tourist picture / ku # 1315 / diptych # 161 ~ why ask why?

Edison-Ron on Rist Camp kitchen floor ~ Newcomb, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
ever changing Rist Camp porch view ~ Newcomb, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
Rist Camp porch views ~ Newcomb, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen

On TOP Mike Johnston asked you to ask yourself a question:

I'd encourage you to ask yourself a question: why do you really do this, anyway?

The "this", of course, is picture making.

The question was posited in the cause of helping picture makers get over or at least come to grips with their desire - some might say "need" - for attention / success in their picture making endeavors. Or, as Johnston puts it - why am I not famous, or when am I going to make a little money at this, or any of the other gnawing dissatisfying insecurities that seem to crop up for all of us.

Johnston's answer to his question - for the most part, photography is just a fun activity. A recreation. An enjoyable pastime. We do it because we enjoy it.

I am reasonably certain that answer is good for most picture making participants. Perhaps even for you. Although, for me, no so much.

And it's not that I do not enjoy making pictures. However, the word "enjoy" really is not the word I would use to describe my involvement with the medium. Nor is the word "fun". In fact, when asked why I make pictures, my answer is not because it is fun or enjoyable. Invariably my answer is, "Why not?"

That answer derives not from my desire to be a smart / wise ass but rather from the fact that there would have to be a very compelling reason for me not to make pictures because, making pictures is what I do. Not because it's a "fun activity" or "enjoyable". It's more because, for me, picture making is like breathing - I don't think about why I do it, I just do it - in fact, I have been making pictures of one kind or another since as far back as I can remember.

Which leads me back to where I started this entry - most recently the question "Why do I really do this, anyway?" has been much on my mind.

There are no concrete answers as of yet. Notions of creating, drawing attention to something (my referents, their potential for meaning, and my pictures in and of themselves), making connections, in a more visceral sense, to my environment (people, places, things), and last but not least, something in my DNA / genetic makeup which has created a preternatural drive to make pictures.

Over the next few weeks, most of my entries will be ruminations on the topic of "why". I hope to incite comments and feedback both about my ideas on the subject as well as your insights regarding your own personal motivations in the realm of picture making.

I know from conversations with other artists (non-photography), that they would be interested in and participate in such a conversation. IMO, it could be a fun and informative ride.

Are you up for it?

Today's Artspeak Gobbledygook - My current work predominantly deals with themes of identity, race and heritage as it relates to preconceived notions of Euro-centric beauty and heritage within post-colonial societies ~ found on the internet

Comments

[Jim Roelofs]

The Aussie dollar's not worth much at the moment, let alone its sibbling, the aussie cent, so here's my couple of pesos worth, Mark.

Mine's more and more an emotional thing, privileged and humbled by mother nature doing its thing to a level where I'm compelled to picture the click in passing time and light.

Sincerest regards, JR

[John Linn]

I think at some level everyone has a need to create. How that is expressed can be very different from person to person. It could involve cooking or gardening or creating art. I have an interest in the visual aspects of our world and I can’t turn it off. When driving I am forever evaluating the taillights of the car in front of me, looking at the architectural details of buildings I see, thinking about color choices people make and wondering why a logotype designer decided to use that font. I think I see things many other people don’t take the time to notice, and like to capture the observations as photos. I find joy when something looks “right” in the viewfinder and more joy when the image looks “right” on the computer monitor or print. I feel compelled to post on a regular basis because that is a measure of my engagement in the visual arts. I have to admit, I like to receive responses to my pictures, but that is not my primary motivation. My primary stimulus is to create an expression that pleases me.