Random Notes about Stuff

The name of this Blog was inspired in part by Lance Armstrong's book "It's Not About the Bike". The struggles I have faced over the years in being a photographer in an extremely crowded, and growing more crowded by the minute, field, have been about making images no matter how the prevailing winds, economic, aesthetic, or otherwise, are blowing.

Armstrong dealt with huge amounts of cancer, I have only had to deal with more mundane issues, some severe (my daughter's health) and many not so severe, but my point is best expressed this way: no matter what has happened in my life, the thread of creativity has remained throughout, and has served as an anchor, an organizing principle, and a method to prevent entropy form having it's way with me.

Always carry a camera. I violate this one too much, and last night I wished I had a t least brought my small digital camera (I have a Canon something or other that almost fits in a pocket).

One of my pet peeves (fed and watered regularly) is our inclination to look at someone's work and call up all sorts of unpleasant biographical details about the artist. all manner of nastiness which, I believe, only serves to drag the artist and their art down to the lowest common denominator possible, thereby negating the beauty that was created. My dear departed granny used to say that we should judge the art and leave the artist's life to the biographers. There is also a tendency to equate character flaws and bad behavior with creativity. As well as an equally annoying tendency to equate great talent and skill with near sainthood. A jazz musician once wrote that being able to jam real well did not qualify you as an Albert Schweitzer. It would be nice if the common bond we found with artists was creativity, not peccadilloes.

To survive and function as an artist in this society probably takes a great deal of strength of mind and sanity, given the stresses placed on artists. In my experience, making photographs has kept me sane in a world run mad, and the every tough life situation I've been in...