back in action and letting go
It's been a long time since i blogged. but now i have art school to blog about. so much to write down! So i'll dive "write" in (no pun intended).
The photo intensive had been exactly that for me this summer. Intense. From my instructors critique of my work as being too "over the top", and needing to be more subtle, to David Maisel, the environmental aerial photographer talking of his evolution of being more subtle in his work with his message, it's been a lot of evolving for me already.
I have been open to learning to let go of many things in the past couple years. Now I am having to let go of the one thing that has been a consistent in my life for the past 10 years...my activism. As i just talked about with a good artist friend, Ally, this morning, activism and art are two different thigns. Sure they can be combined, but is art as effective when combined with activism? It can be...if you are making art for adbusters or some such politically oriented medium. But fine art in galleries...no, not a good idea. People are looking for a fantasy realm to escape the realities of this fucked up world. If you just remind them of it with a blazing message of what they already see everday around them...why would they want to buy that?
So I am learning to let go of my preconcieved notions of people, photography, imagry, my message, and to break all my old habits and look at the world afresh. Seeing a clearcut the other day during our photo shoot for class, i immediately stepped into my regular composition habit of putting the bulk of the image as a negative space and placing the subject to one side.
I stopped and decided to just get closer and fill the frame with the trees and stumps for a more subtle themed photo. Much to learn, much to learn.
The photo intensive had been exactly that for me this summer. Intense. From my instructors critique of my work as being too "over the top", and needing to be more subtle, to David Maisel, the environmental aerial photographer talking of his evolution of being more subtle in his work with his message, it's been a lot of evolving for me already.
I have been open to learning to let go of many things in the past couple years. Now I am having to let go of the one thing that has been a consistent in my life for the past 10 years...my activism. As i just talked about with a good artist friend, Ally, this morning, activism and art are two different thigns. Sure they can be combined, but is art as effective when combined with activism? It can be...if you are making art for adbusters or some such politically oriented medium. But fine art in galleries...no, not a good idea. People are looking for a fantasy realm to escape the realities of this fucked up world. If you just remind them of it with a blazing message of what they already see everday around them...why would they want to buy that?
So I am learning to let go of my preconcieved notions of people, photography, imagry, my message, and to break all my old habits and look at the world afresh. Seeing a clearcut the other day during our photo shoot for class, i immediately stepped into my regular composition habit of putting the bulk of the image as a negative space and placing the subject to one side.
I stopped and decided to just get closer and fill the frame with the trees and stumps for a more subtle themed photo. Much to learn, much to learn.
posted by Ryan Mlynarczyk at 1:00 PM
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