« The Haircut | Home | Getting My Hands Dirty »
The Rumors of My Death Have Been Slightly Exaggerated
By jorsillo | February 8, 2010
As you may have deduced, I haven’t had much to report lately. The fact is that I have not made an image since January 1 of this year. I guess I have had trouble finding my voice. The problem seems to stem from this growing uneasiness I’ve had with all things digital. Don’t get me wrong, I think I’ve made some pretty good images in the last couple of years, but lately they have felt a little less than authentic.
It hasn’t helped much that my photo contest career isn’t going so well. I’ve entered nearly a dozen juried shows or competitions in the past year with nary a mention but the kicker was a juried show at a gallery in Vermont. The theme, flowers. I really thought this one was a slam dunk. I mean, if there’s one thing I do well (in my opinion) its flowers. How could I go wrong? Well, my stuff didn’t make the cut. Reading that rejection email was a kick in the pants, but seeing the images that actually made the show was my own personal shock and awe campaign. Needless to say that whole experience really took the wind out of my sails.
I know its not popular to admit that an artist needs validation, but all I could think was ‘thats it, I’m done’. I hardly felt there was any reason to continue such a fruitless endeavor. Then one day last week I got an email from a long forgotten juried show I entered last year. I was so expecting another rejection that I almost hit the delete button without reading it. Low and behold, the photography gods (Mr. Weston and Mr. Mapplethorpe) must have heard my silent screams because not one, but two of my images were accepted. I had to read the thing three times before it all sank in but yes indeed, I was in.
The show is at the SPIVA Center for the Arts in Joplin Missouri and runs from March 5 through April 25. For those of you that wont be able to make the trek, these are the images that will be on display.
Now of course this new development has helped ease me out of my recent funk. But don’t think I’m going back to my old ways. I’m on a quest for something I can call genuinely my own, something I would be proud to share with all of you…
Topics: Uncategorized |
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.