Amanda Shopa, PhD

Category: Artmaking

  • Week 68 of 209 Weeks

    Week 68 of 209 Weeks

    Week 68 of 209 Weeks: “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 67 of 209 Weeks

    Week 67 of 209 Weeks

    Week 67 of 209 Weeks: “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 66 of 209 Weeks

    Week 66 of 209 Weeks

    Week 66 of 209 Weeks: “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…

  • A Restless Winter

    A Restless Winter

    It feels like April has flown by. I can’t believe we’re midway through spring already. I see winter as a quieter, more restful time. I’ve had friends in warmer locales joke that we must hibernate because it’s so cold. Of course that’s not true—there’s still a ton to do. My spouse and I often go…

  • Weeks 61–64 of 209 Weeks

    Weeks 61–64 of 209 Weeks

    Week 61 of 209 Weeks: “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 62 of 209 Weeks: “We are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond.” —Gwendolyn…

  • Weeks 57–60 of 209 Weeks

    Weeks 57–60 of 209 Weeks

    Week 57 of 209 Weeks: Your only job is to show up. Life will meet you there. Photo Notes: Seoul, South Korea, May 2024 Week 58 of 209 Weeks: “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…

  • Week 60 of 209 Weeks

    Week 60 of 209 Weeks

    Week 60 of 209 Weeks: “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: ……

  • What I’ve Learned from One Year of Consistent Darkroom Work

    What I’ve Learned from One Year of Consistent Darkroom Work

    I consciously stepped away from art making for three months to recuperate. Three months turned into something much longer, and even when I felt ready, I had a difficult time returning to my studio practice. When I went to make my first postcard for the 209 Weeks project, I hadn’t been in the darkroom for…

  • Week 57 of 209 Weeks

    Week 57 of 209 Weeks

    Week 57 of 209 Weeks: Your only job is to show up. Life will meet you there. Photo Notes: Seoul, South Korea, May 2024

  • Weeks 53–56 of 209 Weeks

    Weeks 53–56 of 209 Weeks

    Week 53 of 209 Weeks: “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 54 of 209 Weeks: “Eating is so intimate. It’s very sensual. When you invite someone to sit at your table…