Troubleshooting
Freelancing can sometimes feel like being enveloped in some kind of living penumbra. There may be a sliver of light but it requires a substantial investment in optimism in order to keep moving towards it. It has been a particularly difficult start to 2024 for me and it seems I'm not alone.
These difficulties have forced me to consider a future where I am not trying to make a living through photography because though I'm quite fortunate at present, scarcity in opportunity to work won't always be sustainable. In a podcast I listened to recently, Baldwin Lee spoke with Sasha Wolf about leaving photography. How after finishing his seminal body of work in the American South, he was burned out and lost the desire to make any more work. He was a professor at the time and explained that the university system required him to continue making, but he was unable to make work he was invested in and as a result, he quit entirely.
It's an interesting listen. At one point Baldwin seems almost irritated at the consternation of others at his decision to not make anymore photographs and questions the moral position of an artist continuing on if they are not doing anything to further their respective medium. He even considers the idea of continuing in photography as fraudulent because he believes his best work has already been made.
Recently, I was reminded of a poignant quote from Theaster Gates. Speaking about Black artists, he says:
"...Do we have the capacity to be great makers in the absence of light? And if Blackness has something to do with the absence of light, does Black art mean that sometimes I'm making, when no one's looking?"
Motivations are important. When Baldwin Lee as an Asian American decided to photograph the Black communities in the American South, he was presumably doing so because he believed in the importance of documenting what he was seeing. I don't agree with the notion that the artist has a moral responsibility to further their respective medium, because art exists outside of capitalist economic structures, but Baldwin raised interesting questions, almost unwittingly, about the capitalist machine, institution and how it distorts the way we view ourselves as artists. It was refreshing.
Most of my journey has been spent not thriving financially, but reinvesting into my own practice and as difficult as the year has been to date, it's how I imagine I'll continue for as long as I possibly can. I'm invested in the ideas I have and I also think the work I want to make is important. Lack of financial opportunity shouldn't necessarily lead to creative emaciation, however we all need to find (bearable) ways to stay afloat. The questions I have for myself currently are to do with how I imagine I will balance my desire to make a living through my practice with the a potential reality where I can't. Is my investment in what I'm doing strong enough for its own sake?
Recent Stuff
Since completing my MA, I've been interested in lecturing and teaching. Over the last year I've taken any opportunity I can to guest lecture or get involved in workshops. It's been a lot of fun so far. Recently, I co-led a workshop for five young people with Chelsea Pineda and Sara Romanin Jacur in conjunction with Champs Within and supported by Photofusion and Fujifilm. We introduced the students to the basics of using a mirrorless digital camera with a dedicated lens and to the basics of sports photography. We set up a small photo booth for portraits and they were able to document a live sparring session at a boxing gym. The pictures made by the students will be exhibited at Brixton Public Library, opening on April 4, so feel free to come down and have a look at what they achieved!
A portrait of Kci, from my ongoing Whims of the Rye series recently made the Palm Photo Prize 2024 shortlist. The portrait will be exhibited in Amsterdam as part of the Melkweg Expo on May 24 right through to June 30. There is always such an incredible wealth of talent in the Palm Photo Prize and I'm really encouraged and humbled to be included this year. I'll likely share this on instagram in the next few weeks after it appears on their feed.
I will be able to exhibit work at the New Art Gallery Walsall as part of the development programme I am currently on with GRAIN. I will most likely be exhibiting some of my work from the Whims of the Rye project. I can't quite remember the exact dates, but it's an extremely generous length of time and I am so grateful to GRAIN and the New Art Gallery Walsall. I'll provide the dates once I have them.
I've had an exhausting weekend and didn't really expect to release a newsletter today, but I was up inexplicably early this morning and just started tapping away. Thanks to those who have given me some feedback for my newsletters so far, It's nice to know that people are reading and find anything I have to say interesting. This is just a way to get some thoughts out on random things. I've been relatively busy when I think about it, but not busy actually making work. I'm really looking forward to warmer weather and the prospect of regularly making for me again. Actual paid work wouldn't hurt either.
I'll be back in April.