When I decided to let my family and colleagues know that I had chosen to pursue photography as more than a hobby their initial responses were not very positive. One of the common questions was whether I could make money with my photography. That question was twofold. Some were simply questioning its value to me – In essence they were trying to gauge what the reward would be for dedicating my time and resources. The second part brought into question my ability to interact with people and sell not only my work but my personality. I am not the most outspoken individual – in fact, I still get lost in crowds to the point where people begin to question whether or not I can actually speak. So to their credit, their questions and concerns were valid. I would be lying if I said I did not want to make money from my photography. This however, was not my primary objective. For a long time I disregarded my creative notions and one day I was inspired to make a change. I chose photography because I truly believed that my pursuit of this art form who aid my growth into becoming a well-rounded individual.
When I look back on my childhood, there are a few moments that suggest I had some semblance of artistic juices flowing through my veins then. I loved writing when I was in primary school. We had so many essays to write but I loved every minute of imagining fictitious characters and giving them life. At another phase of my life I was into poetry, I was somewhat of a voracious reader back then. Poetry led me to spoken word and to this day I still have an affinity for it. I can spend hours on YouTube watching performers. I have the utmost respect for performers, not just in poetry but all artistic forms of expression. The last indicator to me was an interest in sketching. Like most kids, I watched a lot of cartoons growing up. One of my favorites was Dragon Ball Z. I remember how excited my classmates and I were talking about the episodes and comparing our drawings. I had a knack for being able to draw certain characters quite well. It is one of the more disappointing things in my life to date that I have not taken a class and dived deeper into my interest for it.
The problem I believe is that I never saw myself as an artist. Where I grew up, art was as not as glamorized as being a scientist, a doctor, a politician, a teacher. If you were considered “smart” art was an afterthought. With that said I was 3 years removed from graduation working at a job that had nothing to do with my skillset and promised me no room for professional growth. The one perk the job provided was the opportunity for me to think. I admit I have done more thinking about my life trying to find perspective than actually performing work duties. For 3 years running, on the anniversary of my graduation I would go into a funk. The feeling that failure was getting closer to me terrified me. As I would sit and think about my lack of accomplishments to date, and the idea that I did not know what I wanted to pursue in life and I would feel so overwhelmed.
While working on my website I came across Gratisography by Ryan McGuire (amazing artist… CHECK OUT HIS WORK!) and I was intrigued by the beautiful imagery. In fact my background image http://www.gratisography.com/pictures/113_1.jpg was found on this site. Here was a guy who found the time to indulge in his passion while working on other projects simultaneously. From that moment on, I took a keen interest in all things photography. I realized how important communication skills, organization skills, independence and self-expression were to photography (areas of my life where I was very average). Photography would challenge me to go outside of my comfort zone. I would be forced to sharpen my people skills while also being able to communicate my thoughts articulately. I would need some organization to avoid clutter, to be able to make a schedule and adhere to it. Most importantly, I would have to take initiative. I could get as much out of photography as I was willing to work for.
I never imagined however, how photography would inspire my creativity. From the jump I was able to think in ways that I never did before. I have been overwhelmed at times with so many thoughts in my mind at once. I understand that one does not become a great photographer overnight. I am on this journey to partake in the process – to find my purpose and to share what I learn along the way. So to conclude I chose photography for the sake of art… and for the sake of becoming a better man.