To often I print or shoot based on what I feel others want, instead of finding/trusting my own voice. I need to focus more on my inner self. As I continue to develop my art I need to listen to what my insides tell me and move in that direction regardless of what is expected by my peers.
One of the positive of leaving the photo groups is that my work can be more free and not subject to the group thought as much. I can do what I want to do as I want to do it without being derided as often happens in a group, it is something I have faced numerous times through the years. There is always a pressure to FIT IN with the others when your in a group situation. I think people have a hard time understanding and accepting things out of the norm. It is so much easier to follow the crowd to be around others with similar opinions, it sort of endorses sameness and mediocrity. The nail that stands up gets hammered down by group thought.
I was reading today about he lives of impressionist painters Emile Bernard and Paul Gauguin. These artists found their own paths outside of what others were doing at the time, their own voice. They were not afraid to take their own path. At times they found support from fellow individualists but those connections usually broke down. Gauguin had eventual falling outs with Van Gogh and Bernard. Because they all sought their own voice. Their unique work survives to yell out through time. Where as most artist group thinkers/followers (the folks that followed the crowd) from the time of the impressionists have long since been forgotten, along with their work.
Of course I am no Paul Gauguin but that should not stop me from seeking my own voice.
One of the positive of leaving the photo groups is that my work can be more free and not subject to the group thought as much. I can do what I want to do as I want to do it without being derided as often happens in a group, it is something I have faced numerous times through the years. There is always a pressure to FIT IN with the others when your in a group situation. I think people have a hard time understanding and accepting things out of the norm. It is so much easier to follow the crowd to be around others with similar opinions, it sort of endorses sameness and mediocrity. The nail that stands up gets hammered down by group thought.
I was reading today about he lives of impressionist painters Emile Bernard and Paul Gauguin. These artists found their own paths outside of what others were doing at the time, their own voice. They were not afraid to take their own path. At times they found support from fellow individualists but those connections usually broke down. Gauguin had eventual falling outs with Van Gogh and Bernard. Because they all sought their own voice. Their unique work survives to yell out through time. Where as most artist group thinkers/followers (the folks that followed the crowd) from the time of the impressionists have long since been forgotten, along with their work.
Of course I am no Paul Gauguin but that should not stop me from seeking my own voice.
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| Emile Bernard Self Portrait 1890, Musee D"Orsay |
