I just found out that one of my photos has been selected for the 2020 issue of Kurt Vonnegut’s literary journal, So It Goes. This year’s theme is, quite fittingly, civic engagement--a theme that was chosen long before the world was turned on its head. And yet, whether we're staring down an election year or a pandemic (or both), the sentiment expressed in this photo, is more relevant than ever. The title? "It's Your Call."

The following message was part of  my original submission.  It, too, I think, is more relevant than ever.

"If the last few years have taught me anything, it’s that democracy is a lot like faith—both are easy to take for granted until something goes wrong. For anyone paying attention, all is not well in this great country of ours. To that end, these photographs catalog a democracy in peril even as its citizens are rallying to save it. It’s not so much a leap of faith as it is a labor of love, these ongoing demonstrations of acceptance and love of our neighbors. We owe it to ourselves to show up at the polls in November, to vote with our hearts, to remind the world that democracy works when we all pull together. When we believe. When we have faith."  

(This post originally appeared December 15, 2018, in my now-defunct photography blog THE KICK.)

In Steven Pressfield's The War of Art, a motivational book for artists, he makes a salient point about what drives creative people to create: “We must do our work for its own sake, not for fortune or attention or applause.” Indeed, in its truest, purest sense, the creative impulse is a thing wholly apart from thoughts of potential financial success. At least, that's the case for me. Which may seem odd, given that this post is part of a photography website that includes BUY buttons and a shopping cart. I could easily argue that I believe in my work enough to ascribe an arbitrary value to every photograph. But in doing so--in assigning any kind of dollar amount to my work--it's hard for me to escape the feeling that any aspect of commerce compromises the very creative process itself. I do firmly believe art can and should exist for its own sake.

So then why does this website even exist? Why sell my photos if doing so flies in the face of pure artistic expression?

Well, for one thing, new camera lenses (especially prime lenses) won't pay for themselves. Nor will an upgraded camera body. My current camera is a Canon EOS Rebel, which I bought back in 2016. I love this camera, which was a considerable step up from using my phone for street photography. I've gotten a lot of use out of my Canon and its two kit lenses (18-55mm and 75-300mm) in the last couple of years. But I've had my eye on a couple of new lenses for a while now (50mm and 85mm). I can certainly afford them, but in my mind, I want money from selling my work to cover such costs. It's my way of keeping photography a self-sustaining endeavor. Maybe this is a bit short-sighted and naive on my part, this idea that art can sustain itself.

But consider this:

Earlier this year, I was incredibly fortunate to have two photographs selected for this year's annual issue of Kurt Vonnegut's literary journal So It Goes. Better yet, I was invited to present my work at VonnegutFest in Indianapolis. (I'm working on a separate post in which I go into much deeper detail about this trip--my first to the Hoosier state.) As readers may already know, in addition to photography and writing novels and reviews, I also created a line of greeting cards called Melancholy Greetings. My entire trip to Indianapolis was funded by the greeting card business. All of it.

This isn't to say that I flew first class or stayed in a 5-star hotel, as both things are untrue. But all the same, I was able to make such a trip because there are people in the world who willingly exchange their hard-earned money for something (many, many somethings) I've created. You can't put a price on that sort of fulfillment.

That is, until you do.

Which brings us back to the very existence of this website, to the reluctant mingling of art and commerce. I realize I'm incredibly lucky that my photography is hanging on walls in homes I will never visit. My work represents me at my best, even if behind the scenes I question whether I'll still be taking photos a year or even a month from now. At times I believe I was born to have a camera in my hand, that photography is my true calling. I cannot deny that photography--not my writing, nor my drawing--sustains a deep and constant need for self-expression.

But then I question why I'm still doing this, if I can't fully devote myself to something that brings me such immediate and obvious joy. I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't. Maybe what I'm experiencing is a crisis of faith--in that I'm unable to take a necessary leap of faith--in myself, and in my work. My compulsion to take photos is strong, to the point that I sometimes dream that I'm taking the perfect shot.

One last thing:

Yes, this website exists to share my work, and to offer people the chance to buy it for themselves, if they so desire. But I've also been known to freely give away my work, be it photos or novels or greeting cards. It's not the best business model, generosity. Generosity may nourish one's soul, but, ultimately it won't feed one's family.

In The War of Art, Steven Pressfield posits an interesting question: “Of any activity you do, ask yourself: If I were the last person on earth, would I still do it?”

For me, art has never been about fame, or fortune. If anything, over the years I've repeatedly demonstrated a knack for breaking even. For all the hours and all the miles I've devoted to filling a camera roll with thousands of meticulously edited photos the world will never see (or purchase), my answer can only be an unequivocal yes.

Yes to the attendant doubts, yes to the many highs and lows, to the fleeting transcendence of capturing the perfect shot. Not just in my dreams, but with eyes wide open.

Yes.

(This post originally appeared February 10, 2019, in my photography blog THE KICK.)

I was incredibly fortunate to have two photographs selected for the 2018 issue of Kurt Vonnegut's annual literary journal So It Goes. Better yet, I was invited to present my work at VonnegutFest in Indianapolis. Kurt Vonnegut has long been a literary hero of mine, not only inspiring me as an author, but as a person who often toggles between cautious optimism and cynical happiness. (Or is that cautious happiness and cynical optimism?) So to have my work included in a publication that bears his name was incredibly humbling.

In his novel Cat's Cradle, Vonnegut introduced the notion of a karass--a precept of Bokonism that suggests groups of seemingly unconnected people can share both a cosmic bond and a common will. Presenting my work in the memorial library that bears Vonnegut's name, surrounded by fellow contributors and Vonnegut fans (or my karass, if you will), was likewise quite humbling.
 
In the words of KVML's website itself, 'So It Goes is a unique literary journal — designed to bring together work from veterans and civilians, established authors and virtual unknowns, high school students and nonagenarians. It’s a journal that has been, in a way, unstuck in time.' What a humane way to approach the arts, isn't it, this notion of creative equality?

I read my artist's statement that day at VonnegutFest. Entitled "Some of Its Parts," I've included it here in its entirety:
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"I've been known to dabble in happy thoughts from time to time, with mixed results. I've also been known to indulge many a creative impulse, also with mixed results. By turns I've been a novelist, an illustrator, and a street photographer. The common thread in these endeavors has been the distillation of the everyday world, into words, or lines, or shadows and light--all of which eventually winds up as ink expressed upon paper.

"My street photography in particular is a celebration of the minutiae I encounter during my daily walks in New York City. The city streets are rich with juxtapositions, too. Pareidolia--the act of personifying inanimate objects--only broadens the scope of discovery.

"My photography is a celebration of quirky contradictions. I draw inspiration from serendipitous moments, mining happenstance for deeper meaning. This is more than urban exploration. It's my way of dabbling in happy thoughts, in hopefulness, one city block, one camera click at a time.
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"These photographs hopefully counter the alienation one encounters in bigger cities. Less conventional connections are always in the offing, if we simply keep ourselves open to the smaller details. If we redefine what matters, everything then matters. Then, perhaps, we shall be lonesome no more."

You can learn more about KVML's literary journal SO IT GOES here.