Coercion By Arrow
Can we say something new, something fresh, with our words or our images? It is an inquiry that at first seems a bit daunting, if one looks across Instagram or googles nearly any topic. I have found myself asking this way: what revealing insight do I have that really hasn’t been expressed before.
Heading down that twist of trail leads to feelings of defeatism and loss of interest and energy. Oh well, guess its time to mosey along to something else, is a conclusion that has popped up. While I’m not the only one with these kinds of low energy doubts, I’m going a different direction now.
I’m beginning a new look at what it means to have something new to say in photographic work. This is not necessarily the same as creating a totally “never before seen” image.
i am finding that making an image which is “out of character” for me can deliver a delightful sense of discovery that carries on to better new work. I’m heading toward saying something that I haven’t said before, even if someone else has a similar expression. My voice carries its own timbre, and it colors that “said before” to a shade of new that satisfies me.
I’m learning the distinction between finding a fresh view for my own personal work instead of expecting to originate a never-before. Few of us ever touch that rarefied space.
Today I finished making an image that I did not anticipate, “Coercion By Arrow”, and I feel like I’ve said something new.