Guest Alchemist: Isaac Oboka

Photographs of urban textures that elevate the beauty of passing time

Apr 12, 2024

The Alchemists Clubhouse is a weekly newsletter of art, poetry, and coaching tips. Full members are invited to live workshops on Zoom and have access to the full archive of recorded workshops, plus special features like this one!

This feature post is part of a new series that we are cooking up over here in the Clubhouse cauldron this year. Every few weeks, in addition to the weekly newsletter, you will meet a new guest Alchemist and learn about how they see and celebrate beauty and creativity in the world. I hope these features inspire you and entice you to share some of your own creative adventures with us, too!

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Guest Alchemist, Isaac Oboka

Isaac is a true shapeshifter, having transformed himself multiple times in his life, from tango dancer to photographer to chemical engineer. I’ve been able to witness his alchemical powers first-hand because, as many of you know, Isaac is also my extraordinary husband! He takes lots of selfies of us like this one:

And today we're sharing a series of his industrial photographs.

These images capture surface details of enormous oil refining structures that were built for the production of gasoline. The youngest of these structures is 40 years old, and many are decades older than that. When they were initially built, they were all shiny and smooth and freshly painted. Over time, their surfaces have been weathered and altered by many things, which has created these patterns, colors and textures.

Isaac says these images remind him to enjoy the beauty of change itself, a natural part of life that’s made obvious by the aging of these surfaces over time.

PRO TIP: These make amazing smartphone wallpapers!

Photos by Isaac Oboka, California, 2024

Now is a great time to become a full member of the Alchemists Clubhouse - you’ll receive beautiful, extra-special discoveries like this once a month, plus invitations to attend live and recorded workshops like BASICS OF CHANGE, covering five frequently-used coaching principles. I hope to see you there next week!