March 5, 2010

Validation
















This image came as no surprise to me. I made it after days of listening exclusively to Lady GaGa on my iPod while visiting my family in Boca Raton. For all I know this purple-haired, plastic fantastic Barbie is actually a Lady Gaga doll, reaching for who knows what - - a Pucci print bathing suit? I think she just wants to be noticed.

We all strive for recognition in our lives. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t. This came up recently when reading True Nature, the blog of Jenny Vorwaller, http://www.jennyvorwaller.com/blog/. She is a multi-talented artist and an insightful writer. In one blog post she discusses the letters she receives from viewers of her blog. On occasion, I have emailed artists and authors who have inspired me. I reached out hoping to find some common ground and to be honest, validation.

The blogosphere makes discovering new artists easy although I always break out in a sweat before I make contact and hit the send button. It’s basically cold calling. I have made some great connections with strangers this way, and had some disappointments, too.

For me, the best part about making photographs is the actual process itself. I get caught up and fall in love in those moments. I am a self-proclaimed infatuation junkie who can find inspiration while looking at the remains of an omelet. I tend to not worry about my audience, where my photographs might eventually be seen or if they will ever formulate a cohesive artistic statement. I photograph because I need to feel these images. Yet, I do blog.

Jenny Vorwaller is spot on when she says that all artists wish for validation. I have come to realize that an integral part of my work is the desire to share it. Sentimental as it may seem, I am compelled to spread the love I feel. But that’s only half the story. I am equally as driven to be noticed.

6 comments:

  1. I want to hear the specifics about a disappointment in reaching out to an artist.

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  2. it's quite a tale, actually, someone very well known in the photography world. I will have to email you in private. He was awful and it crushed me for about a month last Spring.

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  3. I love this post--it's always a relief to know I'm not alone in the desire for validation. I tend to feel quite a bit of guilt about wanting people to notice my imagery; I play the "I should only be creating work for myself and if everyone hated it I would still make it" game but I don't think that it would be possible to create work in a bubble. We're all human and want to be accepted. Thanks for reminding me that it's OK to seek recognition.

    For my part I was excited and pleased when you reached out and emailed--I would hope most would feel the same way, so it's surprising to hear of people who are cruel when others contact them. Keep hitting that send button, because more often than not you're making someone's day.

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  4. Thanks, Elizabeth. Making new friends keeps my increasingly large, virtual world just a little smaller and more meaningful. :-)

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  5. Andi, your words and image are so thought provoking. I dig your style Mamma!

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  6. "I photograph because I need to feel these images."

    YES! YES! YES!

    looking forward to more of your images. thank you.
    ~L

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