Beauty in the Mundane by Learncy Kannan

About this project:  "Beauty In The Mundane is a montage of how my day looks like on a good day. Isolation hasn't been the easiest. Some days are tougher than the rest, especially when I'm engulfed by the thought of being away from family and home during this time. But I found myself feeling slightly better some days and I realized, it's the small things that made me feel better. Seeing the sunlight being indecisive on my bed - going and coming as it pleases; steam rising through my morning cup of hot water; fresh, crispy laundry; oven light hitting my wooden floor, making all the crumbs visible; and the occasional baking spree. These small things that I had forgotten to notice - buried under a pile of university books, highlighters, takeaway menus and a random charity brochure. These small things refreshed my mind, gave me perspective and made me appreciate the beauty in the mundane. This has not made every day a good day but it's made me look forward to good days. I documented these pictures on one of my good days and assembled them in chronological order of how my day progressed."

Scroll down to see this entry and to find out more about the contributing artist.

About the artist: "I'm 24yrs old girl from New Delhi, India. I moved to Melbourne last year in July to do my Masters in Publishing and Communications. I started getting to know Melbourne through my love for photography. My sense of direction is pretty bad so I started taking pictures of streets and shops, to remember my routes. This also increased my love for street photography and pushed me further to capture the mundane. I love photography but I started loving written words before. Books were my favourite companions as a kid. But I've realized I don't have to choose between pictures or words, when used together, it can be a powerful medium of communication. I've done a few photo essay sort of projects in the past but the most memorable was capturing the life of Mr. Harmukhlal, our building's security guard in New Delhi. His story made me realize what a vital role he plays in our society and how he can be easily misunderstood for not having much to offer. I'm currently working on few smaller projects. I take pictures of the sunset from my balcony, every day since the lockdown started, I'll be compiling them when the lockdown ends. I'm also working on a photo series with my flatmate."

We asked, our artists answered: why does creativity matter now?  "With people and social gatherings out of the equation I have had to rely on various creative sources for happiness, escape and a sense of relief. For me, these creative outlets take the form of photography and music. Now with not being able to step outside to click pictures like I normally would, I have had to focus on what I have before me and derive joy out of that. I have discovered so many new music artists over these past weeks, I've broadened my music knowledge by listening to genres I didn't before. The way I see it, this lockdown didn't narrow down my options, but rather it has opened my eyes to the beauty that went unnoticed for a long time. It also made me paint! Something I enjoyed as a kid"