From surreal to real

For the past few weeks I've done little else but do stuff relating to the upcoming project, 52 Suburbs 
Around the World. I've been madly packing, sorting, tossing, cleaning - to get my apartment ready 
to rent out - at the same time as dismantling and unplugging our life in Sydney. I've spent hours working 
with the lovely people who are helping me design and create the new blog, finessing and fussing. 
And I've been organising Coco's distance education. It's all been about the project.

But until today the project itself has seemed very remote and surreal. Part of that is due to the fact
that I've been more anxious than excited to be honest. For so long it was about just trying to get
the project up that I never questioned whether or not I could do it. But ever since I got enough
funding to get the project up, albeit on a skinny shoe-string budget, I've started to question,
can I actually do this? 

Because not only is it going to be a very time and labour intensive project. It'll also be done on the
road. And I'll be doing it with my eight year old daughter at my hip. Coco occasionally used to 
accompany me out to the suburbs in the first project. But only for a couple of hours every so often.
This will be 365 days worth of accompanying! 

And not only that, I'm going to be home schooling her at the same time. I used to say quite breezily,
oh, Coco, she'll be doing distance education. What I discovered when we went to the orientation
day at Sydney Distance Education Public School is that we will be doing distance education. While I'm
technically called the 'Supervisor' and there are real teachers at the school, the reality is that I'm
expected to sit with her and teach her for four hours a day. That to me is home schooling, something
I've always greatly respected in other people but never thought I could do myself. 

So. Ha! There it is. All the ammunition my brain needs to wake me at 3am and remind me that I'm
going to attempt to do a project that took me six days a week the first time around, at the same time
as navigating seven new cities and spending 20 hours a week home schooling, unless of course
one or other or both of us come down with some exotic illness and then, well, I'm not quite sure. 
Shambolic comes to mind.

When I sat down to post today I didn't intend to share all this. But I'd hate you to think I've been 
wandering around in a pre-trip state of bliss, just waiting until the 30th of December rolls around.




Oh, and while I'm at it, I've also gone into a decline about leaving Tom and Jinx. Now when I say 
that Tom and Jinx are cats, well, that's not really true. They're Burmese and being Burmese,
they are more like dogs than cats. So in essence we're leaving our two dogs behind - and because
they don't understand English, I'm unable to tell them that we love them very much and have done
since they arrived as tiny kittens two years ago, and we're not abandoning them really and we'll be 
back before they know it.

All they're going to think is that they've been dumped. Too sad. 

But today, finally, all the endless packing has finished and we are now officially living out of a 
suitcase: the tenants move in tomorrow morning so we're off to stay with friends for two weeks
until we go. On the way we'll drop Tom and Jinx off to their new home, some dear friends of ours,
and pray that they don't try and escape.

So although I'll be a basket-case saying goodbye to the cats (and friends and family of course),
suddenly the whole thing has moved from surreal to very real. And finally I feel less anxious
and more excited.





I also needed to post today because this is the last day I'll be posting on this blog from the computer
and room that I began 52 Suburbs on just over two years ago. It's been an amazing couple of years
and for anyone who's been following for a while or since the very start, can I just say a huge 
thank you for coming along for the ride and contributing to the project along the way.

The upshot is that I'm pretty sure the next time I post will be on the new blog so this will probably
be the last post ever on 52 Suburbs. Before we bid it farewell, can I just explain that the new blog
URL will be the same as this old one - 52suburbs.com. And then this blog will have a new URL, 
52suburbs.com.au

Reason being, it was too long to have the new blog address be www.52suburbsaroundtheworld.com, 
so we've decided to keep it short and just change this blog's URL.

Anyway, no need to absorb those fascinating facts as you'll be automatically transferred over to
the new blog unless you tell me otherwise.

So see you over there in the next week or so!

And I promise, this will be the last essay of a post. Back to brevity next time we meet.

52 Suburbs Around the World is imminent!

Apologies for the break in transmission. It has been full-on around here ever since a few weeks ago when
the Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for 52 Suburbs Around the World successfully reached its goal.
The funds played a vital role in getting the project over the line - which meant I was suddenly very 
busy doing all the stuff you have to do when you exit your life in one country and prepare to start new lives
in a number of other countries.

So first things first, my heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported the Kickstarter campaign, either by
making a pledge or just spreading the word. Many many thanks. I love yous all.

Next on the agenda is to let you know of a few changes to the itinerary of the project. We were all going
to be nosing around the suburbs of Shanghai and Tokyo first, until I discovered that Shanghai's icy
winter can be debilitating for wandering photographers (let alone the eight year old 'assistant'), 
and Tokyo, well, Tokyo is just a little too iffy for my liking in terms of the radiation factor (and my budget
doesn't extend to buying imported food when we're there). So, after much mind-swirling, I settled on the
following for the first three months of 2012: January, Hong Kong; February, New Delhi; March, Istanbul.

I know it's a little disappointing not to be going to Tokyo in particular (I've never been but hear it's amazing).
But I reckon the new choices are going to be pretty amazing too. And they're all cities that received a lot
of votes from followers of this blog when I put the question of where to visit some time ago - so I hope you
approve.

Then after March, it stays the same as it was: Paris, Berlin, Rome and ending in New York. All famous, 
over-photographed cities that I hope to be able to show another less famous side of - and in an imaginative
way, care of my diptych, double-image obsession.

Lastly, the new blog is moments away from being ready to show you - so hopefully next time I post, 
it will be on the new blog. Very exciting.

Well, that's all for now. I am knee-deep in lists and packing boxes, and Coco is busy ticking off the days on
the calendar - we leave Sydney on December 30, precisely 37 days away.

Before I go, can I just say that, of course, I'm totally stoked about this upcoming adventure. Thrilled at the 
same time as being a little sick in the guts with excitement and nerves.

Yet despite all this, Sydney has never seemed more appealing, with purple carpets everywhere, fair-minded
people strolling about and until these last few cold and rainy days, a particular type of blue sky and quality
of light that I adore, especially around the 'golden hour' of 7-8pm. As if I needed any more convincing 
after exploring the place for a year and finding so much to be proud of. But really, what a city. 



the purple carpets of Sydney




I'd love to hear your thoughts on the new cities by the way (and of course anything else you care to share). 
Good, bad, indifferent?

NEWS! 52 Suburbs prints now part of Kickstarter rewards

The 52 Suburbs Around the World Kickstarter campaign is looking pretty hopeful - we're 78% of the way
to the goal! But there's only eight days to go - and if I don't reach my goal, I won't receive a single penny.

So I thought I'd do a quick post to let you know about some NEW rewards on Kickstarter - prints from
52 Suburbs rather than the new project. Unlike prints from the new project, these ones can be delivered
this month or latest, early December. Just in time for you know what.

Plus you can choose ANY image you like from the blog, book and exhibition. 

So, if the idea of a 52 Suburbs print and supporting the next project at the same time appeals to you,
head over here to Kickstarter and have a look at the new rewards - they're on the right-hand side,
at $165, $275 and $425.(Framing costs extra but I can point you in the right direction there too - the white
box frames like the ones in these photos are really good value, about a third of the cost of the print.)

Of course, any pledge, as little as $10, will help too. 

Thanks.

progress report

I thought I'd check in to let you know how the 52 Suburbs ATW Kickstarter campaign is shaping up.

As the nifty little Kickstarter widget shows, we are 32% of the way to our goal. 71 fabulous backers have made
pledges to the tune of $6,499. Everything from $1 to $1,000. In return for their generosity they'll receive
various rewards, everything from most excellent stickers to limited edition prints and a limited edition
book of the project.

Many thanks if you've already made a pledge. But if you haven't, can I be bold and say this: If everyone
who subscribes to this blog forgoes one cheap(ish) bottle of red or one non-fancy pants pizza, and
instead contributes that $15 to the Kickstarter campaign, this project will happen! That's all it will
take.

Meanwhile, I'm still flat out exploring every avenue to get this project off the ground.

In fact, I've been so consumed that I can't think of much else. Everywhere I look I see the world, even
when I'm doing my shopping down Marrickville way...

buying lemongrass I see Asia

buying meat for spag bol I see Italy

buying a croissant for Coco I see Paris

looking at tiles I see New York (why I'm not sure)







chatting to Life (yes, that's his name) I see a funny man!




I guess you could say I'm a little obsessed. But there doesn't seem to be any other way than obsession to get
this project up and running.

If you'd like to make a pledge please click here. Arigato. Merci. Danke. Etc.

Kickstarter has started! Help make 52 Suburbs ATW a reality!

In the words of Steve Jobs: "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid
the trap of thinking you have something to lose."

And so I begin my Kickstarter fund raising campaign for 52 Suburbs Around the World. Nothing
to lose, maybe lots to gain.

The video above is the one I made for my Kickstarter page. If you're interested in helping to make
52 Suburbs Around the World a reality, please head over and check it out. If you're not familiar
with the concept of crowd funding, it's basically a way to raise funds for creative projects by asking
supporters to give some moola in exchange for various rewards.

A note about the cities I've ended up choosing. You know how I was going to visit 12 cities? Well, 
having given it some serious thought, I've reduced the number of cities to between 4-6. Why?
Because that way we can spend 2-3 months in each city and really get a feel for the place, exploring
8-12 suburbs in each. A month might just have been rushing it. Plus I'm keen to try and get as many
locals in these cities to interact on the blog and the longer we're there, the more chance there is
of that happening.


When it comes down to it, the rewards you'll see are hopefully pleasing, but in my mind, the
reason to give will ultimately be, if you enjoyed my first project, 52 Suburbs, and want to help
make this second project happen so that you can enjoy another year of weekly installments of
virtual travel.

Anyway, I don't want to say too much - all the details are on my Kickstarter page. 

I have butterflies just posting this. But, nothing to lose.

Progress report on 52 Suburbs ATW

Christmas lights

So, my exciting news that I hinted at last week? We have not one but two confirmed sponsors! It matters
not that we need 10 more such sponsors to make this project fly. It was just so thrilling to have two jump
on board. 

Quick explanation on how the sponsor side of things is going to work. Because we are exploring the
suburbs of 12 cities, I am offering companies the opportunity to sponsor a city for a month - hence the
12 sponsors reference. Their brand ad will appear for one month in a rotating "ad tile" on the blog.

With two confirmed sponsors on board, we are 2/12 or 1/6th of the way to our goal. Yipee! But that still
means we need 10 more sponsors. If you know anyone in the travel/photography/design/communication
business that you think might like to be a sponsor for a very reasonable price, please email me - 
52suburbs@gmail.com. 


too hot to eat turkey

As I said last week, I am seeing how this goes before I launch into crowd funding. Will keep you posted.

Oh, and these extremely premature Christmas images? They're my take on the traditional Chrissy card
for Momento's new online shop. Momento is a wonderful self-publishing facility who make beautiful photobooks
and cards amongst other things. And they're one of my two sponsors! They were the first one and when
they told me they were 'in' I squealed like a small child. Because not only are they helping to make this
dream a reality, Libby, Geoff and David who run the place are also incredibly nice people - I couldn't ask
for more. So welcome Momento!

If the images seem familiar that's because they're from 52 Suburbs but in new partnerships for the yuletide season. 
Click here to check them out as well as a handful of my favourite diptychs now available as greeting cards
for any occasion. Just type '52 Suburbs' in the Search box there and all will be revealed.



Christmas tree

Most popular city suggestions
Last thing to update you on: I painstakingly tallied up all the cities that everyone put forward for the 12 cities
we should explore. Out of about 180 suggestions, these are the cities that scored 5 or more votes each:

• Berlin (scored highest)
• London, New York, Paris, Tokyo (all equal second)
• Then Rome, New Delhi, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Istanbul, San Francisco, Chicago, Edinburgh, Vancouver,
Mexico City, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Montreal, St Petersburg, Hanoi and Singapore.

A short-list of 21 to be cut down to 12. Easy.

Interestingly they are all the bigger, more famous cities that garnered the most votes. And before anyone
starts saying, but they're boring, you know I don't do boring - my aim will be to show sides of these 'famous'
cities that you've never seen before. Just as I did with Sydney, only x 12.

Back soon with more.

Kickstarting 52 Suburbs Around the World

Four days ago I blogged about my next project, 52 Suburbs Around the World - as if it was a done deal, I realise
now. So apologies if you assumed it's full steam ahead. My mistake. I'm just so excited about the project
I think I got a little ahead of myself.

So let me rewind a little. The good news is, it's a project that I reckon will be amazing, to do and to
follow. As evidenced by all the great responses - thank you all so much for your fantastic suggestions.

The less than great news is, before the project can take off, it needs funding. Hence my reference
to the moola bit at the end of the last post. I said I would explain where the cash is coming from to 
make 52 Suburbs Around the World a reality - so let me explain.

I'm hoping to raise the necessary funds by a couple of methods. The first one is from corporates
- so yes, that would mean some advertising on the blog page. I would limit the sponsors to ensure they
were in keeping with travel, photography, design, that sort of thing.

The second way I'm hoping to make 52 Suburbs Around the World a reality is through something
called Crowd Funding. It is as it sounds - a crowd that funds. There are various platforms to do this - 
I've chosen one called Kickstarter.

I'm madly putting together a Kickstarter page that I can direct people to but it takes some time and I
didn't want to wait any longer before I let you know exactly what's happening. But here's an excerpt from
the page that should help to explain:

"Before we can all fasten our seatbelts onboard the virtual 52 Suburbs Around the World private jet,
there’s just one thing. Moola. Cashola. The folding stuff. I self-funded 52 Suburbs by being frugal for a
year and increasing my mortgage. This time around I can’t do it on my own - my piggy bank is officially
empty and this is a much more ambitious, expensive project.

So I’m asking for your help. Unless I can drum up sufficient funds, 52 Suburbs Around the World will
remain stranded on the tarmac."

So yes, Crowd Funding is basically a sophisticated form of donating to help get projects like mine off 
the ground. But unlike passing the hat around, with Crowd Funding you receive various 'rewards' 
depending on how much you give. They range from a simple acknowledgement to prints and various
other things. And of course everyone would be rewarded with another year long virtual adventure 
with a weekly burst of new to brighten up their day.

Look, to be honest, I'd much rather be able to wave a magic wand and whisk us all away without 
having to ask for help. But the reality is this project won't happen without help.

I am so sorry if my former post led you to believe it was imminent and all organised. As I said I'm so
excited - and strangely confident - that I just sort of glossed over that one tiny enormous fact.

Once my Kickstarter page is up and running I'll give you the details. In the meantime, if you're curious,
you can check out how it all works here.

Of course I'm loving - not - the fact that I'm about to launch a fund-raising campaign just as GFC II is
about to rear its very ugly head. But you know, if it does, I guess there'll be an even greater need for
escape from the everyday via a project like this one. Here's hoping anyway!

Introducing Project # 2

Well hello, long time no post. I've spent the last month doing a few final 52 Suburbs talks and various
other things but where I've spent most of my energy is in my head - thinking upon the Next Project.

I could do this, I could do that. No, this, that. And so on and so on. Where have I ended up? Where I
began really, all those months ago when I was asked what my next project would be. 

So without further ado, meet our next adventure - 52 Suburbs Around the World. Yep. Having talked
down the whole overseas travel thing in favour of exploring one's own city I am now hell bent on
leaping off around the planet. Why? Because having discovered just how rewarding it is to experience
the 'real' side of a city, I'm now extremely keen to do the same thing in other major cities. 

Basically I've realised I'm a crap tourist - I just don't get a lot out of following the tourist trail and
just seeing all the famous bits. 52 Suburbs was all about ignoring the icons and interacting with 'real'
Sydney. What would that experience be like in other cities I wonder?

For example, I don't get Paris. Been twice and just don't know what all the fuss is about. Mon dieu
indeed. But I reckon if I went beyond the Eiffel Tower and the waiter who serves me my croissant,
and explored the suburbs, I'd have a much more interesting time. 

I hope you agree. Because as much as I want to do this, it's really important to me that you also want
you to do this. I can't even imagine doing it without you. A virtual private jet filled with everyone who 
followed 52 Suburbs, picking up new passengers as we wend our way around the globe -
that's how I imagine this.

So here's the plan. We (you, me and Coco, my now eight year old) will visit 12 iconic cities over the
space of a year - we'll stay in each city for approx one month, visiting one suburb each week. 
12 x 4 = 48, so a few cities will have a few extra suburbs.

The format will be the same as 52 Suburbs - a weekly post with images, the majority of which will
be diptychs (two images married together). There will also be video from time to time.

Since it's a new project, there will be a new blog site. Unless instructed otherwise I'll migrate all 
subscribers over there automatically when the time comes.

The big question is, which 12 cities do we visit and explore suburbs in? I'd love to know what you
think. Some ideas below, from my day spent wandering around asking random people what they'd 
like to see.

And lastly, where's the moola coming from to do all this? Details to come in the next post...

Excited??!!


Ruby - Tokyo








Andrew - Berlin








Emily - Istanbul







Jane - London







Noa - Rome







Lilian - New York







Yva - London







Jo - New York







Chantal - Istanbul, Zalika - Mexico city, Ben - Buenos Aires







Hayley - Buenos Aires







Andrew - Berlin, Alexia - Buenos Aires, Claire - Paris







Aracelli - Egypt







Elijah - Tokyo