© Jennifer Loeber 

Sometimes a project picks you. 

A few months ago I started swimming at our local Y. Most of my childhood was based around water activity of some sort and my parents enjoy telling stories about my 9 hour swimming marathons. 

Despite the over-chlorination and some truly weirdo members (is it really necessary to stretch in front of the pool for 1/2 an hour while wearing a speedo one size too small to uh, contain , the family jewels?) these past few months have been nothing short of life changing. Its as if I have found the Me I had forgotten about during these forced landlubbing years. 

My hair on the other hand looks like total shit- but I digress. 

Several days ago my husband popped in a DVD he needed to watch for work and tells me that we first have to watch a 12 minute short film made by the subject of the feature we are about to watch- "Quarry" 1970, Dick Rogers. I sort of internally groan because short films seem to have a higher than average chance of sucking the will to live right out of your body. (Considering I am a person who has made a film that just barely squeaks by as feature length itself I feel bad about this but my eye rolling occurs almost involuntarily.) 

Two minutes in and I am deeply and thoroughly in love. On the surface its a simple black and white film about the teenagers who hang out and swim at the Quincy quarry in Massachusetts, but its also a love letter of sorts to water. 

I've been scribbling ideas in notebooks and checking train timetables for days in preparation for a project that has been staring me right in the face for months now. 

I just needed to notice it.