Sneaking into hotel pools by Liesl Pfeffer

Old Havana
Havana, Cuba
August 2013

Taken on the hot, humid day we snuck into a fancy hotel to swim in their pool. Moments after we jumped in the water, clouds rolled in and a tropical thunderstorm broke out. We took shelter in the rooftop bar and drank beer and watched the rain wash over Havana. 

Cape Schank by Liesl Pfeffer

Cape Schanck, Victoria
Australia
January 2014

My friends drove us to this beautiful promontory on the south coast of  Victoria. We climbed across black rocks crusted with life. We dared each other to swim in the ice cold rock pools that were constantly refilled with fresh seawater. It felt like what holidays are supposed to feel like. I remembered what I had forgotten. That Australia can be new and surprising, even after living there all my life. That I can forget daily life, easily. That those things I obsess over and which seem to be constantly on my mind, don’t need to be. I wish I could always be the holiday version of my self. 

Cuba by Liesl Pfeffer

Fruit and vegetable stand, old town
Coop, Vedado
Havana, Cuba
August 2013

When I was photographing this sign, my friend was standing to the side in the shade. A man approached her and almost whispered: you are beautiful; and then he went inside this store. We were constantly baffled by experiences like this in Havana. 

Walking by Liesl Pfeffer

Vedado neighborhood
Havana, Cuba
August 2013

In Havana, if you’re not catching a cooperativa taxi to get where you’re going, you’re probably walking. This will be the first in my unofficial series of Cubans walking. 

Las Vegas by Liesl Pfeffer

Las Vegas, Nevada, outside my hotelNovember 2013
60 hours in Las Vegas: airport, taxi, hotel bar, hotel room, taxi, business park, taxi, restaurant, casino, bar, taxi, hotel room, taxi, business park, taxi, restaurant, taxi, casino, hotel room, taxi…

Las Vegas, Nevada, outside my hotel
November 2013

60 hours in Las Vegas: airport, taxi, hotel bar, hotel room, taxi, business park, taxi, restaurant, casino, bar, taxi, hotel room, taxi, business park, taxi, restaurant, taxi, casino, hotel room, taxi, airport. 

Maybe I will go back some day and experience what Las Vegas is like outside of cars and casinos and bars. The mountains looked real nice from my hotel room.

One Year Old by Liesl Pfeffer

Manhattan, NY October 2013
Today this blog turned one. This year passed faster than it should have. But that’s how things go. My friends sometimes tell me they are inspired by how much I do (work hard at my day job, make art, play music, travel ofte…

Manhattan, NY
October 2013

Today this blog turned one. This year passed faster than it should have. But that’s how things go. My friends sometimes tell me they are inspired by how much I do (work hard at my day job, make art, play music, travel often) and how driven I am. Funny to other people how my life looks - but I want to do more, more, more.

Monique paid me a compliment this week: she said that I make things happen for myself. She said that I decide what I want to do and I work until I get it. I guess I have my parents to thank for this perseverance. Really, sticking to my guns is probably the number one skill I’ve needed to make headway with my art practice.

Bravery is maybe equally important. When my friends are making a difficult decision, I tell them: it’s better to regret something you did, than something you didn’t do. I truly believe this. Fortune favors the brave is something I tell myself when I am feeling terrified by pushing myself forward.

I moved to New York nearly two years ago, alone, and heartbroken from a recent ending. People say New York is tough and it chips away at you with its size and bustle. Every day I work hard and I do feel a little beat up by it. Every couple of months this feeling builds up in me that literally explodes in a massive crying fit. Really truly serious sobbing. I cry about leaving Melbourne, and missing my friends, I cry that I haven’t met two of my three nephews, and I tell myself my art career would be so much more established if I had stayed in Australia. And then after I’ve stopped crying I ask myself if I would still make the same decision and I know that I would.