Someone recently said to me “Its tough being an artist”. I thought about it and wondered whether that was what I was. I want to flesh that out a bit here on this blog.
I seem not to take as many images for beauties sake or fun anymore. I want to get that back. I want to slow down and see again. Find my voice.
Ive spent the last few years producing images for others (commercially and editorially) and didn’t realise how much the service element of that role engaged me till it wasnt there. I really liked helping journalists (seriously ) and people from the community tell their story, it made me feel needed and purposeful in some way. At its core I believe photography should aim to serve. The International Guild of Visual Peacemakers has been an interesting experience for me because it has helped me begin to question what my photography is saying. Who does it serve? I needed to ask myself this question. The people involved with this site have been generous in helping me to understand this question and how starting out as a photographer I can find my path.
So back to being an artist…. Many people I feel very connected to are those gentle/crazy/passionate folk the world calls artists. They have an image or a song or a feeling floating around inside their head that that they are chasing with an internal butterfly net. When you get them started about what they truly love its liberating and exciting to watch. However this idea that we all must live in “the real world” looms in the background like a teacher with a cane ready to discipline us.
My thoughts of late, as I grow, are that the people that really inspire me are the ones that balance all the uncertainties of being “an artist” whatever that may mean. They are not necessarily the successful people, they are the people who are at peace with the role of an artist in this world.
Sure everyone has their financial, emotional, logistical struggles but I don’t think this is a solely artistic dilemma. I feel that anyone finding their way in this world faces the uncertainty of decisions and pathways. The artist I believe has to stand still for a moment and say with quiet conviction this is what I made and why. At the heart of saying this I feel there is an element of bravery and vulnerability.
A Bangkok photographer I recently discovered did this gorgeous series on powerlines. If youve ever been to Thailand you would know that the electrical system here is an absolute miracle , the fact that it works is amazing. He created images that are so simple and elegant, in stark contrast to the chaotic system of wires. A simply beautiful series of images which would not be here on earth without this person. http://www.richarddaniels.com/ . You can find the powerlines under PROJECTS.
On the Aussie front there is this photographer Steve Coleman , his black and whites in the snow are so clean and clear . The light is truly amazing and on reading his blog you see he is truly engaged with his craft and even shares his thoughts from his journal regarding his process. http://www.lightinframe.com
As a continue to look at artists and photographers from all over the world , it is the ones who are DOING IT that inspire me. The ones that are engaged, positive, generous and down to earth that encourage me. The ones that are unapologetic , energetic and hopeful that I gravitate towards.
Chase Jarvis is someone whose continued engagement with the online community and his own community in Seattle is a constant inspiration. He is a great touchstone for creatives who would like to see artistic endeavor being lived out in a commercial world. www.chasejarvis.com/blog
Is it hard to be an artist? I think its hard to be a human, its beautiful to be an artist. One day soon perhaps I will pass through a moment in time where I feel for a small moment that I am creating something personal and see that moment for what it is. A gift.
We are so lucky to get to make things with our hands,like children.
i think the (most) difficult thing about being an artist is making connections with people, and that difficulty is definitely not one which is confined to being an artist. like you said, it is probably closer to being a human. but it is more than simply being a human too, because an artist creates a sort of visual poetry in order to forge a connection, things beyond the realm of ordinary human activity.
i hope that makes sense.
i’d like to add as a side point, i am very glad you chose wordpress for this blog instead of blogspot. it looks so much nicer.
Hi Nat,
A very interesting piece. I think that one of the reasons artists are at peace is because they are utterly honest in their intent.
Another reason, is that my art tutor at college, Tom Tetherington (sadly no longer with us) believed and taught that it is only by trying to see through the eyes of a child that “altruistic” art (art for art’s sake) can be achieved. He was an amazing teacher, the best I’ve ever experienced. He was able to impart that believe in such a way that it became a tangible part of your own being. Well, that’s how he affected me, anyway.
It was through him and his teachings that I examined my own core beliefs. In particular, those concerning armed conflict and war. He, like me, was an ex-serviceman. Some of his art sort to re-establish a child’s experiences of growing up in a city (Liverpool) during the bombings in the Second World War.
I’ve not known too many artists, just over, perhaps, a cupped handful but they’ve all struck me as possessing a inner core that’s needed to and has to always portray honesty. Perhaps, that’s their secret of “contentment”.
And as for your own work, that that I’ve seen from your time in Thailand, it’s been a quiet inspiration to me. The images you’ve produced have been honest. Maybe that’s the start of whatever it is you intend your artistic work to become.
All the best,
Paul
I discovered your blog while reading of Steve Coleman’s thought provoking comments. I enjoyed this one. It’s a question I seem to wonder about as well. It used to seem so much simpler. Then I started a website, then added a blog, then Facebook, then Twitter, and on it goes. Technology seems to have taken over as my art instead of my images. Not sure there is an answer to all this as it seems this is the world we live in now. Your words were thought provoking however and I need to devote some energy to slowing down and thinking again.
Thanks
Bob
“Is it hard to be an artist? I think its hard to be a human, its beautiful to be an artist. ”
Beautiful and inspiring words that maybe made me smile a whole lot.
A wonderful blog you have here nat. Amazing stuff.