Off Season and Balance

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Sunday, October 17, 2010 | flickr photos

As long as I remember myself, I was curious about how the world works. Gradually as I’ve learned more I appreciated the power of art in providing food for thought regarding those questions. Growing up in Greece was also an eye opening experience as I understood what behaviors based on lust for money and power can do to society and the environment. The country I am living, now through her hardest times, is providing great examples for this. One of those is the story I choose to share with you the best way that I can.

It speaks of life in Crete, which is struggling to retain her piece of the pie. On one hand people living with minimum wages and pensions but still holding on to their pride, while at the same time others sacrifice their culture and natural habitat for the sake of more mass tourism. “Profits Über Alles”, as I’ve learned from my studies and work in tourism. I decided that this will not be my path. Instead I began my effort to create images that will motivate people towards reevaluating their lives and protecting the environment.

Then some months ago I learned about Bhutan and was amazed by their point of view. While here we destroy lives to cut our deficits and still haven’t defined a law about what a forest is, they speak of Gross Domestic Happiness and protect their forests in their constitution. Weeks later disappointed about the difficulties to travel there, I found this Scholarship. I wish to win it, not only because it would be a great step forward for me but also to discover Bhutan and document it, to present what seems to be an alternative life style closer to human and nature. I also aspire to learn a lot about the road I put myself on. I believe that the best way to learn is to learn from the best, so here I am asking for that opportunity.