To quote the great Homer Simpson himself, ‘sucking at something is the first step to being sort of good at it’ and never has that rung truer than now. For the past few months, I have been tinkering with an old film camera, attempting to master the ancient technology in hopes of pulling something interesting from the dark room. I’m not ashamed to admit, it’s not going that well.
Roll after roll of grainy, slightly out-of-focus memories, splashed across cheap black and white film and speckled with dust have shown that I still have a long way to go, but it’s not all bad. In fact, if my over-exposed artistic endeavours have taught me anything, it is the beauty of contrast. Thankfully, I am not alone.
In July, contrast proved key, typified by two massive movie spectacles and the battle for box office supremacy. The cultural phenomenon that is ‘Barbenheimer’ officially took hold and we were powerless to resist its call (we’re only human). Beyond the clash of colours, however, there was much to be learned from the two cinematic experiences.
From Ryan Gosling’s ab-focused Ken workout to the immaculate vintage watch collection on display in ‘Oppenheimer’, the unusual double feature gave the Man of Many team much fodder to play with. And the contrast didn’t stop there. This month, we found ourselves just as intrigued by the $40 Aussie drop that pipped the wine powerhouses to the post as we did with the world’s largest cruise ship, the ‘Icon of the Seas’.
Whatever your flavour, the last 31 days have delivered a little something for everyone and for that, we’re eternally thankful. After all, variety is the spice of life and we’ve got a Five Alarm feast up for grabs.
Editor-in-Chief, Man of Many
