Naysayer

First of all, I need to give big props to Canon's warranty service. I sent in my 5D on Friday and it's already on its way back to me. I can dig that, especially after they told me it would take ten business days. Not only that, they're sending it back to me via next day air service. Good customer service is pretty neato.

Now, I don't want everybody thinking I'm all about name-dropping. In fact, the only dropping around these parts is trees on my house. That's neither here nor there, however. Recently, I've talked about how I've become hyper-critical of my own work. Part of this has to do with me being too eager. I've been accused, on a number of occasions, that I want to accomplish too much too fast. I've never tried to dispute that point, because, quite simply, it's absolutely true. Some projects, I take on without having the proper level of maturity. I've always thought that with age comes understanding. That's not to say that I am unintelligent, it simply means that need to live more of my life before I can fully understand the scope of some of the projects that are floating around in my head. I understand that not everything is like fine wine, though, if the idea bears deep roots, then it will only get better with age. Now, I'm not looking to recreate Uncommon Places or The New West. Those have stood up to history, because the photographic community has acknowledged that they are important documents. So important, in fact, that the photographic community, myself included, has decided that they should become a basis for comparison. A standard, if you will. Of course, I am not so naive that I think photographers, or any artist, for that matter, set out to create a new standard. That new standard, just like the old, is made by acknowledging it as the new standard.

I digress.

The point is that I acknowledge that my best work may not be in the near future. I'm fine with that. The question is: what do we do in the meantime? More importantly, what do we do when our work is rendered obsolete by our own means? Eventually, a day is going to come where we all create something so beautiful that all things before it pale in comparison. Will we know it when it comes or will we be reminded whenever we create new work that it doesn't live up to the previous standard set by ourselves? For the record, I am not asking this because it is a fear that I am harboring, but because I am curious as to how people deal with that. Does anybody remember the Verve before or after they created Bittersweet Symphony? I didn't think so.

I digress.

I've decided to take Becky up on her advice to expand my documentation of the Blake Road Corridor to include areas south of Excelsior Boulevard. I will explain that in further detail in my next post, which will include include an artist of statement of sorts and more of an explanation of where the project is, where I see it going, and how I plan to get there.

Currently in heavy rotation:


Eyedea & Abilities - Exhausted Love

Metric - Collect Call

Bush - Letting the Cables Sleep