Who I'm Becoming

 

"Inspiration is the greatest gift that an artist bequeaths to future artists, igniting the desire to produce their own work"

-Patti Smith

As I delve back into photography, I continue to look for inspiration and work to grow. Earlier today I watched a video produced by a young photographer I admired and a couple of the things he deemed important to grow as a photographer included travel and reading photo books. The travel aspect I am working on due to the changes in the recent few years, but photography books are easier to obtain thanks to the great library system and thrift stores here.

Tonight I've been delving through Patti Smith's, "Book of Days". It's an inspiration in that she produced the images on her old Polaroid (I adore instant film) and other cameras. She had posted them on Instagram. I'm doing something similar. However, for me it's not about becoming famous or known really, it's the act and discipline of figuring out what inspires me and where I'm going on this journey. Putting them out, enforces the discipline. I know that I love both analog and digital. I don't feel I have to give up one over the other, rather I think they can co-exist and provide a unique path of creativity. Just a note is that some people feel they are more Zen with film then digital. I actually am finding that I am fairly Zen with my digital. I don't shoot a good deal all at once. I look for inspiration and then just take a few shots at most. It's kind of a street photography approach. If I'm lucky and use what I know, I often get what I hope for.

And so the journey of becoming continues.

Patti Smith, "Horses":

Pondering on Photography

"The attributes of asymmetry are humility, grace, kindness and decency, while profit, greed and indecency are symmetry."

-Yohji Yamamoto 

Reading CBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, A Life in Fashion. While it's a book about her style, there is a subtext relating to photography. A big hallmark of being a photographer is finding your voice. Another is the theme of the juxtaposition of photography both being private and public. Interestingly CBK never wanted fame, but it was thrust upon her and her life became a paparazzi nightmare.  This leads into the idea of street photography with an individual(s), is capturing an unexpected moment and then often placing it in the public eye. It used to be an individual could still retain their anonymity, but now with the lack of boundaries that can occur, the individual can be given a public persona. For me that is going to be a hardship. I think that if I capture a private moment with an individual, I would want their permission first before publishing it. Which may fly in the face of some street photographer's approaches, but you are seeing all sorts of ideas in today's world. Watching a series of YouTube interviews with street photographers, I watched one who did portraits only if the person was willing and then if possible would share it with them.

I found her interview so inspiring, I will share the link for this instead of the usual music.

Paulie B, "Spreading Joy With Photography".

Continuing

"A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away".

-Adrienne Grimes

So it was a great couple of days working with digging into photography. I went into YouTube for inspiration and went out and got some shooting done. Still working with my phone as I work up a couple of cameras that have been sitting.  Watching people do street photography brought back memories of a trip I took to SF with my former roommates father who was/is a brilliant photographer. I learned so much, but didn't fully keep up. That and portraiture are themes that are on my mind. 

I found out by looking at videos on cameras on Ebay, that film is coming in and there by driving up prices again. I mourn that I had loaned a Zenza Bronica ESTR to a friend in California and never got it back....it's not going to be cheap to pick up medium format again, but I have plans for that.

But my soul is singing and I'm happy to be digging in.

Paul Simon, "Kodachrome":

 

Rebeginning Creatively

"Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainty".

-Eric Fromm

After spending quite a bit of time with the uncertainty of the last few years, I lost purpose direction and floundered. After focusing on a move and a new way of working, I had time to begin to question what is my purpose is at my current decade of life, what do I want to do with time that I have left. Sounds like a really bad cliche, but even clichés contain elements of truth.   And circling back to the beginnings of this blog, I rediscovered my love and passion for photography especially film.

It hit me that I have more freedom than I have ever had if I choose to use it. So this holiday weekend I am committing to a labor of preparation. Cameras are coming out and some on their way. Work on bringing my skills back into practice through reading, puersuing pertinent YouTube videos and signing up for a photography course on personal development and expression.  Finally I realized an area of my garage could be turned into a darkroom. Ambitious yes, but a long term dream.

Finally my plan is to post more frequently here and daily to Instagram. The creative inspiration is to leave in this world my vision and how I've learned to see it as I go through the last year's and hopefully decades of life. I'm sure it will be refined more, but gain freedom to explore and express.

Beyonce, "Freedom":

  

A Milestone

"Another year wiser, another year bolder"

So today I hit a milestone birthday. I won't say my exact age, but let's just say I'm now a wise woman. The government now sees me differently as do many organizations. I don't agree with them, but there it is. I don't have a profound insight for today, but just that I am getting back into life post Covid. It took me a little longer as I had surgery that had been delayed and then a major move to a new state. Which is still hotter then I ever dreamed of, however, I am adapting.  I did buy a ticket and am joining a group of friends next month for a major reunion.

So life will go on and develop. I will try and get back here more as I dig in.

Destiny's Child, "Birthday":

Beginning Yet Again

 "Never feel guilty for starting again."

-Rupi Kaur

These days being a flaneuse has been more mental than physical. I moved to Arizona to be closer to family, to redo my career and to try and figure out where I am in this whole aging process. The career has stabilized, the family thing has been frought with tension. And let's just say the aging process as society would have it has sparked my inner rebel.

Last night I took a trip to the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix to see Joe Jackson. It was a last minute invite and I had no idea what to expect. I hadn't really followed him in recent decades. What happened was a brilliant music meets theater as he presented musical hall songs inspired by the Victorian/Edwardian era. It was boisterous, bawdy and brilliant. He came out in a suit played some his earlier work on a electric piano and then excused himself. He came back essentially as a character he created, Max Champion, and brought with him, what looked like a steam punk band. It was fun, creative and ended up with a standing ovation.

So I'm inspired to begin again, to reinvent and see what I can discover both as a mental and soon physical flaneuse.

Joe Jackson, "Is She Really Going Out":

Beauty Is...

 "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."

-Anonymous 

I went outside tonight and found the waning moon in a glow surrounded by jet streams. Nature and technology combined to form an unexpected eerily beautiful scene. Beauty can be anywhere if we just take time to see it.

John Legend and Ariana Grande, Beauty and the Beast;