This year has obviously been a challenge for everyone. Whether you have been directly affected by the coronavirus, or involved in the social upheaval that’s been ongoing, whether you lost your job, or work from home, have been anxious, or bored, or angry, or medicated, or drunk, or wide awake, or walking in your sleep… we’ve all had our expectations and our beliefs challenged. You either keep on moving or you get bogged down by the immense weight of it all.
My moods, my reactions, my motivations, my actions… all have swayed like the pendulum of a clock. Some days are overwhelmingly sad, some are anger inducing, some bring moments of peace and joy. Life is like that I guess. The thing that has helped keep me grounded, as I’ve said here before, is my photography. Sometimes it’s the brief escape with a camera in the middle of the day, mask over my nose and mouth, out fighting the harsh July sun. Sometimes it’s a film scanning session, with a good old slab of vinyl on the turntable, headphones on, swamp cooler on. It brings its own kind of meditative release.
I’ve gone deep back into film photography this year, and the slowing down of the process (from exposure to finished image) has been an appreciated diversion from the shit show outside. I’ve also sat on a particular project that I completed just as the pandemic lockdown took hold. I was waiting for the “right” time to release the project, and any time I was ready to pull the trigger, I found another good reason (or bad excuse) to hold off. Enough of that already. A small number of folks (my subscribers) already know the details of this project. For the general public, the details will be coming very soon. Regardless of the financial, social, health and political challenges we are all facing, there still needs to be place for art in the world. Take it if you need it. Let it be what you need it to be. A diversion. An inspiration. A motivation. An indulgence. A challenge.
I continue to be surprised that this solitary effort of mine has reaped such rewards. Friends and strangers who have supported my work. People who want to hear my perspective on photography and creativity. A review of my website traffic always delights me, especially when I see visitors from countries scattered all over the world. It makes me feel a little less alone, a little less isolated.
Thank you for supporting me, for reading these words, for looking at my work, for investing in my vision, via a purchase or just a kind word. It keeps me motivated. So much more to come.