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Hello, again, from Austin, Texas. Another full day of shooting flooring products, which is far more exhausting than you might imagine. I managed to get back to my hotel room just before the sun left the sky; enough time to watch this beautiful light pour through my window. Tripod-less, I rigged my camera atop the desk lamp, setting aperture, shutter speed and focus (a little soft) before running in front of the lens. I don’t take many self portraits, but I’m starting to take a liking to them. I recently created one as an assignment for a creative portraiture class I’m taking and found it was incredibly difficult for me. For the first time in recent memory I had to say something about myself; have a perspective on who and what I am - then articulate that thru my lens. I quickly saw that most of what I was producing was bland, sanitized or literal; the ingredients for boring work. I didn’t illuminate the shadows or subtleties of who I am. I didn’t take a chance. Didn’t do something unsafe or risky. I came to learn that was the point of the exercise. I had completely missed the mark. So, I decided I should make a practice of shooting self portraits more often. Work on getting in a little deeper. Capture the good and the bad. I’m sure this could read like an exercise in vanity. I assure you it’s not. I’m starting to believe that if one wants to be an effective artist, someone who creates compelling, meaningful work then you’ve got to start at home. You’re got to be self-aware and really be able to look within. And then say something about what you see. You’ve got to be willing to be vulnerable, fail (maybe in a really big way) and then do it all over again. That’s a really scary notion. But, it’s that process of self discovery that leads us to our voice. It leads us to the place from which we can access our unique perspective on the world. And, really, if you’re a creator, isn’t that everything? If you’re an artist, I urge you to try the exercise. Paint. Photograph. Video. Or, start blogging. This is one of the first times I’ve written much more than a tweet and posted it publicly. It’s uncomfortable. But, I think this is where the good stuff is going to come from.

Hello, again, from Austin, Texas. Another full day of shooting flooring products, which is far more exhausting than you might imagine. I managed to get back to my hotel room just before the sun left the sky; enough time to watch this beautiful light pour through my window. Tripod-less, I rigged my camera atop the desk lamp, setting aperture, shutter speed and focus (a little soft) before running in front of the lens.

I don’t take many self portraits, but I’m starting to take a liking to them. I recently created one as an assignment for a creative portraiture class I’m taking and found it was incredibly difficult for me. For the first time in recent memory I had to say something about myself; have a perspective on who and what I am - then articulate that thru my lens. I quickly saw that most of what I was producing was bland, sanitized or literal; the ingredients for boring work. I didn’t illuminate the shadows or subtleties of who I am. I didn’t take a chance. Didn’t do something unsafe or risky.

I came to learn that was the point of the exercise. I had completely missed the mark.

So, I decided I should make a practice of shooting self portraits more often. Work on getting in a little deeper. Capture the good and the bad. I’m sure this could read like an exercise in vanity. I assure you it’s not. I’m starting to believe that if one wants to be an effective artist, someone who creates compelling, meaningful work then you’ve got to start at home. You’re got to be self-aware and really be able to look within. And then say something about what you see. You’ve got to be willing to be vulnerable, fail (maybe in a really big way) and then do it all over again.

That’s a really scary notion. But, it’s that process of self discovery that leads us to our voice. It leads us to the place from which we can access our unique perspective on the world. And, really, if you’re a creator, isn’t that everything?

If you’re an artist, I urge you to try the exercise. Paint. Photograph. Video. Or, start blogging. This is one of the first times I’ve written much more than a tweet and posted it publicly. It’s uncomfortable. But, I think this is where the good stuff is going to come from.