Back in 2023 when I was in my first artist residency, I made the realization that I put a lot of pressure on myself with my art and decided to make an effort not to do that again. Fast forward to recent days. I’m in a couple commercial galleries, starting to break into the Boston art scene, and have been asked to give a presentation to the Newport Photo Guild about my work. Wow–I’m really building something here.
But I realized again that I’m putting an awful lot of pressure on myself. When I go out for a photoshoot, in the back of my mind I’m thinking about if the photo will be good for my project, for a gallery show, or whatever else I might want to use it for. There’s always got to be some purpose for the photos I’m taking. I’m losing sight of just having fun.
My solution? Try something completely new and different.
In this photograph, I’m holding up the very first monotype I’ve ever made. It’s not very good… but that’s fine! It was a wonderful experience to create something without pressure or cares if it’s a new best seller. I also recently started creating collages, and now I’m taking an etching class. All to simply get out of my own head and create without a purpose. Just fun!