Art in the Heart
I had a lot of professional excitement this month in photography. It seems a little strange to put the label, ‘career,’ on the lifelong passion that I hold so dear. But a career it has become.
A career in photography has a lot of different variations. There are portrait photographers, wedding and event photographers, fashion photographers, travel photographers, commercial photographers, photojournalists, freelancers…the list goes on and on. There are also photographers like myself who, if asked to categorize the type of work they do, would call themselves a fine art photographer. What’s the difference, one might ask? The difference lies in where the heart is, and in what drives the brain. Every photographer who focuses on a specific discipline puts their whole heart into it. There’s no doubt that photographers of all kinds can perform multiple types of photography - I can and I do (although I have turned down wedding requests- I know myself enough to know I couldn’t handle the anxiety of photographing such a high-stakes event). I certainly enjoy doing portrait sessions and love the opportunity to photograph small events or respond to friends’ requests for special projects. But my heart is in the art.
The more I focus my energy on the learning and absorption of all things art, the more attentive I am to improving my skills and growing my knowledge. The more I focus, the less I let the shadows of doubt gathered at the corners of my mental viewfinder cloud my thinking. “Am I good enough?” “What if this is it, and I don’t produce another good image?” “What if people don’t like what I’m doing?” All those irrational and maddening doubts happen to many artists. It’s important that artists believe in themselves, no matter the rejections experienced, and no matter the negative thoughts we allow to surface. If I don’t believe in myself, how can I ask others to believe in me and the art I’m creating?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned so far is to trust what I feel about an image, and not what I think might be popular or what might sell. One such image was taken a few years ago and added to my catalog, but I didn’t want to show it for a long time because I worried it might not be well received. “Too abstract,” I thought. “Too atypical.” Last year, despite my self-doubt, I chose it to be my juried piece at the St. George Art Festival, my very first juried festival. The piece won First Place in Photography! That was an amazing validation of my instinct! This piece has been juried into a couple of other exhibits, and I’ve been thrilled to see and hear people’s reactions to it. Just last week, this same piece was awarded the Governor’s Choice Award along with a Capitol Art Collection Purchase Award. The Governor and First Lady chose my piece, among all the amazing artwork in the exhibit. I was so surprised and humbled. Additionally, Sunset Calm (aka Jackson Reservoir Sunset) will now be part of the permanent art collection belonging to the Wyoming State Museum.
So it seems I have added a couple of notches to my endeavors in art photography. These accolades are very meaningful to me. I reflect often on what I’m doing and ask, through prayer, if I’m where I need to be. So far, the answer comes back ‘Yes. Keep at it.’ The reward is not monetary, and that’s ok. The reward of knowing that an image I created using my camera as the tool meant something to someone -touched their emotions, made them feel something positive, cannot be replicated in many other ways. I use the art in my heart to reach someone else’s heart. That’s powerful!
My other excitement this month has been my solo show hosted by Blue Door Arts in Cheyenne. I was thrilled to be asked to be the guest artist there for February and March. The opening night during Friday Art Walk was wonderful, and I was able to visit with old friends, new friends, and art lovers alike. My show continues this month, with another Friday Art Walk coming up on March 1, from 5-8 pm. If you were unable to come in February, I hope you can come on March 1.
Additionally, if you’re out and about for Friday Art Walk on March 1, you can see even more of my work at Clay Paper Scissors Gallery, where “In The Garden” will be opening. Stop by and see all the wonderful pieces to get you excited for Spring. Boss Lady and Don’t Leave Me Beehind from my bee series are part of the exhibit.
