THE BLACK RIVER
I drove over a bridge and seen the sun beaming through above the black river between the trees, stopped at a corner store and walked over to photograph it from the bridge.
Enthusiasm
Instagram @bsmittydotcom
The sense of spring happens earlier every year, even the air smelled like it. This year and beyond is full on enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is everything especially when what you do is a lonely act. Even with the worlds eyes at your fingertips you have to have the enthusiasm to create and be positive in what you are doing.
Negativity will get you nowhere.
Extra doors
Shot one photograph today and definitely have never seen someone holding a door that's sitting on top of the roof of the car
GARGANTUA
So I wrote about the grey wave yesterday morning and then the sun decided to show up! (Briefly)
I was watching my favorite film (Besides Shawshank, that's its own thing) interstellar (for the millionth time) I'm not really sure what sparked this into my head... but the scene towards the beginning where they are talking about looking down at their place in the dirt..
The thought that many photographs seen can be anywhere.. sure a photo in Times Square is Times Square, that's not what I'm talking about. I think why I love interstellar so much is because I feel like I am that main character, his location feels like my location.... and a lot locations/people could have that same feeling. I always would think I need to travel here or there "I bet I can get some photos if I take this trip since I haven't been there before" those types of thoughts would go through my mind. But then randomly during that scene the most simple thing popped.
That there is many black holes all around.
The street passed daily but never been down. That's a black hole. What will you find on the other side of the road?
today I did that experiment. I've been to Oberlin Ohio so many times, I worked there for years, walked the streets with my camera countless times. Been to restaurants and bars. I entered a black hole. 3 streets and 2 minutes later I discovered something you would think I would have at least heard of this area.. but I never have.
the three photographs in this post would not have happened otherwise.. so when you are out in your daily routine.. think of this scene...
EJECT. EJECT. EJECT.
SLIGHT PROBLEM
This is the time of year that gets a little tedious in Ohio... early winter seems to move by fast with holiday gatherings and then the new year starts, the weather for the first 3-4 months is tough. Either snowing or raining, it's basically night all day, and it's neither cold or warm. 2016 was the beginning of documenting the creative process and the concept of photographing Ohio, I am going to ignore the grey wave that's washing over everything and photograph it.
WEEK 3
three weeks.
a lot of outside sources have really clouded my creativity and more importantly, time.
you know those 4 hours of uninterrupted time?
yeah right.
I have still been photographing, working on the creative process, mostly have been thinking and need to turn into actions. I also have been trying to meet my personal daily goals over on instagram @bsmittydotcom
through the fall I was posting on the blog a lot and had an idea of using youtube as a platform for my photos and this blog really focusing on the creative process. Early december my youtube account has been set in "review" for conflicting email accounts.. This process of appeal took up december and even as i write this it is pending but recently moved on from worrying daily about getting it back up and running so i can just worry about photographing and deploying content. I think i was really just fighing for an idea and Google dragging there feet pretty much paralyzed my brain on what to do.
This lead to thinking of how i want to change the blog how i want to do this or that. I am just going to PRODUCE AND DEPLOY
I need to break through the noice of the outside sources, i might not be able to get that consistent uninterrupted time i would love to have but im going to make things happen.
also, missing these fall ohio vibes
WEEK 2
BLOG PLANS
So changing to a weekly blog plan kind of drives me nuts. LET ME EXPLAIN.
My days are usually scattered with randomness just like everyone's life. When I get a moment I open instagram/facebook/whatever and would consume some content. Recently, and talking with a couple people about this are feeling the same way... That now that social has been here for years, and what is most crucial to most people is TIME and how its used when you have some down time.
I really have focused on consuming content that is important to me, I have filtered out so much random things i were consuming before. I enjoy looking at photographs and films that some friends and people ive never met create. Shockingly there is not as many people as I would think that post things consistently, even on a weekly basis.
I crave creation.
I went to check my email on my computer and 95% of the time i ignore all the headlines because they are put there specifically for me to click. A particular headline caught my attention to click. "Rory says I couldnt live like Tiger Woods." I am a golf fan, and a Tiger fan.. So I was intrigued. I am glad i did click it since its actually a topic i live with. Basically he couldnt live like tiger because tiger lives for his craft, has insomnia because he is always thinking about improving.
This is someone who could have retired 15 years ago if he wanted and been well off more than most people.
Its not about money, retiring, taking it easy.
its about the craft, the process.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? (my binger friend asks)
I love the process, just as much as the photograph. Often more than the photograph. I want to deploy my photographs, thoughts, motiviation, films, etc. more than just once a week. I can only imagine that this blog is a place where someone else creative will spend one of those down time moments to check up, to take in some of the creative process.
Keep lurking, and lurk often.
produce and deploy
-bsmitty
WEEK 1
After a lot of thought I decided to make a change on how I blog.. Over the years social media has become the internet. Daily routines are inside those social media worlds. I was well aware of this which is why I posted my photos here and also everywhere else on social, the change is this...
You don't really hear this anymore
"I read this online." "I seen this online."
it now is
"I read this on Facebook." "I seen this on instagram."
I dont have a problem with that happening but as the creative process goes.. you have to adjust.
My main battles with the creative process is time.
"if you want to get one hour of good painting in you have to have 4 hours of uninterrupted time." - Bushnell Keeler (David Lynch: Catching The Big Fish)
Even though social media and the internet are blending together... The website is still home base. Instagram is huge right now... But most likely a different app will be the big thing at some point, Facebook may begin to fade, and people will migrate to various apps as they emerge... But your website is your website. Those instagram posts might not matter in 5 years if the app is not on the viewers phone, but people can always round to home base.
With that being said, if you have followed my work since 2006 I have always been hyper aware of attention. Attention is really close to 100% social media so I will be posting on where the attention is.
So lets get back to the point of what I am doing. For the first time I am going to be posting weekly at bsmitty.com starting this first week of 2017. The idea is giving me uninterupted time to describe what I am going through as an artist, show photographs and from time to time give my feelings about those photographs, and talk on photography and the creative process, give out bits of motivation from The Motivation Room blog that I am now going to blend here.
There is going to be no structure to the weekly posts, I'm not going to make up random rules for myself that will lead to excuses. I hope that every week they will become more fulfilling not only for me but for you as well. The only structure is that I will be posting every Tuesday. So on that day, every week, you can come here and chill and take some minutes away from the immediacy of social media and enjoy your time with some content.
Starting next Tuesday you will start to see some photos here before you will see them on social media. I created this post today (Tuesday 1/3) So I am looking forward to having those hours of uninteruppted time with WEEK 2
- bsmitty