Journal | Reflections on Creativity and Ideas

This journal is where I share personal reflections on creativity — thoughts, ideas, and moments that shape the way I see the world. It isn’t only about photography or architecture, but about the wider process of making and observing. Some entries are stories, others are experiments, all connected by curiosity and a search for meaning in creative work.

Saito Sensei - Life is Wonderful
Alvaro Fuentes Alvaro Fuentes

Saito Sensei - Life is Wonderful

A personal essay exploring identity, change, and the choice to face life with more calm. Inspired by Yokoi Kenji, Ghibli films, and a moment in Australia that stayed with me.

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Between Creativity and Technology
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Between Creativity and Technology

Exploring the balance between creativity, learning, and technology. A personal reflection on how tools shape growth and self-expression over time.

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90 days of Instagram
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90 days of Instagram

In early 2020, I set myself a 90-day Instagram challenge to “beat the algorithm.” It didn’t go as planned, but it taught me something more valuable about creativity and joy.

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The First Real Gig
Alvaro Fuentes Alvaro Fuentes

The First Real Gig

A spontaneous call while recovering from surgery turned into my first-ever photo gig — shooting Joss Stone live in Bogotá, armed with a new camera, a broken arm, and a lot of nerves. I said yes…

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Slow Days, Small Projects
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Slow Days, Small Projects

When summer slows everything down, time feels different. In those quiet days of 2022, I worked on a small storytelling project — a single-day shoot that became a reflection on where I was, and where I am now. This is the story behind it, and the beginning of its 2025 remake.

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Dimboola - A Lake in Two Colours
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Dimboola - A Lake in Two Colours

On the second day of a long drive home, we nearly missed the sign. What looked dull at first turned into something unexpected, a lake shifting from pink to orange, captured just in time.

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24 Stories Later: Where This Started
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24 Stories Later: Where This Started

This journal began after a trip to Japan, with no real plan — just a spark. Twenty-four weeks later, I’m still here, writing through doubts about whether it mattered, whether I’d stick with it, and whether I had anything worth saying. This post looks back at how it all started, what almost stopped me, and what I’ve learned by simply showing up.

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A Journey of Work, Art, and Change. Gazi
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A Journey of Work, Art, and Change. Gazi

At Gazi, creativity became my language. What started as work soon turned into photography experiments, video projects with my friend Armando, and lessons that still inspire me today. It’s a story of friendship, growth, and keeping the creative spark alive.

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Singapore: A Creative Lesson About Knowing When to Stop
Travel Alvaro Fuentes Travel Alvaro Fuentes

Singapore: A Creative Lesson About Knowing When to Stop

Singapore was my first Asian city, and it taught me a lesson I’ll never forget. I overshot, filled drives with footage, and felt overwhelmed. In the end, I learned that creativity isn’t about capturing everything, but about knowing when to stop and trust the moment.

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Conversations in Monochrome: A Winter Walk
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Conversations in Monochrome: A Winter Walk

On a cold winter day, I explored the city in black and white, chasing light, shadow, and quiet moments. From long exposures to reflections, the walk became a reminder of how photography shifts when colour is stripped away.

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Tassie Analog: Forgotten Frames, Lasting Memories
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Tassie Analog: Forgotten Frames, Lasting Memories

I’d forgotten about the disposable camera I took to Tasmania, until a folder called “Tassie Analog” appeared on my screen. Grainy, imperfect, but full of life, those photos reminded me what it felt like when every shot mattered, and when memories lived not in endless files but in a handful of frames.

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A Random Folder
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A Random Folder

While digging through an old backup, I found a random folder with photos from nearly 15 years ago. iPhone shots, DSLR experiments, over-edited attempts, each one carried a story I’d forgotten. Looking back, I found lessons, laughter, and reminders of why I never delete a photo.

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Eighty Years After Hiroshima: Paper Cranes, Peace, Grief, and Hope
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Eighty Years After Hiroshima: Paper Cranes, Peace, Grief, and Hope

Eighty years after the bombing of Hiroshima, I visited the city for the first time. Walking along the river towards the Atomic Bomb Dome, I saw memorials telling stories of grief and resilience — none more moving than the Children’s Peace Monument, inspired by Sadako Sasaki and her paper cranes. It was a day not for chasing photos, but for listening, reading, and feeling. I left with a deeper understanding of our fragility as humans, and the hope that something like this will never happen again.

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Rising Bangkok: A City of Towers and Neon
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Rising Bangkok: A City of Towers and Neon

From steel towers to glowing street signs, Bangkok is a city of contrasts — sprawling, vibrant, and full of surprises. This story follows my first visit to Southeast Asia, where I explored the city’s energy by day and its magic by night. More than just a travel experience, it became a personal creative journey — one lens, no video, just a photographer learning to feel again through the viewfinder.

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The Meet
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The Meet

I travelled through Lutruwita (Tasmania), witnessing a moment I’ll never forget — where river meets ocean in a dance only visible from above.

This is the story of that photo: The Meet.

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Japan, The Trip, The Print, The Memory
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Japan, The Trip, The Print, The Memory

Most of our photos live on hard drives, forgotten. But a few years ago, I started printing the ones that mattered most — and it changed how I see my work, my memories, and even myself. This is the story of a trip to Japan, a photo that meant everything, and what it taught me.

Take a moment to read it.

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The Sapphire by the Gardens
Architecture Alvaro Fuentes Architecture Alvaro Fuentes

The Sapphire by the Gardens

An afternoon spent observing The Sapphire by the Gardens — not from within, but from the edge where its bold architecture meets everyday life. Beneath the golden bridge, Carlton Gardens revealed its own rhythm: quiet walks, celebrations, and countless untold stories set against a backdrop of winter light. I stood outside, camera in hand, watching the interplay of shadows, people, and glass — drawn not just to the building, but to the stories happening all around it.

Designed collaboratively by Fender Katsalidis and Cox Architecture, developed by SP Setia, and constructed by Multiplex, The Sapphire is more than a luxury address — it’s a point of connection between structure and story, presence and place.

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