Ryokan with Cindy. Uji, Kyoto 2017

The spirit of becoming is
to know that your art and photography doesn’t have an ultimate destination.
It is to know, that everyday, and with each picture you make… you are in a “state of becoming.”

Let’s be real.

Cindy in massage chair. Uji, Kyoto 2017

The universe doesn’t give a shit about you or your art or pictures. But, you give a big fuck about how you live your life, how you make art, and how you assert control over your own personal world and reality.

The spirit of becoming as a photographer and artist is this：

To have joy in the process of making pictures, and to have joy in seeing steady improvement, and forward motion in your photography and art.

How does the spirit of becoming feel like?

Cindy stretching and self portrait of ERIC in Uji Ryokan. 2017

The spirit of becoming is to feel that you have control and autonomy over your life and art. To have the spirit of curiosity, the innocent eye of a child… to explore the visual world around you. To improve your compositions by tilting the camera (Dutch angles), by making more dynamic and free-flowing, energetic pictures. To satiate your visual appetite for order, and chaos.

The spirit of becoming a photographer is…

Picture shot from inside cab. Kyoto, 2017.

The spirit of becoming as a photographer is this：

Never seek to make a 100% defined or definite “style”. To know that your style is always in a state of change and flux. To NOT DESIRE to “master” photography, and to stick to the same style for the rest of your life.
To cultivate an “innocent eye” of a child or beginner. To only see opportunities, fun, and excitement. To ignore anyone who tries to superimpose their rules upon you.
To have fun, and be joyful in the picture making process. To me, I am happiest when in THE MOMENT and the process of making pictures. I derive joy when looking at my pictures and editing and arranging them, but it is a lesser joy than the primary joy of making pictures. I think children prefer to make pictures, and derive less pleasure from looking at their pictures (although they like both taking and looking at their pictures).

Practical Assignments

Selfie. Kyoto, 2017.

Disregard all the pictures you made in the past. If you started photography all over again today, and you were 8 years old, how would you make pictures? Probably with a phone or a point and shoot camera… in automatic mode.
What would you want to take pictures of if you were a kid or child?
Look back at your first pictures when you started as a beginner. Do you still like those pictures? What drove you to make them?