Simple Heart by Skinned Mink
There is a lot to say about the Oscars. It’s effect on the movie industry, the stars red carpet walk or the wardrobe malfunctions. I have to admit that the last time I watched thee Oscars was probably twenty years ago but I always like to check who won the next day. This year is kind of special for me.
Just in case you missed the news because you swore off any medias, the big winner with 5 Oscars is “The Artist”, including best actor, best director and the much coveted best picture. A black and white silent movie starred by french actors totally unknown that is unless you lived in France and are a big fan of “Un gars,Une Fille”.
I bet no one would have bet on this movie to be nominated let alone win big at the Oscars. But it did and nothing could make me happier. Why? because passion still matters. creativity still matters. It’s not just about market shares and big budgets and marketing campaigns. That is enough to make me hope. Hope to see movies coming out that are not the umpteenth sequel of a blockbuster or a remake of another one.Hope to see new writers and new books that are not about vampires or spins of Jane Austen’s novels or even worst a mix of both. Hope to see books that are chosen for the intrinsic quality and not because a marketing director decides on what “the customer” wants to read. I’m an optimist so I choose to hope.
On a more personal level this brings closure to an issue I have been struggling since I started my photography business. I attended seminars about the less glamorous business side of photography. How to organize my workflow,how to market to clients…etc. They all had one thing in common and that is the need to put oneself out there with Social Media. Website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Google+…the choice of outlets is simply mind numbing and the time/effort is impressive. So I set up a website and a blog, created a Facebook page and got working on it and then i felt overwhelmed. I felt that most of my working hours were dedicated to creating content for these numerous medias. I was not feeling the love
I love making photographs, I love etching memories so my clients can hold on to them forever. I love seeing their faces the first time they see their pictures . Their joy when they send me snapshots of them hanging on their walls. That is the part I love. I like sharing my favorite pictures of the session but i lack words to describe it. I feel the words are theirs because it is their story, their lives and love. I am just a witness, nothing i write really does justice.
The other reason i was not feeling the love is because i felt it was taking time away from my life. I can’t post 5 times a day on Facebook, Tweet to oblivion and still be present in my life. I understand the thrill to see hundreds following your updates but to be truly honest what matters to me id the one i married and the three i made. When i am not with them, I like to dedicate time to my personal photo projects, to learning and honing my craft, to reading, to knitting, to my friends, to silence and contemplation. A day is only twenty-four hours and unless someone can teach me a way to stretch it there are choices to be made.
So maybe the way to success is by selling myself, being out there, getting followers and updating feeds. I choose a different path i choose to grow my skills, I choose beauty over marketing, I choose content over presentation, i choose my camera over my computer and over all I choose my life over everything else.
I choose the small budget,silent black and white movie in the world of High Definition, big budget marketed movies. Wish me luck!
P.S: forgive the appearance of the blog while i am playing updating the layout.
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