Amanda Shopa

Film Photography & Fiber Arts

209 Weeks Gallery

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Weeks 1 through 52: January 20, 2025 through January 19, 2026

Black and white photo of a flower growing through wooden slats.
Week 1 (front)
The back of the postcard reads: "Hope can be bruised and battered. It can be forced underground and unconscious, but hope cannot be killed." —Neal Shusterman in Unsouled. Photo notes: This photo was taken at Geonsancheon stream in Jeonju, South Korea in September of October 2018.
Week 1 (back)
This black and white photo shows a pile of itty bitty acorn caps mixed in with wood chips. In the center of the photo, there is a small acorn.
Week 2 (front)
The back of the postcard reads: "The fact that we hope, even though we know what is going on, is what makes us wonderful." --Arundhati Roy Photo notes: This photo was taken at Pacem in Terris in Isanti, MN in Nov-Dec 2021. These were the tiniest acorn caps I'd ever seen.
Week 2 (back)
This black and white photo shows a dry late fall prairie filled with dried seed pods. In the background, there is a stand of trees at the edge of a forest.
Week 3 (front)
The back of this postcard reads: "People have been good at imagining the end of the worlds, which is much easier to picture than the strange sidelong paths of change in a world without end." —Rebecca Solnit Photo notes: This photo was taken at Pacem in Terris in Isanti, MIN in Nov–Dec 2021. Even though it was Nov–Dec, we'd had very little snow, so the prairie was covered in seeds.
Week 3 (back)
This black and white photo shows a wild flower in a prairie. The flower is on a puffball shape and has gone to seed. The seed pod shape looks like a pentagon with five sides.
Week 4 (front)
The back of this postcard reads: "resist; cultivate joy; hold space" Photo notes: Taken at Pacem in Terris in Nov–Dec 2021.
Week 4 (back)
Photo of a cattail with its fluff pulling off of the stem.
Week 5 (front)
The back of the postcard reads: "As I listen to them, I hear another whisper from the swaying stand of cattails, from spruce boughs in the wind, a reminder that caring is not abstract" by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Photo notes: This photo was taken at Pacem in Terris in Isanti, MN in November–December 2021.
Week 5 (back)
Black-and-white photo of a golden orb spider hanging upside down in its web with blurry leaves in the background.
Week 6 (front)
Postcard text: "It can be overwhelming to witness/experience/take in all of the injustices of the moment; the good news is that they're all connected. So if your little corner of work involves pulling at one of the threads, you're helping to unravel the whole damn cloth." —Ursula Wolfe-Rocca Photo notes: This photo was taken at Gildong Ecological Park in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea in Sept–Oct 2018. This is a female joro spider, or 무당거미 (mudang geomi). This spider creates a golden yellow web that glimmers in the sun.
Week 6 (back)
Black-and-white photo of several small shelf fungi on a tree trunk.
Week 7 (front)
"WHETHER YOU LOVE WHAT YOU LOVE / OR LIVE IN DIVIDED CEASELESS REVOLT AGAINST IT / WHAT YOU LOVE IS YOUR FATE." —Frank Bidart, "Guilty of Dust" Photo Notes: This photo was taken at Pacem in Terris in Isanti, MN in November or December 2021.
Week 7 (back)
Black-and-white photo Cheonggyecheon stream in Seoul, South Korea. A stream is flanked by two walkways and some small stone bridges cross the river. Dozens of people walk past the stream or sit and chat with each other. Hundreds of umbrellas are strung across the sky above the stream.
Week 8 (front)
"Freedom is indivisible and either we are working for freedom or you are working for the sake of your self-interests and I am working for mine." —June Jordan Photo notes: This photo was taken at Cheonggyecheon stream is Seoul, South Korea in September or October 2018. This stream has been covered by a road for several decades before being "daylighted," or restored, in 2005.
Week 8 (back)
Black-and-white photo of a small cut tree stump. A third of the tree stump is covered in lichen and dried, fallen autumn leaves are on the ground next to the tree stump. The rings of the tree are visible in the photo.
Week 9 (front)
"We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends, and improving our lives." —Maya Angelou Photo notes: This photo was taken at Pacem in Terris in Isanti, MN in November or December 2021.
Week 9 (back)
Black-and-white photo of a white heron standing in Cheonggyecheon stream in Seoul, South Korea. Across the stream, a dapper looking man stands, and watches the heron. Long grass and trees frame the stream, the heron, and the gentleman.
Week 10 (front)
"Outside for the first time in a long time/Lose yourself, sink into the sunlight/It's been a while since you felt right/But the warm nights are coming soon and you'll be just fine/You'll be just fine/You'll be just fine" from "Daylily" by Movements. Photo notes: This photo was taken at Cheonggyecheon stream in Seoul, South Korea, in September or October 2018. This grey heron was very chill.
Week 10 (back)
Black-and-white photo of underpass at Geonsancheon stream in Jeonju, South Korea. The pillars that support the bridge overhead are reflected in the water. Across the stream, a few people use exercise equipment.
Week 11 (front)
"The ultimate work to be done each day is to choose whether we will support our authentic self or support our false persona or dutiful self." —Angela Arrien. Photo notes: This was taken at Geonsancheon stream in Jeonju, South Korea in September/October 2018. I didn't realize anyone was on the other side until I printed this photo.
Week 11 (back)
Black-and-white photo showing the patterns used in Korean temples and palaces. Intricate floral and geometric patterns dance across the wooden structure.
Week 12 (front)
A Korean proverb—산무당이 시림 잡는다. Translation: An inexperienced shaman causes people pain. Photo notes: This photo was taken somewhere in South Korea in October 2018. Where? Which building? Temple? Palace? No earthly idea. Apparently I need to take better notes.
Week 12 (back)
Black and white photo of a wall. A sign says FIRE ESCAPE, and some railing or stairs out of frame casts deep slanted shadows across the fire escape sign.
Week 13 (front)
"You know that the antidote to exhaustion is not necessarily rest?… The antidote to exhaustion is wholeheartedness." Quote by Brother David Steindl-Rast. Photo notes: This photo was taken at the Minnesota State Fairground in 2020, a few months after COVID lockdowns started. The Fairgrounds are generally open to the public during the day, but empty. During COVID, lots of people got outside at the Fairgrounds.
Week 13 (back)
A black and white photo showing a cut log. The log has a knot inside of it, and there is a cross drawn on the stump. The background shows a mess of tree branches and snow.
Week 14 (front)
Inauguration by Dave Hedenstrom Welcome to a despot’s Golden Age where Empathy is heckled off the stage: the Other is best gone, or in a cage, and Jesus just a useful tool for rage. Let those who know true Love not disengage in hope that History turns a better page." Photo notes: This photo was taken at Pacem in Terris in Isanti, Minnesota in February 2025.
Week 14 (back)
This black and white photo shows approximately a dozen people working on an iron pour. Everyone is wearing heavy protective clothing and face shields to protect their faces. Some people are pouring molten metal, while others are assisting.
Week 15 (front)
"...because if enough of us believe a thing, then it becomes so." N.K. Jemisin. Photo notes: This photo was taken at the last iron pour held at the University of Minnesota in Spring 2019.
Week 15 (back)
This black and white photo shows a large tree stretching out across the sky. The bark is peeling on the tree, which might be a birch or a quaking aspen tree. The trunk also shows black marks on it, perhaps indicating a fire. The sky shows through the bare branches.
Week 16 (front)
"Walk on air against your better judgement." —Seamus Heaney Photo notes: ??? No idea. I think I may have taken these photos at a state park? (I need to take better notes.)
Week 16 (back)
This black and white photo shows on oak leaf on a layer of snow. The stem of the oak leaf has gotten caught on a piece of grass sticking up through the snow. This has made the oak leaf spin around in a circle, carving a natural mandala into the snow.
Week 17 (front)
May you feel loved May you feel free from fear May your hopes and dreams be realized Photo notes: This photo was taken at Pacem in Terris in Isanti, MN in Feb 2025. On a walk, I found this "footprint" in the snow. It took me a minute to realize the leaf, with its stem caught around a blade of grass, was spinning around and carving out a natural mandala in the snow.
Week 17 (back)
This black and white photo shows the University of Minnesota's iron pour held in 2019. Approximately a dozen people wearing heavy protective clothing and face shields work in the space while a flame bursts out of a large pot. Open the open door, there is an rainbow colored flag. It says "We The People SAY NO To The Bush Agenda." "Bush" is crossed out and "Trump" is written below it in black.
Week 18 (front)
“I would hurl words into this darkness and wait for an echo, and if an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight, to create a sense of the hunger for life that gnaws in us all.” —Richard Wright, Black Boy Photo notes: This photo was taken at the University of Minnesota's last iron pour in spring 2019. It was the 50th anniversary of the iron pour. The flag reads We The People SAY NO to the Bush Agenda. "Bush" is crossed out and "Trump" is written in its place.
Week 18 (back)
This black and white photo shows a tree log that has fallen on the forest floor. The bark indicates the tree may be a birch or a quaking aspen. The right half of the tree trunk is black, as if the bark may have burned off. Some tree branch shadows fall on the trunk.
Week 19 (front)
"‘Tis not in the high stars alone, Nor in the cup of budding flowers, Nor in the red-breast’s mellow tone, Nor in the bow that smiles in showers. But in the darkest, meanest things There alway, alway something sings." —Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Music" Photo notes: Taken at a state park maybe? (I need to take better notes!)
Week 19 (back)
This black and white photo, taken in Seoul, South Korea, shows a lion carved out of a large piece of wood. Behind the lion, there are several plants. On the right side of the photo, a bicyclist rides down the sidewalk toward the camera.
Week 20 (front)
No dejarte dominar por el miedo. Translation: Don't let yourself be ruled by fear. Photo notes: This carved lion, made out of a large chunk of wood, was found at a garden center sort of store (or maybe a landscaper?) in Seoul, South Korea in May 2024.
Week 20 (back)
This black and white photo shows two metal kitchen strainers of different sizes hanging from a hook against a concrete wall. The strainers throw shadows on the wall, showing holes in the metal. The left half of the image is concrete grey while the right side is thrown in shadow.
Week 21 (front)
"I am pulling the voices of people I desire and love and trust and worry over into me." —Saeed Jones, "My Project 2025" Photo notes: This photo was taken in the courtyard of my grandmother-in-law's house in Jinju, South Korea in May 2024.
Week 21 (back)
This black and white photo shows a large bonfire. The bottom of the photo shows a mess of sticks on fire, and the fire flames blur together into a mostly smooth surface, albeit one with some texture to it.
Week 22 (front)
"My candle burns at both ends;/ It will not last the night; /But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends—/ It gives a lovely light!" —Edna St. Vincent Millay "First Fig" Photo notes: This bonfire photo was taken at Pacem in Terris's bonfire weekend in February 2025.
Week 22 (back)
This black and white photo shows the new growth tips of a pine tree, with soft waxy growth. The photo itself has a bit of an ethereal glow and a shallow depth of field.
Week 23 (front)
"You can talk a great philosophy, but if you can't be kind to people everyday, it doesn't mean that much to me." -Ani DiFranco, "Looking for the holes." Photo notes: This photo was taken at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in May 2025. The film, Washi F, is an x-ray film. It gave the photos of a bit of an ethereal look.
Week 23 (back)
This black and white photo shows a neighborhood in Seoul in May 2025. Two roads form a T-shape. Shorter, older building are on the left and right side of the photo. In the center of the photo, a newer highrise with narrow windows stretches to the sky. Four people and a cyclist pass through the frame.
Week 24 (front)
"Do what you can to show you care about others, and you will make the world a better place." —Rosalynn Carter. Photo notes: Seoul, South Korea, May 2024.
Week 24 (back)
This black and white photo shows some peony buds. The buds are tightly closed and a few raindrops rest on each bud and the leaves around them. The photo has a soft focus quality.
Week 25 (front)
"You do not have to be good." –Mary Oliver, "Wild Geese." Photo notes: This photo was taken on a special type of x-ray film. The film has a soft, diffuse look. Taken in May 2025.
Week 25 (back)
This black and white photo shows several stalks of columbine flower. Raindrops cling to the stems and flowers. The photo has a hazy, soft-focus look to it.
Week 26 (front)
"Celebrate we will because life is short but sweet for certain." –Dave Matthews Band, "Two Step." Photo notes: This photo was taken on a special type of x-ray film. The film has a soft, diffuse light look. Taken in May 2025.
Week 26 (back)
This black and white photo shows the Giant Slide at the Minnesota State Fair fairgrounds. The slide is a closed and a sign attached to a chain link fence says "DO NOT stand up until completely stopped."
Week 27 (front)
"And I thought to myself: No, this world is not a joke, not a vale of ordeal only and a passage to a better world, but one of the eternal worlds, which is good, joyful, and which we not only can, but must make finer and more joyful for those who will live in it after us." –Lev Tolstoy diary, June 14, 1894. Photo notes: This photo was taken on x-ray film (which softens the light) on a rainy say (diffuse light) at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in May 2025.
Week 27 (back)
This black and white photo shows Solomon Seal bent over and drooping. Raindrops decorate the leaves and stem. The light is hazy and soft.
Week 28 (front)
"I can do anything for [specified amount of time]. You can do anything for [specified length of time]." Photo notes: This photo was taken using x-ray film. The film gives everything a soft light. Taken May 2025.
Week 28 (back)
This black and white photo shows a tree at the edge of a lake. A THIN ICE sign is attached to the tree. On the lake, a thick layer of snow shows footprints. In the distance, a tent rests on the lake.
Week 29 (front)
Be brave, Silence is sustenance, drawing (the artistic act) the heart open, be gentle with those you cherish (especially yourself). Photo notes: I feel like the footsteps and the tent (?) on the lake saw it all.
Week 29 (back)
This black and white photo shows thin, bare trees in a forest. A small stream runs horizontally across the photo. Snow blankets the ground and covers some larger stones in the water. Sunlight streams through the trees, leaving slanted shadows on the snow.
Week 30 (front)
"With a new day comes new strength and new thoughts." –Eleanor Roosevelt. Photo notes: This photo was taken at William O'Brien State Park on January 1st, 2022.
Week 30 (back)
This black and white photo shows a black cat lounging on a white blanket. The cat's eyes are open, with thin slits for his pupils.
Week 31 (front)
"The morning is wiser than the evening." –Vasilia the Beautiful. Photo notes: Photographing a black cat on a white blanket is a fool's errand! Louie, date unrecorded.
Week 31 (back)
This black and white photo shows vines growing vertically up a tree trunk. Snow is trapped between the vines and the trunk.
Week 32 (front)
Polish your own corner of the world. Photo notes: I have no idea where this was taken.
Week 32 (back)
This black and white photo shows a crumbling concrete wall between the road and Lake Michigan in Chicago. Because the wall is chipped, the viewer can see the rebar inside of the dividing wall.
Week 33 (front)
"We're exploring the possibility of building a wall to stem the exodus." "Don't be ridiculous," Goddard said, "only idiots build walls." –Neal Shusterman, The Toll. Photo notes: Chicago, December 2023.
Week 33 (back)
This black and white photo shows a stenciled NO DIVING sign. The paint is chipping, showing a concrete wall beneath.
Week 34 (front)
"Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward." —Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Photo notes: Chicago, December 2023
Week 34 (back)
This black and white photo shows two short-term rental e-bikes submerged in water.
Week 35 (front)
"I care about you because I want you to care about me. I care because I have become aware of my absolute dependency upon you, whoever you are, for the outcome of my social, my democratic experience." —June Jordan. Photo notes: Chicago, December 2023
Week 35 (back)
This black and white photo shows a drain pipe coming out of a wall. A vertical stain runs from the pipe. A sticker below the pipe says "Mural #19005," showing an official mark from the City of Chicago. The wall is rough and chipping. The mural is not shown in the photograph.
Week 36 (front)
"What I want to say is / that the past is the past, / and the present is what your life is, / and you are capable of choosing what that will be, / darling citizen." —Mary Oliver, "Mornings at Blackwater." Photo notes: Chicago, December 2023
Week 36 (back)
This black and white photo shows an eye-shaped skylight window overhead. An eye-shaped staircase swirls around the window.
Week 37 (front)
"Shine your light while you got one." —Dave Matthews Band, "Drunken Soldier" Photo notes: This photo was taken at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, December 2023.
Week 37 (back)
This black and white photograph shows lanterns strung overhead, The sky peeks through rows and rows of lanterns, and one row of lanterns hangs lower, overhead. Tags with people's names or wishes on them can be seen hanging from the lanterns.
Week 38 (front)
"I think I have come to a place where I'm able to feel more comfortable about being honest." —June Jordan Photo notes: This photo was taken at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul, South Korea during Buddha's Birthday Celebration, May 2024.
Week 38 (back)
This black and white photograph shows dozens of rows of lanterns strung up next to each other. The lanterns are in grouped together by color. The sun shines through the gaps between the lanterns. Tags with people's names or wishes on them can be seen hanging from the lanterns.
Week 39 (front)
Buck up, Girl. (The person who shared this says she hears it in her mother's voice. There's work to be done, so get to it.) Photo notes: This photo was taken at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul, South Korea during Buddha's Birthday Celebration, May 2024.
Week 39 (back)
This black and white photograph shows an old gnarled tree. Hundreds of lanterns are strung in parallel lines around and through the tree.
Week 40 (front)
"Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little bit." —Tom Stoppard Photo notes: This photo was taken at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul, South Korea during Buddha's Birthday Celebration, May 2024.
Week 40 (back)
This black and white photograph shows a spray painted hand print on the outside of an old abandoned car stuck in the middle of the woods. Dappled sunlight streaks through the trees in the background.
Week 41 (front)
Existence is resistance. Photo notes: This photo was taken on the Moose Viewing Trail in Grand Marais, Minnesota, summer 2022.
Week 41 (back)
This black and white photo shows row after parallel row of paper lanterns strung up in the sky Some lanterns have images of Buddha on them, and paper tags with names and wishes written on them hang from the lanterns.
Week 42 (front)
"The wound is the place where the light enters you." —Rumi Photo notes: This photo was taken at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul, South Korea during Buddha's Birthday Celebration, May 2024.
Week 42 (back)
This black and white photograph shows lanterns strung overhead. The lanterns are clustered together by color and sunlight peeks through the space between the lanterns. Paper tags with wishes and names written on them hang from the lanterns too.
Week 43 (front)
"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." —Lady Windmere's Fan, by Oscar Wilde. Photo notes: This photo was taken at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul, South Korea during Buddha's Birthday Celebration, May 2024.
Week 43 (back)
This black and white photo shows a man in a bucket truck hanging lanterns overhead at a Buddhist temple. Below, a crowd of people look up at the lanterns. One woman appears to be asking the man a question.
Week 44 (front)
"Without community, there is no liberation." —Audre Lorde. Photo notes: Photo notes: Jogyesa Temple, Seoul, South Korea, Buddha's Birthday Celebration, May 2024.
Week 44 (back)
This black and white photo shows hundreds of paper lanterns strung overhead at a Buddhist temple. The corner of the temple and the ornate artwork on the building is also shown. Sunlight peeks through the lanterns.
Week 45 (front)
"It's not about being unbreakable. It's about being soft enough to bend without breaking." —Yasmin Mogahed. Photo notes: Jogyesa Temple, Seoul, South Korea, Buddha's Birthday Celebration, May 2024.
Week 45 (back)
This black and white photograph shows some cars from the Great Big Wheel, a very large traveling Ferris wheel. The light is harsh and the shadows are strong.
Week 46 (front)
Some days it is what it is, and some days you just have to keep moving forward, and gather and love those around you. Photo notes: Minnesota State Fair, 2024.
Week 46 (back)
A woman wearing sunglasses walks past a large wall. A sign above her head reads "Steichen's Grocery - Deli Convenience Store Open to the Public Since 1926." Two carts sit in front of the wall. One appears piled high with manure. The other cart has a sticker on it that says "What the Hay! Trash? No way! Manure only today!" That carts appears to have trash in it.
Week 47 (front)
"All goes back to the earth, / and so I do not desire / pride of excess or power, / but the contentments made / by men who have had little: / the fisherman's silence / receiving the river's grace, / the gardner's musing on rows." —Wendell Berry. Photo notes: Minnesota State Fair, 2024
Week 47 (back)
This black and white photograph shows parallel rows of lanterns hanging overhead. Some lanterns are adorned with illustrations of a young Buddha. Names and wishes are written on tags that hang from each lantern, and sunshine peeks through the gaps.
Week 48 (front)
"I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it." —Maya Angelou. Photo notes: Burddha's Birthday Celebration, Jogyesa Temple, Seoul, South Korea, May 2024
Week 48 (back)
This black and white photography shows a tiny apple on a wooden picnic table bench. The apple has been eaten on one side and tiny bits of apple skin and fruit litter the bench.
Week 49 (front)
"Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise." —Victor Hugo. Photo notes: This photo was taken at Soudan-Vermilion State Park in October 2025. A large robin was snacking on this very tiny apple near the lakeshore. Because of the robin, I found a long abandoned, spindly apple tree!
Week 49 (back)
This black and white photo shows a zigzag shape with a diamond on top of it against a thinly striped background. The surface of the zigzag is scratched and chipped.
Week 50 (front)
"I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20. Photo notes: This photo was taken in Chicago, December 2023. I have no memory of what this is.
Week 50 (back)
This black and white photograph shows a lily flower from above. The petals show light and dark stripes on them, and one petal is torn on the side.
Week 51 (front)
"I want to believe in prophecies more than policies. I want to listen to poets rather than pollsters." Carolina De Robertis, Radical Hope. Photo notes: I think this photo was taken at a state park in summer 2022, but I'm not actually sure!
Week 51 (back)
This black and white photograph shows several people waiting for a train at a subway station. In the foreground, there is a metal cabinet with a large round sticker showing an illustration of a human wearing a gas mask. In English, it says "Relief Goods Storage." Korean writing can also be seen.
Week 52 (front)
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. —The Serenity Prayer. Photo notes: This photo was taken at a subway station in Seoul, South Korea in May 2024. I printed this photo while Minnesota is under siege from ICE and protesters at the Whipple Building wear gas masks.
Week 52 (back)

Weeks 53 through 104: January 20, 2026 to the present

This black and white photograph shows a stand of several small mushrooms in the forest. The caps on the mushrooms appear stretched and patchy, and the photo's focus is soft, as if there is a lot of moisture in the air.
Week 53 (front)
"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." –Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Photo notes: I believe this photo was taken in Iowa in 2022.
Week 53 (back)
This black and white photograph shows a woman preparing food at a restaurant. She has dark hair and is wearing gloves and an apron. In front of her is a small plate of food.
Week 54 (front)
"Eating is so intimate. It's very sensual. When you invite someone to sit at your table and you want to cook for them, you're inviting a person into your life." –Maya Angelou. Photo notes: Seoul, South Korea, May 2024
Week 54 (back)
This black and white photograph shows several people waiting at Seoul Station. You can see people standing and seated. Some are in suits, some are in more casual clothing, and one is in a Catholic nun's habit. Sunlight streams through the tall glass walls of the station.
Week 55 (front)
"Love will creep where it cannot go." –Ralph Waldo Emerson. Photo notes: Seoul, South Korea, May 2024
Week 55 (back)
This black and white photograph features a large sign at the entrance of the Minnesota State Fair. It says "Hang in there, Minnesota." A fence is in the foreground, and a few wispy clouds dot the sky.
Week 56 (front)
"It ain't over til Minnesota has ICE's battle flag." —David Brauer, 2/12/26. Photo notes: This photo was taken in spring of 2020. I chose this photo because a "drawdown" was announced this week, but it feels like smoke and mirrors.
Week 56 (back)
This black and white photograph shows several people rushing across the tile floors in Seoul Station. Some people are dressed in suits while others are dressed casually. A few people carry luggage with them.
Week 57 (front)
Your only job is to show up. Life will meet you there. Photo notes: Seoul, South Korea, May 2024
Week 57 (back)
This black and white photo shows three men sitting on the sidewalk in front of a fence in Seoul, South Korea. The three men appear deep in conversation. Another man walks by, looking off into the distance.
Week 58 (front)
"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." —Albert Schweitzer. Photo notes: This photo was taken in Seoul, South Korea in May 2024.
Week 58 (back)
This black and white photo shows several leaves in a forest. The leaves are fairly pale and have darker spots on them. The leaves are also torn and ragged looking.
Week 59 (front)
"Just breathe." —Pearl Jam. Photo notes: I have no idea where or when this was taken. I just know I took it.
Week 59 (back)
This black and white photograph shows a small stream flowing through a forested area. The rocks show light and dark striations and trees lean toward the sun. A small stream flows downhill.
Week 60 (front)
"Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. ... Empty your mind, be formless. ... Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend." —Bruce Lee. Photo notes: ... I think this might be from Pincushion mountain in Minnesota. If that's the case, this is from 2022.
Week 60 (back)
This black and white photograph shows some toys at a flea market. There is a wooden fish, a shiny pigs wearing a tuxedo while popping out of a can, and a globe being held up by an animal of some sort.
Week 61 (front)
"Small is good, small is all." —adrienne maree brown. Photo notes: This was taken at Western Illinois Threshers in August 2018. I think it was at the flea market.
Week 61 (back)
This black and white photo shows rows and rows of corn in Western Illinois.
Week 62 (front)
"We are each other's harvest; we are each other's business; we are each other's magnitude and bond." —Gwendolyn Brooks. Photo notes: This photo was taken at the site of Western Illinois Threshers in August 2018.
Week 62 (back)
This black-and-white photograph shows the dusty corner of a wide windowsill. You can see spider webs, bits of dust, and a dead insect (likely a damselfly or dragonfly). Sunlight streams through the window.
Week 63 (front)
"We are all bound by a covenant of reciprocity." —Robin Wall Kimmerer. Photo notes: This photo was taken at the Minnesota Historical Society site Historic Forestville in late summer 2018.
Week 63 (back)
This black and white photograph was taken from a hot air balloon near Stillwater, Minnesota. In the foreground, you can see tree tops, a few roofs, and the balloon's shadow. In the background, you see trees and buildings across the river in Wisconsin. In the midground, there is the St Croix River. The river had an odd texture to it, giving it darker and lighter bubbles of exposure.
Week 64 (front)
"Hope is a discipline." –Mariame Kaba. Photo notes: This photo was taken near Stillwater, MN on September 6, 2018 when I went on a hot air balloon ride with my stepdad. The odd texture on the St Croix River was a developing mistake. I didn't have enough chemistry in the tank and it foamed, This is also why the top half of the photo is lighter!
Week 64 (back)
This black and white photograph shows a hot air balloon on its side. The basket and balloon are clearly seen while a large fan can be seen on the bottom edge of the photo. A younger person is helping to fill the balloon.
Week 65 (front)
"What if I fall? Oh, but my darkling, what if you fly?" –Erin Hanson. Photo notes: This photo was taken near Stillwater, MN on September 6, 2018 when I took a hot air balloon ride with my stepdad.
Week 65 (back)
This black and white photograph shows paper folded into origami shapes. The paper alternating dark and light shades, making the image have a repeating pattern of negative space. Only the corner of the photo is in focus, so the photo almost looks like a shattered mirror or perhaps a paper screen of some sort.
Week 66 (front)
"The challenge now is to grasp and shape history: to show that past grievances and injustices can give way to a new generosity of spirit and action." —John Hume. Photo notes: I think this photo was taken at the Jong Ie Nara Paper Art Museum in Seoul in 2018. Unfortunately, I'm unsure who made this piece.
Week 66 (back)
This black and white photograph shows stacks of paper rolled into logs and sliced in half, then stacked one on top of another. It gives the shape stacks of cut logs on top of one another.
Week 67 (front)
"Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else." —Mister Rogers. Photo notes: This photo was taken at the Jong Ie Nara Paper Art Museum in Seoul in 2018. The piece is by Seo Jeong Hak.
Week 67 (back)
This black and white photograph sows traditional Korean paper (hanji) folded into different shapes and put next to each other. This creates a three-dimensional image that sticks out from the paper. You can also see writing on the shapes.
Week 68 (front)
“All the buried seeds crack open in the dark the instant they surrender to a process they can’t see.” — Mark Nepo. Photo notes: This photo was taken at the Jong Ie Nara Paper Art Museum in Seoul in 2018. Kwang Young Chun made this piece of art.
Week 68 (back)
This black and white photo shows a patterned ceiling in a temple in Seoul South Korea. The primary medallion is a large circle with an angular motif in the middle. Between each medallion is a simple floral pattern.
Week 69 (front)
Whatever it takes / MAKE / whatever it takes. —Anna Brones. Photo notes: This is the ceiling of a temple (maybe?) in Seoul, South Korea. This was taken in 2018. Correction: I believe this was taken at a palace, Changdeokgung.
Week 69 (back)
This black and white photo shows large paper sacks on some industrial shelves. It's unclear what the sacks hold, but lettering can be seen on the bags.
Week 70 (front)
"Don't quit. Never give up trying to build the world you can see, even if others can't see it." —Guru Nanak. Photo notes: This photo was taken at the University of Minnesota's iron pour in spring 2019.
Week 70 (back)
This black and white photo shows pyramids made out of paper. These pyramids are on a vertical surface so the points stretch out from the canvas. The pyramids are made with different colors of paper, making stripes on the shapes.
Week 71 (front)
"Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to run, play with the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use—do the work you want to see done." —Austin Kleon. Photo notes: This photo was taken at Jong Le Nara Paper Museum in October 208. Unfortunately, I can't find the artist's name!
Week 71 (back)
This black and white photograph shows rows of bricks on industrial shelving. The edges of the bricks appear pale and burnt compared to the center of the bricks.
Week 72 (front)
"The secret to change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." —Socrates. Photo notes: This photo was taken at the University of Minnesota's iron pour in spring 2019.
Week 72 (back)
Various pots, vases, bowls, jugs, and cups are shown on plywood shelves while light streams in through a window on the left.
Week 73 (front)
"Be willing to be a beginner every single morning." —Meister Eckhart. Photo notes: This photo was taken at the University of Minnesota's Iron Pour in 2019.
Week 73 (back)
Traffic barricades are stacked one behind the other in front of a brick wall. A sign reading "Be Healthy & Fair: Handwashing Station" can be seen in the background.
Week 74 (front)
"The only recognizable feature of hope is action." —Grace Paley. Photo notes: The photo was taken at the Minnesota State Fair's fairgrounds in 2020.
Week 74 (back)
Approximately 50 pairs of shows hang from a tree. A river and bare trees can be seen in the background.
Week 75 (front)
"We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community." —Dorothy Day. Photo notes: This photo was taken on the University of Minnesota campus in Spring 2019. Apparently it's the only known "shoe tree" in Minnesota.
Week 75 (back)
This black and white photo shows stacks of attached folding chairs, like those found in a stadium, stacked up in three rows. On the wall behind the chairs, a sign reads "No Vehicles Allowed Inside the Building."
Week 76 (front)
"I love you. Let's be family." Photo notes: This photo was taken at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in 2020.
Week 76 (back)
This black and white photo shows two flowers (possibly daisies or coneflowers). In the larger flower, a floret is seen in the seed pod.
Week 77 (front)
"There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter." —Rachel Carson. Photo notes: This photo was taken in Waubun, MN in July 2025. I think the floret in the seedhead might be evidence of a disease or infection.
Week 77 (back)
This black-and-white-photo shows a grasshopper clinging to a steam of some sort of ditch flower. The V-shaped pattern along the grasshopper's rear legs can be clearly seen.
Week 78 (front)
"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." —Wendell Phillips. Photo notes: This photo was taken at Vermilion-Soudan State Park in summer of 2023. This grasshopper hung around for a very long time, long enough that I could go get more film!
Week 78 (back)
This black-and-white photo shows three black-eyed susan flowers in a ditch. The flowers are lit from behind and the sun is causing flares in the photo.
Week 79 (front)
"I am not that air, I am the pattern that it assumed, temporarily." —Ted Chiang, Exhalation. Photo notes: This photo was taken at Vermilion-Soudan State Park in October 2025.
Week 79 (back)
This black-and-white near-infrared photo shows a marshy area with scraggly, leafless trees along the front edge of the marsh. In the distance, trees can be seen. Since this is near-infrared film, the sky and water are black while the trees and plants are white.
Week 80 (front)
"So come to the pond, or the river of your imagination, or the harbor of your longing, and put your lips to the world." —Mary Oliver, from "Mornings at Blackwater." Photo notes: This photo was taken with Ilford SFX, a near-infrared film, at Vermilion-Soudan State Park in October 2025. This photo was taken in the daytime. The black sky and white trees come from the film.
Week 80 (back)

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