Being True to Ones Self

Recently a close photographer friend asked me if I had been blogging and I replied, "no". She is someone whose work and opinion I hold in high regard. It was because of her urging that I went to a daylong seminar given by the Greater Hartford Arts Council on marketing yourself as an artist. I attended two seminars, one regarding how to write your artist statement and the other on social networking. For a couple of weeks after I felt that I had obtained some good information but didn't really think too much about it. Then something happened. I started thinking about how I would write my artist statement and my world turned upside down. I had to think about why I was taking photographs. I had to start digging deep to discover that answer. What I realized and had sort of known for a long time was that I was highly influenced by other photographers work that I liked. If I saw a photo and wished I had taken it I would try to recreate it or learn their style. It was derivative not genuine. It was not about capturing something that resonated with my personal experience. Many of my current images are"pretty" but lacking in some sort of emotional pull. Yes, I want the photograph to be a beautiful thing but not necessarily of a beautiful thing. That is the challenge. My goal now is to be as true to myself as I can possibly be. Learn about myself and value my experience. Clear my head and let the images come from deep inside.