words & images by aryk tomlinson

  • Patterns of Thought/Patterns of Purchase

    Along the course of life, our mind becomes uniquely ours; for better or for worse… I’ll get straight into an anecdote. One of my all time favorite things to eat is sausage, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel or english muffin. Thing is, I could only ever order such a thing at a convenience store or café.

    Sometime along, I thought I should just buy a pack of frozen sausage patties so I could easily make my own tasty breakfast sandwich at home. I would usually just use ham at home, but the sausage was something I wanted to be more accessible and not have to buy it at a premium. Though I never did find any sausage patties, so I let the idea go.

    I do buy ground sausage from time to time, so one day while I was preparing to cook a package of sausage in a frying pan, I realized I could simply form it into the shape of a patty; just like you would a burger. Amateur thinking, I know. Anyway, it made for quite the breakfast sandwich that morning.

    We each have our strong suits- skills/areas of expertise we got a head start on in life. Perhaps our parents are chefs and they allowed us to learn from them in the kitchen from a young age (not the case for me).

    I got my start in learning how to properly cook in my early 20’s thanks to my girlfriend at the time. To this day, I continue to learn what works best in the kitchen, though I stick to a few of the same meals most of the time.

    Cooking aside, it goes to show that we have limits in our mind no matter what, whether we notice them or not. When I first wanted to make my own sausage breakfast sandwiches, not once did I think about forming my own patties.

    This may not be the most prime example of thought patterns/patterns of purchase, but my point is that perhaps it’s worthwhile to do something different here and there. Talk to different people about everyday aspects of life. How do you do this, how do you do that? I find we all do any such thing in the only way we know how.

    That is either the way we learned from somebody, or simply the way we figured out how to do it; which is likely not the “right” way. Even if we think our daily patterns are fine, it’s good to mix it up, even to try out something new that we hadn’t thought of before.

    That being said, how do you cook your favorite breakfast?

    Let me know if you have any ideas that I should try out to break my patterns 😉

    Picture from a few days ago unrelated…

    But do you see the infinity symbol in the ripples?

  • Tyding Up

    While I’ve come to appreciate the process of organizing my belongings, tools, and space, in conjunction with cleaning/tidying up, I feel it takes up more of my time than I’d like it to. Perhaps I feel this moreso this week, since I’ve been making a conscious effort to streamline my studio and my life in a way that cuts out unnecessary actions on my part, as well as distractions.

    I’m one of the jack of all trades types, though I am leaning strongly into my path as a painter [on canvas]. This means that I want to simplify my space and my belongings so that it’s more conducive to myself painting more, and further molding my life around it.

    This week I have rearranged my studio space (and bedroom). In the process, I am cutting down on things that I own, like unneeded electronics, clothing, and dishes/cookware. I am dysfunctional in life to some degree, so I have to learn to work around that dysfunction and make my environment work for me.

    Sure I’ve had minimal belongings in the past. Each time I move or go on an extended road trip, I would make a point to get rid of as much as possible, but it’s been three years since anything of that sort. So I’ve gotten more comfortable where I am. In that time I have pulled the trigger on buying many items to “make life easier” or pursue certain endeavors.

    More recently I have come to the conclusion that I just need to paint and cut out most everything else, because painting is the very thing I know I will do the rest of my life. I’m passionate about it and experience personal growth each time I do it. For photography, I only own a Fujifilm X100f which I very much enjoy. I sold the last lens for my Canon camera on eBay yesterday.

    I look forward to “completing” this organizational and minimization process so that I can focus on what truly matters to me. Funny enough, I’ve noticed I’ve been getting rid of my chairs too. My computer chair, so I now just have my laptop on a shelf which I can stand at to use it throughout the day. This is better for me since I am less likely to sit at it for long periods of time (I do have a stool nearby just in case I need some relief from standing). I also donated my only standard cushioned living room arm chair back to the place I bought it from. I found it would only ever collect items on it, like jackets… I really just have one chair now, and that is at my easel for painting.

    Anyway, that’s how my spring is going! How is yours?

  • It’s powerful to imagine

    Your life as a story

    You are the protagonist 

    Maybe you didn’t have it so easy

    Maybe you still don’t

    Maybe you once got a taste of “the good life” and lost it

    But despite it all you will go forward…

    In the best way you know how.

    So be the author, and make it great!

    Kyoto Japan 2019

    I travel when I’m able to, and when it feels most meaningful to do so. Perhaps when I’m in desperate need for inspiration or a new view of life… but at this stage of life, I think I’m set for awhile; a lot to work from and a place to call home.

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