I almost didn’t post the bit I put up today. It felt like it was too much swearing, and not serious, and too naked. I want to inspire people, and sometimes I get carried away with it. I don’t say the bad stuff out loud, or I pretend it’s not there. But this is my soapbox, and I decided when I started that I would say whatever I needed to say. So I will. I will stop editing so much and sometimes I won't edit at all.
It isn’t easy, working full time, making and trying to show
my art and living life. It is easy to dig in and stop looking. And that’s what
I want to remind everyone to do today. Look
at everything.
I’m not just talking about looking at art books or checking
out websites online.
(Though you should do that.)
I’m not just talking about going out where you live and
really seeing what life looks like there, learning the stories of your place.
(Though
you should do that too.)
I’m also talking about learning to see.
I have worked for several schools that have foundation
programs for undergraduates. At an art school, these are fundamentals classes
in drawing, 2-d and 3-d design, and sometimes color theory. Have you ever tried
to register a photographer for a Drawing I class? 9 times out of 10 they resist. Vehemently. I
get it, but what I used to tell them during this exhausting process was about the
practice of looking. I really do think drawing from life is great for
photographers, because it is an incredible education in seeing. My left eye is slightly lower than my right
eye. My nostrils are different shapes. I know my face because I’ve drawn it
hundreds of times. It helps me notice
moments. Moments are what make your work yours, your unique way of seeing and
processing the world. Also, it’s great to try things that make you
uncomfortable, to consciously try something you aren’t good at. It makes you
better at everything else that you do.
This is probably one of those things that I will say over
and over again in different ways, but for today, look at everything.
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