California Poppies – Contemporary Art

That’s what I think; those poppies, flowers in general, are works of art created by nature.  To be clear, this is a secular blog so I’m not suggesting or hinting at anything.  I am pointing out the obvious, is all – nature has always been an amazing artist.  I spent a little time at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve yesterday.  There were a lot of people.  That was not a lot of fun, but the poppies were worth it.  And I need a lot of flower images for a project I’m working on so I will need to brave some other spots during the anticipated “super bloom”.

Abandoned Places as Contemporary Fine Art

I created some new images this past Saturday (3/9/2019).  It always feels good working with my camera in hand.  I did a few different things but the major focus were a couple of abandoned places.  They were not really that far off the beaten path but abandoned just the same.  The thing that is intriguing for me is how this type of work can be fine art.  It’s tough wrapping my head around how we package our work and discuss it will impact how well received it may be in the world.  Or not even noticed.  If I were wealthy, would I still do this work?  Of course, I would!  It would take up a big chunk of my day unlike now where I try to squeeze it in where ever possible.  I’m a photographist, after all and this is what I live to do.

I find a peculiar strength of character in those places long abandoned – I want to know the story of these humble structures.  But most I will never know.  And there is a certain disjointed charm in that knowledge.  I think it motivates my approach to the subject and directs my composition to some extent.  That must be the source of the contemporary fine art in these abandoned places.  But I didn’t show you any of those here today.  You can see one on my Instagram but today I am showing you the view of the regal San Gabriel Mountains as seen from the Victor Valley.  Why this image and not one of the abandoned places?  I haven’t edited that crop sufficiently enough for blogging yet – I just wanted to talk about it.  But this one, taken on the same day, is ready. 

When I’m done with the image creation for the day and packing up my gear, I have a since of euneirophrenia that swarms through my thoughts – that feeling of, “I know I have a winner somewhere in that group”.  I think this one is a winner.

One Thing on Contemporary Fine Art Photography

It is very challenging to “stay on message”, to find a niche and work within those parameters and do that one thing all of the time.  I believe the reason, and one of the things that make us human beings, is that we are complicated and convoluted.  We are not just one thing – we are not just all things vintage fountain pens; everything you wanted to know about Texas pit barbecue; contemporary fine art photography by army veterans.  We can be all of those things and more but that’s not how to successfully present yourself on the network (any network, you pick).  That is frustrating.  I do know that some have achieved lofty heights in being multiple things but that does not seem to be a common road to success for the majority of the small businesses, entrepreneurs, artist, side hustles, etc.  And when I say “success”, I mean I can make my living doing that instead of doing my “regular” job – I am not equating success with being a “contrillionaire”.

I have been trying to figure out my niche for some time.  Why?  I answered that a couple of sentences ago.  Let me rephrase – I want to sell my art as a full-time job so that I don’t need a non-art job to sustain how my family and I live.  But, for the time being, the full-time non-art job is still calling the shots.  Based on the volumes of things that I have read (books, articles, etc.), I need that niche and to dial it in with a tight shot group.  Ok, that’s a little Army talk as I spent 20 years in the Army – it comes out from time to time.  But the “niche”; I need everything I do directed towards that targeted position.

I’m working on it – that one thing I have to be in order to advance my art-work and make my living in the contemporary fine art photography world.  I have my Etsy store now and I’m trying build it up – but something keeps telling me I should be on a different approach vector.  I have that nagging thing in the back of my conscience thought that says the niche thing is a bunch of Bravo Sierra – BS.  I guess we’ll see in the coming days (as my skeptical self is still working on figuring out that niche).

This image is a close-up of what is at the Etsy store.

And this image is a close-up of what is currently at the Etsy store also.