Tell Your Story Walking
I would like to think of myself as a budding photographer. My camera is not a fancy SLR, but I console myself by trying to learn as many techniques as possible so that I can creatively capture the stories around me. I recently joined flickr in an attempt to enhance my own skills through the pressure of publication. My reasons for creating a flickr account were also born out of a desire to sit at the feet of the greats (or some of my dear talented friends and their gifted friends) and glean tips from their photographs.
Similarly, in my better moments I consider myself to be a creative non-fiction writer. Through this blog I exited the structured prose of academic writing and entered into the realm of fanciful musings. My writing, certainly my poetry, has improved as I edit my ramblings into publishable blurbs. As with photography, I avidly read the blogs and essays of fellow writers. I never cease to be amused and challenged by my colleagues in the blogosphere.
My endeavor, with both photography and blogging, is to give the ordinary a voice, to make the every day art. I have found this process to be profoundly therapeutic and grounding. As I tell the little stories, I become more confident in my own story.
I can conquer this.
In an attempt to stretch myself, I participate in a cyberdiscussion of magic (I am also an aspiring nerd). Fail. My immature thoughts are exposed. Shit. What now? The insecurities are coming fast and strong and every attempt to parry with them is being cut down faster than I can chop a tomato (which is mighty speedy, let me tell you). I work on an essay I'm writing on relationship fragmentation and the Internet. I am cantankerous and my poor keyboard takes the brunt of it. I get about two paragraphs in before I realize that I have diverged from the thesis significantly.
Forget it.
Maybe the best way to fight art is with art.
So here I am: raw but still writing. I'll take a cue from Deb Talan and tell my story walking. This isn't a pithy post with a cute summation paragraph at the end. I leave you here, this is me, this is my art. I'll even be brave and give you a picture. I grant you permission to comment and critique. This is not an endeavor to garner solace, this is an effort to share the process of story making and art. And like all art, it should be a community event. Please, share your own journey with me.
(Note: I couldn't decide the best way to crop this, so I just left it as is. I could go for a little more focus, but I like the texture in this shot.)
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2 comments:
You're a great writer; thanks for sharing and keep it up! I resonated with a lot of what you said here. Thanks again.
Thanks for the encouragement Catie. Let it also be known that I love your own writing and photography. It is so beautiful and honest.
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