Week 1

How would you describe yourself as an artist?  Consider what inspires and motivates you.

  

The most obvious answer to this question would be that I'm a photographer, fine art to be more specific.

 

 It sounds a little strange to put it this way, but I consider myself a scientist. Or, maybe a better word would be anthropologist. According to Princeton University, anthropology is defined as "the social science that studies the origins and social relationships of human beings." 

This pertains to me because most of my work is a study in human emotion. The image on the top is from my series Media Circus, a study in how the media affects how people think. The image directly above is from my series A Greeting of Sorts, which was a study in the awkwardness of dating. The last two images have similar themes. Directly below is an image from Hearing Damage, which when paired with the song of the same name by Thom Yorke describes the loss of senses that happens when a relationship ends. The one below is from Love For the Loveless Like Me, which explored the emotions of a complete relationship from the beginning to the very end. I've also done projects on what stress does to the body and how the order that children in a family are born in affects their personality.

 The point in explaining all of this is because sure, I very well could take pictures of flowers, birds, and pretty things, but instead I attack my work with weeks or even months of research and constant study. Only after I have lined out exactly how I want to attack my work do I even pick up the camera at all. Once I finally shoot everything, the process of how I present my work is just as important.

I love the "how" of photography just as much as the "why" - the smell of chemicals in the quiet darkroom, the feeling of plaster in my hands as I mix fresco, and the sounds of the printer as my images appear. When I make a new discovery in process, I relish it and master it as fast as I can.

  I asked a friend last night what kind of artist I am, and the word that she used was ambitious. After a bit of contemplation, I agree with her. It seems like such an overused descriptor, but taking the easy way out is not in my game plan.