“This is harder than I thought.”
Indeed. This website development is proving harder than I thought. I think I am still attempting to vanquish my natural inclination to keep my work to myself, and to keep my thoughts in my head (as opposed to the mercy of public cyberspace).
Guys, sharing is hard! It would seem my initial bravado is wearing off.
I'll get there though. Currently I am very time poor, school is hectic and I am preparing for an upcoming exhibition this month. An exhibition. Can you believe? It's freaking me right out, sharing my work is not exactly my safe space, and this will be my first ever exhibition, of any kind. Ever. And it's all me, all alone, all on my own. ALL SOLO BABY! (Eek?)
Probably what's putting most of the pressure on is that this is a mid year exhibition... of a year long body of work. In short, I don't feel ready! Too bad buttercup, it's part of the course requirements. No escaping that fact! More importantly, I have been readily assured of the method to the madness, so there's nothing left to do but put my trust in the process and go at it full guns blazing, and to make sure I dial share-phobic tendencies right back!
Ah... but back to my sparse gallery. It's suffered. I am still navigating how to use squarespace to it's fullest potential, but so far it's been rad, easy enough for a dinosaur like me to navigate, and somehow magically command. So now just to start sifting through my archives, and pulling at this years work, and curating something worth looking at.
So far, I have only conceded to uploading this image of my son as a baby, being flung skywards by his father. I love this image not for it's technical or photographic merits, but for the memories it evokes and the happiness I remember. I remember the sky was a hypnotically beautiful purple, and when the rainbow revealed itself, we drifted outside to marvel at it. I had my camera at hand, and when my sons father began to fling my son up, up, up and up, I caught this moment. My instinct as a photographer overrode any maternal worries that may have been lurking... maybe he's going too high?...and I just captured what I could. The pure joy of my son is evident, and I knew there was no need for me to worry, he felt safe with his father, and therefore so should I. I am glad I didn't mar such a moment with unnecessary worry and caution. What fun.
As I have mentioned previous, this year marks a return to photography and creative practice after a lengthy absence. One thing that did keep me going however was a project I set myself, just before the birth of my son, to capture at least one photo from each day of his first year. Having these simple parameters really encouraged me to shoot when otherwise I may have let the photographic spark die. Sometimes I stressed about getting the day's shot, but mostly it was a simple project that I could adhere to and keep some polish on my documenting / photography skills. The funny thing is, though I completed the project, I still haven't found the time to review, edit and compile all those images into a cohesive body of work. They exist in a digital limbo,easily forgotten. It is my hope that I will be able to finally re-engage with the work and finish the project, sharing some of the best images here on the website. I am looking forward to seeing what memories come back as I review back over that precious first year. It all seemed a blur at the time, so I will be grateful for what moments I managed to preserve in photos!
