Inky fingers
I’m back on track at last.
Coming back to writing has been a long and difficult process, but I think I’ve cracked it, with a little help from Dumbfunk, who seems to have been going through a similar internal process.
While he talks about photography as a lone pursuit, and being in a band is a collaboration, writing is just like photography.
The photographer, on her own, is in control of the shot, but those who look at it control the interpretation.
With photography, it’s not quite instant gratification, but it comes a lot closer than the year of effort to get a novel written, and the interminable wait while you try to get it published.
So it’s the instant gratification that’s got me carried away with photography. Take a picture, process (choose from Photoshop or the developing tank and scanner) put it up on Flickr, sit back and wait for comments.
So why would I prefer to spend my free time writing something that even if it’s snapped up won’t see the light of day for years, when I could be lying back and basking in the Flickr love?
Why? I spent yesterday editing my novel, and as I read through, there were scenes that are so good they made me cry, the way a ‘proper’ book does.
How could I have ever thought of giving that that up? I must have been out of my mind.
Congrats on being on track! A colleague and I once discussed how we thought that being a photographer is the loneliest job in the world. I’m still convinced that it is. So much of your time is spent alone.
Just wait until you go through the process of trying to create a gallery exhibit. That can take years, too. And it, too, can make you cry.
Thanks for stopping by, Michelle. I’m not sure I’ll ever get to the stage of creating an exhibit - I’m at the stage with photography where I’ve thought about taking it further, but I’m not sure where exactly. Because of my expereince with writing, I don’t want to risk taking the fun out of it, by setting impossible goals.
Hi. You’re blog is great. I’m amazed at people like you who can make their blogs interesting to read *and* interesting to look at and navigate. I don’t know what your experience with writing has been, but I’ve come to realize that no matter what you do for a living, even if it’s something “creative,” it still becomes just a job. It’s hard to keep the creative spark alive. And there must be something in the air, because most of the creatives I know are suffering through major self doubt at the moment.
Anyway, speaking from the point of view of a gallery owner, it’s not as hard as you might think to get your photography shown. I’m sure there are lots of artist’s organizations in your area. There always are. And you don’t have to create an entire exhibit yourself - you can join a group show or something. I’m just sayin…