July is for Processing!

It’s July, and I finally remembered I’m not worthless, and my creative puttering has been productive. Work was getting done, but not with any sense of “what it all means”. I didn’t have the time for reflection. I was helping my parents move out of their house and downsize, involving several cross country drives and flights. It didn’t allow for large chunks of time to just create. Upon reflection, large chunks of unstructured time is overrated. I work better in between moments.

I’m processing the work made over the past three years, and it’s pretty good. I’m grateful I can make art in the first place. Not all of it is photo related, and the inner-critic tells me “if it isn’t photo related, it doesn’t count.” (See above)

I don’t know where that condition for existing comes from, but it sucks the fun out of everything, including photography. My pictures are no good because I’m doing this other stuff, which I actually enjoy, but feel guilty for enjoying it, because I’m not taking pictures. Inner-critics like to set up systems where you can’t win for trying.

Instead of not taking pictures, I stopped taking pictures the way I used to. It wasn’t until about LAST WEEK I noticed a large volume of work to edit and process. I’d been busy making, not sorting or editing.

The reality of any art practice is a lot of time is spent gathering materials, sketching, and doing what seems like goofing off. It’s not.

Sidebar to all the people without a project in mind, keep plugging away. Something will come out of all that stuff you’re doing.

My camera has another way of seeing things, which makes it fun. Relying on chance and uncertainty means that by the time it comes to develop, I have no idea where anything was taken. I am photographing unknown spaces.

It sure feels like that’s been my life for the past few years, making images on the fly. Honestly, time and movement have been a major part of my creative curiosity all along.

The idea that a portfolio must have a clear, consistent look or theme for it to convey a message is not always accurate. I use the boundaries of time to organize my images. Most of my creative intention is “That looks pretty cool.”

My creative practice is like walking along the beach, filling my pockets with beautiful stones, and showing you what I’ve found.

A Quick One About A.D.D. and Photography

If you have a little A.D.D., release yourself from the need to constantly organize images in concise portfolios. That’s why there are curators in the world. My mother, God bless her, is always so anxious about organizing her photo library, and it takes up too much energy. She’s a very creative person but gets caught up in the back end, so the production grinds to a standstill.

Portfolio reviews or assembling portfolios always feels a little crazy to me. I’m not against organizing ideas, but sometimes, there is beauty in the freedom. It doesn’t need to make perfect sense for me in order for it to work.

I’m preparing a show this winter at the Wolfe Gallery located at Maumee Valley Country Day School, in Toledo, Ohio. There will be some framed images shown, but most of the work will have a definite workshop energy to it. I’m printing a lot of pictures and applying them to foam core. This isn’t lazy on my part, it is about allowing the viewer to make some connection and curate their own show. What can I say, I love a parade!

Bringing a little play into the world harms no one. I can show work I like and surround it with just the joy of creation. The sense that my process isn’t valid because it lacks perfect clarity is not a helpful thought. Looking around at the world I live in, this comes as no surprise. There is a carnival of inspiration.

So, if you feel like you’re not valid because you haven’t been able to make a perfect portfolio for all to easily understand, take heart in the restless process of seeing in real time. You’ll be okay. Heck, you are okay. Proceed.