget about the good things. For me this was an eyeopener and a point of view to work with. 

I want to portray myself als the brother I knew from then. The sick boy, the patient. The pills. 

Precisely because I am so sorry that I ever looked at him that way. He's more than his illness, he's my little brother. A super intelligent boy, who is interested in creativity and nature. Laughs at the loudest jokes and likes to try new things. My little brother, more than his medicines.

A photo series of me as my brother, the patient. Or better as his disease and his daily medicines. 

[jamillatisa]

28

Create a campaign. 

After receiving this assignment I started to think about the main concept: tics. 

What are tics? 

Tics are sudden twitches, movements, or sounds that people do repeatedly. People who have tics cannot stop their body from doing these things.  

Do i have tics and if yes, which? 

Because I didn’t know if I had any tics in the first place, I asked around at my closest friends and my family. They came up with these answers: 

Saying sorry unnecessary 

Snapping your neck, back, and fingers 

Standing in that weird pose 

The most interesting for me is ‘saying sorry unnecessary’. It is something that I do all the time and that I have to stop with. But today I will look at the bright side of this tic and make a campaign for it. 

What are the benefits for others? 

Feeling powerful 

Taking away their problems

Stress releasing 

Always feeling guilty? Don’t with this human. Although you made the fault, she will apologize for it. Get a huge confidence boost and feel superior! Stress releasing!  

[jamillatisa]

27

Describe yourself as a product. 

When it comes to selling myself, the way I do it depends on my target audience.  So I started by doing research on where I could sell myself and what my target audience would be. 

The most interesting target audience for me where cannibals. How could I lure cannibals to buy my meat? 

Human cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh or internal organs of other human beings. A person who practices cannibalism is called a cannibal. The meaning of "cannibalism" has been extended into zoology to describe an individual of a species consuming all or part of another individual of the same species as food, including sexual cannibalism. 

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Reading the words of cannibals and watching interviews of them, I try to understand what the best parts of a human body are. What makes it tasty and what do they like the most. 

Human flesh falls into the category of red meat and, by most accounts, has the consistency of beef. The taste is much more subtle according to anecdotes from humans who have actually dined on human flesh. 

Issei Sagawa, who is currently roaming Tokyo as a free man, spent two days eating a 25-year-old woman he had killed as a student in Paris. He’s gone on record to note that the buttocks melted on his tongue like raw tuna and that his favorite meat was the thighs, which he described as “wonderful.” However, he also said that he didn’t like the breasts because they were too greasy. 

How do they sell animal meat at the moment? What is significant for the meat industry and their advertising? 

Most of the time they show the end result. Probably because the process of slaughter puts people off. It shows how fresh, juicy and quality the meat is, and usually demonstrates an offer. Meat is quite expensive so that is a reason for people to buy it. Some supermarkets also advertise the animal's quality of life. The animal had a good life and was allowed outside. This can also be a sales trick to persuade people to buy a piece of meat. 

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After doing my research I started by creating my advertisement. Me as a piece of meat. I used all the elements that I stated before; I showed off the best meat, I made an offer and told more about the lifestyle of the meat. I chose my face in a package because it is the most beautiful and recognizable part of my body.

[jamillatisa]

26

Draw a child memory. 

Thinking about my childhood I always come back to my closest friends and my family. Some of them are still around me and some of them are not. The last weeks I think more and more about my grandpa’s, they both past away. One when I was really young and one when I was twelve. Due to circumstances I haven’t said goodbye to the last grandpa. Something I really regret. 

I often wonder what he would think of me now, and if he would be proud of me. I look a lot like him. He and my grandmother have always supported me in my creativity. Something for which I am very grateful now. 

My grandfather always had a few characteristic features that everyone recognized him off. Suit pants that are too high, a crooked little finger, the magazine auto week and his Stanley knife. 

He and his Stanley knife were always connected, so connected that when he passed away people put Stanley knifes on his grave instead of flowers. So for this assignment I decided to draw a Stanley knife. 

[jamillatisa]

25

Mix apps. 

I found this assignment extremely hard. I’m a fanatic app user and ‘addicted’ to my phone but I couldn’t come up with a good concept for a new app. There are already so many... whenever I thought of something new, and looked it up, it already existed. Eventually I came up with this: 

CONCEPT

Walking around town with your loved one, friends or your family? And no idea what to eat? Use MATCH.LOVE.EAT and find the best meal in your area.

Selected by location, specifications and allergies, this app presents the best restaurants. By swiping through different profiles of restaurants in your vicinity, you will find the best match for this evening. You have the best evening within three steps. 

JUST MATCH.LOVE.EAT

[jamillatisa]

24

Research about a protest. 

I started by collecting different topics, which topics do I stand for and which are trending at the moment. I noticed that since the Covid-19 pandemic more and more people are interested in protesting and speaking out about their feelings. 

Although a lot of these topics are very important for me (and the world), one stands out for me; mental health. Many people forget the importance of mental health and often dismiss it. But in my view mental health is just as important as your physical health. I struggled with mental health and mental disorders myself, and know how harmful it can be. 

In my environment I notice that many people often see mental issues as weak, and an exaggerated cry for attention. But right now, during this pandemic, it is important to draw attention to it. During these difficult times a lot of people suffer from a depression or an anxiety disorder. But besides this pandemic, we have to take things like these serious. September is suicide prevention month, a month where a lot of rallies are organized to raise awareness for mental health. Something I completely stand for. 

Fortunately, more and more people worldwide are speaking out for the unspeakably poor mental health, and the lack of attention  that the government has for it. The government must open up more budget to solve this worldwide problem in society, which of the numbers are becoming increased. 

 This picture was taken during a mental health awareness rally in South Africa.

“Underfunded: Only 4% of the health budget goes towards mental health, says the South African Depression and Anxiety Group.” 

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While doing research about this protest, I stumbled across another interesting protest in the fashion industry supporting awareness for mental health. 

During the Gucci Spring/Summer 2020 fashion show in Milan on Sept. 22, model Ayesha Tan-Jones, who uses the pronouns they/them, walked down the runway and silently protested the outfit they were wearing. The designer brand outfitted its models in a series of neutral, uniform-inspired ensembles, several of which resembled straitjackets.  

Tan-Jones found a subtle yet striking way to voice their opposition to the message, writing, "Mental health is not fashion" on their palms before the show. As Tan-Jones walked down the runway, they held their palms up, clearly visible for audience members and photographers.

[jamillatisa]

23

Design a product. 

At first I didn’t know which brand I would choose, I don't have a particular brand that is my personal favorite. I shop everywhere and it depends per category which brand I choose. I made my decision by using a mind map and writing down what I love about the brands, and what I could add. 

After looking back at my ideas, I choose to work with the brand Skims. The solution focused approach to shape enhancing undergarments, created by Kim Kardashian West. Although this brand is hard to get in The Netherlands, I think the concept behind it and the art direction are absolutely stunning. I researched the brand identity. 

Creating a swimwear collection seemed the most interesting idea, it also fits the best into the brand identity.  Functionality and including are the most recognizable values, so we have to create swimwear including these characteristics. 

Copying the forms of the existing shape wear, bra’s and underwear to create swimwear, we have to think about covering swimwear for Muslim’s. How can we create a fashionable, yet good burkini? 

TO BE CONTINUED IN DETAIL ... 

[jamillatisa]

22

recreate a performance. 

Starting with this assignment I had no clue who Guido and Ragnar where and what kind of performances they created. So I started with doing research of both of them. Which led me in deciding who and what I wanted to recreate. 

Research: 

I really liked the thought behind artwork number nine, it was a simple concept yet clear and playful. A nice way of portraying and a good visual experiment. I decided to collect more information about this art work: 

NUMBER NINE, THE DAY I DIDN’T TURN WITH THE WORLD.                     8’40”, time-lapse photography to HD video, Geographic Northpole, 2007

In his ninth video, artist Guido van der Werve, as in his previous video Number Eight, finds himself on an immense ice plain: this time the North Pole. Wrapped in black ski clothing, the artist stands in one place in the freezing cold for 24 hours. Guido Van der Werve moves with the turning of the sun, so that he literally turns his back on the sun continuously. With this he turns against the world, something the artist has taken over from the Romantic era (art movement). The sterile blue-white landscape contrasts strongly with its dark figure. Once again he performed the music himself and this time also composed himself. The artist manages to keep away from the sun for the entire video, that is to say, the whole day, and to keep standing on this barren plain. 

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I'm going to try to recreate this artwork in a shorter period of time. However, the location of my time laps will be different, since we have no (real) snow in the Netherlands. 

At first when watching the video, I thought guido was in the sea. But this turns out to be a reverse thought, because he is standing on a snowy surface, the North Pole. This imagination gave me inspiration for the new location of my recreation. The sea, the water, is a different version of the ice. But, it suggests the same wide location and, as in the video, is minimalist yet interesting.

I went to the beach and recreated in 24 minutes instead of 24 hours, a time laps. I also experimented with taking photo’s and portraying silhouettes. 

Something that I mentioned earlier, was the interest in simplicity and silhouettes that Guido uses in his work. I started to do more research in this technique and created different photographs on the same location, focussing on these two criteria. I found it fun to challenge myself with different lightning, persons, distances and settings. 

Some photo’s came out with a surreal appearance, but gave me a Guido van der Werve vibe. These were my 3 favorite outcomes. 

[jamillatisa]

21

Review Paris is Burning. 

Without any research, I started watching the movie 'Paris is burning'. I had no idea what to expect and what the film would be about, perhaps about the burning Notre Dame in Paris? It soon turned out that my speculation was anything but true. 

Paris is burning chronicles the ball culture of New York City and the African-American, Latino, gay, and transgender communities involved in it. Critics consider the film to be an invaluable documentary of the end of the "Golden Age" of New York City drag balls, and a thoughtful exploration of race, class, gender, and sexuality in America.  

While watching the movie I made some notes, about noticeable lines, people and thoughts: 

REVIEW 

Woah, i can’t believe I haven’t watched this documentary before. It was powerful, factual and it showed the hard reality we still come across. Homophobia, poverty, violence and racial issues. It was a great way to understand this community better, with seeing their world trough their eyes.  

Despite my great interest in this community and this culture, I never looked up the history of it. But this documentary gave me a great insight and better understanding in how the ball culture formed and changed itself. Living in 2020, a big part of the LGBTQ+ community can love freely and be themselves, it finally became normalized. People as Pepper, extravaganza and ninja made a huge difference and changed history forever. They don’t know how much of an impression they made on the world. 

However I found most of the film inspiring, fun and beautiful to watch, I also found it sad. I hated that the beauty of most of the humans in this movie shined from pain. A lot of the youngsters came from broken families, and only felt a happy reality at this place. Which for me is miserable. 

Something that was even more remarkable and intriguing to me was the style in which the movie was filmed. Because of the lower quality of the film, the locations and the casual conversations it seemed very personal. Which for me was a huge asset in this documentary, it increased my attention.

`In general I loved this movie, I would also love to do more research about this topic and the people within this documentary. It really opened up my eyes on the LGBTQ+ community, the houses, and how we portray it nowadays. 

[jamillatisa]

20

collLeave a wooden chair in the forest. 

Reading the assignment for this project, I wanted to get a wooden chair, leave it in the forest and take an aesthetically pleasing photo of it. But instead of going for the easy way, I wanted to challenge myself and work on my conceptual skills. I started by doing research in the used terms and looked up variations of the words.  By doing this I broadened my thoughts and came up with creative and different ideas. 

After writing down the different definitions, synonyms and dutch translations. I started to look at the variations of words. Can I interpret them differently, do they have links to other topics? How can I combine these ideas? 

Quickly, I came to a list of variations and word combinations. Although, I liked them all, I found ‘woud’ the most interesting. 

Woud is a dutch word for forrest. It is a synonym of bos. But you can write it slightly different and create a new word of it; ‘wout’. Which is a dutch swearword for police officers. The word wout probably comes from an older Dutch language. The word "waut" means "power" or "authority" in Middle Dutch according to the etymology bank. The word "wout" or "woutje" was first included in an official Bargoen dictionary in 1731. However, the first time the word appeared on paper as a nickname for authority was back in 1682. It is an insulting term.

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After choosing this interpretation, I started doing more research on how I could combine this word with the assignment. Am I gonna create a ‘woud’ by collecting a lot of police officers (wouten)? Or am I gonna create a chair of wout? Both ideas seemed nice, but within the 24 hours it was hard to manage this al. Plus, creating a chair out of a person seemed a bit rude. 

I came back to the assignment, and started doing research on the part of the chair. Leave a wooden, empty chair in the forest. 

After finding out what the empty chair project was, i started being focused on a new concept: creating a collaboration between the empty chair project in New Zealand and The Netherlands. How would the dutch version be? What would be it’s name, and what would the poster look like? 

I imagined a poster of an empty wooden chair, in front of a dutch police station. The air is grey, as is the building. it suggest the depression and trauma of police officers which we will raise awareness for. The empty chair is an open invitation to start the conversation. A good name for this project would be ‘de wouten stoel’. a play on words, between the wooden chair and the police chair. 

[jamillatisa]

19

Write an ode to your body. 

I found it hard to perform this assignment. I discovered that I'm not really good at creative writing and I'm most of the times not happy with what I'm making. So this is what I came up with for now, but it could definitely improve. 

First I did research, chose ideas, found inspiration etc. And then started writing the first things that came to mind. I decided to do this assignment in Dutch, because I find writing hard already... 

By using a technique that we learned in Rogier’s class, I expended my word choice and my inspiration. By doing this is started writing down everything that came into my mind. 

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What is an ode? 

a lyric poem, typically one in the form of an address to a particular subject, written in varied or irregular metre. A classical poem of a kind originally meant to be sung.

Eventually I came up with short sentences about ass. 

oh kont, wat ben jij toch een bofkont!

Als er geen billen waren, zou ik er dan mee zitten? 

Onafscheidelijk van elkaar, door dicht bij zichzelf te blijven. 

[jamillatisa]

18

Teach about a cultural landscape. 

I edited myself in between one of the newer buildings of a vernacular landscape called ‘Acoma Pueblo’. I did research on this landscape that has evolved through use by people whose occupancy shaped their landscape through social/cultural attitudes. I found these kind of cultural landscapes the most interesting, because the landscapes reflect, physical, biological and cultural character of that place. 

For my online lesson, I created a short video that translates the information into visuals. Although I didn’t show the place often, you create a vision of it. 

[jamillatisa]

17

Visit an art exhibition.

I visited ‘het Nieuwe Instituut’ in museumpark with Manon. A museum that I was not familiar with, but seemed very interesting to me because of its applicability to major advertising: 

Het Nieuwe Instituut’s public programme will be manifest in the Museum for Architecture, Design and Digital Culture. The Museum for Architecture, Design and Digital Culture examines the designed world and how it is constantly being changed by new technologies, new ideas and shifting social priorities. Innovation – the fulcrum of all Het Nieuwe Instituut’s activities – will be expressed in both speculative explorations of the future and critical reflections on innovative movements past and present.

Manon and I combined our visit to ‘het Nieuwe Instituut’ with a visit to ‘Huis Sonneveld’. 

Sonneveld House is one of the best-preserved houses in the Dutch Functionalist style. The villa was designed in 1933 by architecture firm Brinkman and Van der Vlugt for Albertus Sonneveld, a director of the Van Nelle Factory. The architects designed a total concept in which architecture, interior and furnishings are perfectly coordinated and reinforce one another.

During our visitation I took a lot of pictures, and captured everything that I found astonishing, interesting, or strange. This is my selection: 

My favorite artwork was the LITHIUM exhibition. Which was completely focused on the chemical element lithium (discovered in 1817) which has been energizing the planet: from treating physical and mental disorders to powering laptops and electric cars. Often found in mineral waters, lithium was ascribed healing powers. By the late 19th-century, prestigious spa resorts such as Lithia Springs, Carlsbad and Baden-Baden had opened around curative mineral springs. 

Today, this metal plays a fundamental role in maintaining our present consumer economy, its production methods and exuberant lifestyles. Yet, in doing so, it aggravates the burn-out of ecosystems and human bodies, contributing to the current ecological crisis. 

The Lithium spa consisted out of eight elements, all variating in temperatures and with different functions. You start at the consultation room, where this extraordinary mineral introduces itself. After this you will enter the mineral spring, where you can make yourself comfortable surrounding the lithium. After that you might want to refresh yourself with a glass of sparkling Lithia water. 

Then it’s time for the first bath. Take a plunge in a thermal pool or rest under the open sky. The view is fantastically dreamy. 

Walking further we enter the steam baths with a temperature of 36-60°C. A temperature that you can feel in your pocket. These steam baths are powered by lithium-ion batteries. So are the ever-present electronic devices that support todays economy, like phones or laptops! 

Most batteries die slowly in our pockets. Sometimes they also explode. This heat treatment with a temperature of 180,5°C is inspired by the reactive and volatile qualities of lithium. 

After this we go back to one of the sources of lithium, the Salar de Atacama in Chile. In the salt room with a temperature of 2-22°C you can rest on the platforms and listen to the voice of rich microbial environments that live and give life. 

In the last element of the lithium spa, we visit the cold therapy with a temperature of -273,15°C. 

Created during the Big Bang, the element lithium existed for 13,8 billion years before its discovery. Therefore, most scientific models of the universe suggest that there should be large amounts of lithium in outer space, much more then there is currently observable. 

What I found the most inspiring and remarkable of this exhibition is how the space was so simple directed, yet so clear, informational and balanced. They had a clear concept about a subject that is rarely talked about, but is applicable to everyone. I also liked how science and art are combined. It was a clear visual translation. The combination of colors, materials, sounds and space were perfectly suggested and complemented each other in every way. A beautiful piece that gave me a lot of inspiration. 

[jamillatisa]

16

Burn a paper. 

Performing this assignment I think it is important to know who I hurt the most. To be honest, that is a hard question for me. Im always the pleaser, I care for a lot of people and I never want to disappoint anyone. I don't know if i ever really hurt someone... But I did hurt myself a lot of times. 

I hurt myself with having high expectations, believing in the wrong people, letting myself get used, not doing what I would actually like and hating myself. Which is super sad, but the truth. So for this briefing I decided to write down my heaviest thoughts, and to burn them for ever. It is time to say goodbye. 

Very quickly after I wrote it, I noticed that I was writing it very small, and that I came up with it super fast (while normally I find it hard to write personal things). Maybe that was because I never speak about my thoughts, and these feelings. It felt like they were rushing to leave my body. A release. But nobody was allowed to see it, so as soon as I was done I fold it up to a small paper. 

I went outside an asked for a lighter. I set it on fire on street. But the way that it folded, didn’t burn. For me it was like a metaphor. You have to open yourself completely up, before you can move on and get rid of the negative past. 

[jamillatisa]

15

Explore a neighborhood. 

Living in a small town, i know every neighborhood. But since a month ago there is a new build district. I never took a close look at it, so i decided that this was the perfect day for it. 

Since the neighborhood is so recent, there were no pictures of it available on google maps. So I started to make my own and documented remarkable information that I didn’t know about this place. 

Google Maps: Het Gemaalhuis, March 2020. 

My own documentation of the neighborhood: 

I cycled towards the district, because it is pretty close to my own house. Leading from a straight bicycle path, you reach the neighborhood within seven minutes. On the map that I drew above you can see that there are streets surrounding the area, I cycled around the area using those streets. 

I came across the part of the neighborhood that was built earlier then ‘Het Gemaalhuis’, this part is also already visible on google maps itself. From that I took a turn to the left and discovered the most invisible part of this area. 

I bumped into a small side street, which I decided to enter. I came across a square in the center of the houses where personal parking spaces were provided to the houses. I think this is a pretty common thing in the more new build neighborhoods in The Netherlands, so for me it was not exceptional. What I did find interesting were some chalk drawings from children, that I couldn’t figure out. Was there a logic behind it? 

The prints that the children created at the parking lot reminded me of tribal art. I saw a similarity in form, repetition and technique (chalk on stone). 

Heading forward I entered the area of ‘Het Gemaalhuis’, which is dutch for the pumping station. A quite interesting name because of its location. Hoofddorp used to be a lake (Haarlemmermeer), which was drained in 1849. 

The style of this apartment complex is also inspired by the 19th century steam mill. Which can be recognized by robust bricks, playful facade ornaments, graceful wrought iron. 

Entering this area trough a small street, heading from the parking lot I noticed another interesting parking lot which was placed underneath the building itself. Thin fencing gave me the opportunity to sneak in between them. 

But from this moment i figured out soon, that the most interesting parking garage was about to come. Still cycling, I come across a separate fence consisting of white posts and wires, which distinguish the various cars from each other.  

it gave me a futuristic and clean feeling, which for me was completely opposite of the style and identity the houses assume. An other-worldly contrast. 

From here I cycled back to the front of ‘het Gemaalhuis’ and photographed the houses in the original style. I noticed that the neighborhood was very family friendly and took on a sustainable appearance. 

Unfortunately, it had not yet been fully worked out. Planters were empty and there was still trash on the street. But the street in front of the building was specially designed for cyclists.

After this I decided to go back to my house. I had observed the neighborhood closely and was ready to document it visually. 

After drawing my floorpan I compared it to the original from the site of ‘het gemaalhuis’. I noticed that it actually was pretty accurate, although my poor drawing skills. So I recreated and visualized the outline with lego. 

Using observation as tool to create and visualize a map, was a nice way to look at an environment in a different way. Usually I overview everything very quickly and now I took the time to absorb as many information as possible. 

[jamillatisa]

14

Combine texts, and create a new poster. 

Walking trough the city centre of Rotterdam I focused on finding more unique, remarkable and weird texts, that didn’t make sense or had a double meaning behind it. This was quite hard, because most of the texts that were visible in the centre were advertisements for clothing stores. I choose to search on more urban parts of the city and came ton the skatepark. Here I found more ‘graffiti’ and stickers with more outspoken content. 

Working with Illustrator (for the second time of my life) I decided that my ideas were kinda straight forward, and boring. It wasn't what I had in mind and I was not really happy with the end results I was getting. So I looked back at my notes and sketches and looked for something new. I noticed that a lot of the posters, words and commercials were about safety. In times of Covid-19 we have to protect ourself from the virus. But there are more diseases, like STD’s we have to protect ourselves from. Why don’t we have posters about save sex hanging around in the city? It is important for basically everyone. 

I combined two texts that I found in the city earlier... ‘Sex’ and a poster about ‘safe nightlife’. Which for me was kinda applicable, to the idea of sex, which happens most of the time in the nighttime. 

What is sex? 

(chiefly with reference to people) sexual activity, including specifically sexual intercourse. Twisted naked bodies, stimulating each other for pleasure. 

I looked for pictures of people having sex, different bodies, genders, colors, ages and identities. I combined parts of their bodies to a new piece, where they twisted around each other and the word sex, to create a new visual poster. 

This was also a way to learn and to practice photoshop. Which for me was a good personal development in my practical skills. Im not really good at it yet, but I definitely made some steps. 

[jamillatisa]

13

Describe an old photo. 

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“Thinking about my youth, I always come back to one person... Griften” “The most recognizable things are being on the road, McDonalds & KFC, primary colors, Rotterdam Zuid and tankstations, listening to Surinamese music.”