"Anything we devote our time to we can always do better."                                                             ~ Juan

I took an Infrared workshop recently that somehow turned into a Nude Infrared workshop.  I’m not complaining or anything - the models were beautiful (though sadly all female) and the scenery was beautiful, but it was 100+ degrees outside!  Seriously…we are obsessively dedicated to our art.   

So - about obsession…what is it exactly?  According to Wayne Ford, “there’s a fine line between obsession and simply returning to a theme again and again. It’s a fixation, a consuming passion, mania, compulsion, preoccupation, maybe addiction.” J.D. Salinger also chimed in with “The refusal to rest content, the willingness to risk excess on behalf of one’s obsessions. It’s what distinguishes artists from entertainers, and what makes some artists adventurers on behalf of us all.” Well, who can argue with that?   

I am obsessed with photography.  No surprise there since almost all of my time is taken up with creating images of moments in time.  I try to make sure my images have a visual impact, beyond that of the many snapshots that populate social media channels.  They have to contain proper tonality and a dynamic range that exceeds my expectations.  That said, they must also be true to my art, or at least what I consider art.  

When I shoot abstracts, I want the viewer to look at the colors, light, lines, and shadows and think to themselves, “what IS that”, even if they don’t like it, it has evoked emotion, a response from them and that’s my primary goal.  I want my work to stretch my artistic boundaries AND make people wonder, make them think, even if they have no imagination of their own.  

So being obsessed with art and stretching my boundaries and creating work that evokes an emotional response from someone is good, right?  Wait…don't answer that.  Think about it, then go obsess and stretch your own boundaries.

Until next time . . .