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old photographs.

when you look at the old photos, you’ll notice them a bit blurry. it’s not just that technology has improved. you also didn’t know what deserved focus. there wasn’t a lot of clarity back then. and even when there was, lighting conditions could be less than ideal.

you’ll see how the depth of your compositions changed. you always tried to maximize each frame. but the zoom introduces distortion to the obvious lack of perspective; amateurs don’t always understand the magic they’re seeing. are we capturing an ordinary moment in a special way? or are we grabbing a souvenir? the early works feel documentarian, if not obviously contrived; visual receipts of people, places and items, duly noted. no interesting angles; not a lot of experimentation. and yet, there is this sense of wanting more that pushes through. you kept going until all the taking became giving.

true artistry is a way of living. you grow into it. and it’s not about the medium or any formal training. artists interact with the world a certain way. to be an artist is to create. it’s to be so fully present in your own experience, in your own perspective, that you are compelled to share. this is what colors everything around us. even the most seasoned artists are still climbing, spying for the next summit.