14. Choices

As artists, photographers, painters, we are always making choices, every day, creative decisions pertaining to all facets of our art.  These choices define our direction, style, content, vision, point of view, who we are, what we say, and what emotional response is elicited from our art. What do you put into your work?  What makes your work different from everyone else’s? What choices do you make?  …

Black or white?  Color or black AND white?  Film or digital?  Computer or enlarger?  Pixels or grain?  Artificial or natural light?  Hard or soft?  Reflected or diffused?  Warm or cool? Manual or auto focus?  Blur or sharp? Commercial or fine art?  Models or stock?  Dated or contemporary?  Comfort zone or other point of view?  Rhyme or reason?  Tension or static?  Contrast or grey scale? Normal or exaggerated?  Perfection or Wabi-Sabi?  Simple or complex?  Surface or depth?  Light or shadow?  Reality or imagination?  Love or hate? Educate or bore?  Laugh or cry?  Truth or lie [or both]? Information or interpretation?  Fantasy or nightmare?  Snapshot or narrative?  Square or other format?  From above or below?  Fibre base or inkjet? Glossy or matte? Archival or temporary? Subtlety or saturation? Concept or free-fall?  Less or more? From above or below? Centered or ‘off’?  Work or play or play with work?  Editorial or reportage?  People or product?  Kids or animals?  Fashion or advertising? Portfolios or web sites?  Promo pieces or emails?  Spontanaeity or preparation? Obvious or implied?  Definition or illusion?  Chance or certainty?  Everyday or the unexpected?  Whisper or scream? Revolution or repetition? Sheep or shepherd?  Moth or flame?  Cake or death [with a nod to comedian, Eddie Izzard]?  Paper or plastic?  Art or … everything else? [Picasso]

And, finally, Trick or Treat  …  Happy Halloween !

Paul Simon sings, “There are 50 ways to leave your lover …”.

I woke up this morning with 60 choices … to be other.

- Ken Merfeld