2022: 8 Gratitude

February 19, 2022

Every once in a while, I am reminded of the good things in my life. It has been harder to do so after the past couple of years, for sure, but this week afforded me time to reflect. I am lucky to live in relative comfort, in a supportive relationship, with friends and (decent) health and no real “wants” as far as the basics of human life are concerned. Especially having carved out a creative life that fulfills and challenges me on a daly basis.

This past weekend, my amazing wife performed a solo concerto with the Santa Fe Symphony, and as I sat in the audience, I was reminded how special she is, and how good our life can be. We both have made choices to pursue our creative endeavors, often at the expense of more traditional societal choices and paths. But the rewards of the things we are able to do are so much worth it. Living an artistic life, with all of its ups and downs, is something I value deeply. The choice not to have children has also allowed us to pursue our creative journeys with more freedom and flexibility than others, and that, too is something I am keenly aware of and value deeply.

This week, aside from attending the symphony performance, I also worked on a new self-publishing project, recorded and edited my next podcast episode, and had two satisfying sessions with my improv team. I know that life throws curveballs all the time. health and wealth and stability are precious and precarious. But for this week, at least, I am able to feel satisfaction and gratitude. I wish the same for all of you, in whatever shape or form that might take. Thank you for being along for the ride.

2021:47 In Purgatory

November 27, 2021

A quiet, long holiday weekend in the mountains of Colorado. Quiet, cold, some snow. A hot tub and sauna and plenty of attitude adjusters. Purgatory isn’t so bad, when caught between heaven and hell.

A roll of film that I ran through my Diana Mini 35mm camera this week. No jams, no shredded sprockets.

2020: 29 (How Soon Is Now?)

July 18, 2020

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.

2019: 51 (Thank You)

December 21, 2019

Things are winding down, and the holidays are upon us. I am nearing the end of one full year of weekly blog posting, and realize that next week will be the big wrap up for the year (and the decade.) In the meantime, in no particular order, I’d like to thank a bunch of people, places and things that had a positive influence on my life and my work over the past twelve months.

Thank you Jesse. Thank you to my family. Thank you Tuesday Night Photobook Nerds: Justin, Brian, Dan, Roberto and Tyler. Thank you (and r.i.p.) Latent Image Collective: Karen, Fabio, Francesco, JM, Jeff, Connie, Shelly, Jola, Negar, Hean Kuan and Eden. Thank you Kent. Thank you Clarke. Thank you Magazzini Fotografici: Yvonne, Roberta, Valeria, and Rosella. Thank you Mauro. Thank you UNMH. Thank you Dr. Nir. Thank you Tom. Thank you Deborah. Thank you Fluoxotine. Thank you Lisinopril. Thank you CBD oil. Thank you Kristina. Thank you Luz. Thank you Adriene. Thank you pilates and yoga. Thank you YouTube. Thank you RK Venture: Richard, Dianne, Rachel, Becky, Mario, Mario, Lee, Nichole and Pablo. Thank you The Infirmary: Katy, Emily, Jill, Jenae, Hayden, Robb and Charles. Thank you Santa Fe Improv: Kita, Scott, Kirste, Rachel, Eric, John, Katrina, David, Pamela, Grace, Patrick, Adam, Evan, Michael, Brian, Benjamin and Gabe. Thank you Lindsay. Thank you Sean. Thank you Akash. Thank you Alice. Thank you Jeff. Thank you Cliff. Thank you Andy. Thank you Alan and Larry. Thank you Andrew and Stephanie. Thank you Yosh and Rebecca. Thank you Luciano. Thank you Gerhardt. Thank you Rocky. Thank you George. Thank you Matt. Thank you Sean. Thank you Dan. Thank you David. Thank you David and Nikelle. Thank you Phil. Thank you A Small Voice. Thank you WTF. Thank you This American Life. Thank you A Candid Frame. Thank you Anthropocene Reviewed. Thank you B&H Photography podcast. Thank you Nick Cave. Thank you Big Thief. Thank you Netflix. Thank you Great British Baking Show. Thank you Silicon Valley. Thank you John Oliver. Thank you Magcloud. Thank you Adobe Lightroom. Thank you Spotify. Thank you Sirius XMU. Thank you Fellini. Thank you Japan. Thank you Kodak, Ilford and Fujifilm. Thank you Canon, Ricoh and Leica. Thank you Olympus Pen EE-S. Thank you Apple. Thank you Upslope Brewing. Thank you Dogfish Head. Thank you Marble Double White. Thank you rye, sake and eau de vie. Thank you Ruthie’s Bagels, and Zabar’s. Thank you pizza. Thank you Taco Tuesday. Thank you Roto Rooter. Thank you Just Sprinklers. Thank you Lyft. Thank you struffoli. Thank you Mary and Tito’s, Duran’s, Garcia’s, Farina, Thai 2, Golden Pride, Twisters, Jersey Mike’s, Ta Lin, Cafe Da Lat, Naruto Ramen, Freestyle Photo, Picture Perfect, Whole Foods, Jubilations, High and Dry, Humble Coffee. Goodbye Robert and Bob.

2019: 35 (Another Spin)

August 31, 2019

Celebrated my birthday yesterday. Very grateful to be alive, to be an artist, to be a husband, to be a friend, to have love come my way, and to be able to send it back out into the world. Thank you for sharing my journey.

Arrivederci, 2018

December 31, 2018

Like most people, I like to take a moment on New Year’s Eve to reflect back upon the year as it comes to an end. This has been a very rewarding year for me creatively, and it feels appropriate that I spend some time sharing my gratitude. Even though the world seems like it’s often teetering towards chaos and confusion, there is still hope for good things to happen, for real connections to be made with other people, for celebrating our commonalities, and for some brazen optimism in the face of doubt and uncertainty.

So, in no order of importance:

Gratitude towards my good friend, David Garcia. We spend an amazing weekend at the Sundance Film Festival, where we hatched the idea of collaborating on a music / photography project, released in the early months of 2018 as The Cabin Sessions.

Gratitude towards all the guys at the Tuesday Night Photo Book Geek Club, spearheaded by my photo compatriot Justin Thor Simenson, whose prolific self-publishing efforts remained a constant inspiration for me.

Grateful for the opportunity to spend time on an extended work assignment in New York City, even though they were dark days for me emotionally, they were productive and rewarding photographically.

Grateful for the Albuquerque chamber music organization Chatter, for allowing me to collaborate on a musical performance by Flutebot at the Albuquerque Museum in August. The resulting zine and projections were a challenging and satisfying experience for me.

Grateful for the three weeks traveling through Italy with my incredible wife, eating and photographing from Rome to Naples, from Puglia to Sicily.

Grateful for the following for sharing my photography with their audiences this year: Edge of Humanity, Click Magazine, Photo/Foto Magazine, Shifter Media, Funzilla Zine Fest, Lux the Zine, and the Photographic Mercadillo.

My deepest, heartfelt thanks to the wonderful ladies at the Magazzini Fotografici in Naples, Italy. They literally made a dream come true for me by presenting my work “Rodeo Nights” as a solo show. I was thrilled to be able to attend the opening, and spend a week in their great city. It was an incredible way to finish off the year.

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who has visited this website, purchased a print, book or zine from me, shared words of encouragement, collaborated with me, challenged me creatively, or inspired me through their own work. I am deeply, deeply grateful to all of you.

2019 is already shaping up to be a great one, as I’ve got a couple of long-term projects that will finally see the light of day. I look forwarding to sharing it with all of you. I wish you health, happiness and creativity in the coming year.