During my high school days, looking back, I spent a lot of time alone-on my bike, hanging out at the park, skipping school, smoking weed, listening to music, flirting, wondering, wandering, wanting, wishing….just being a teenager.
It was all elements in the Circle of Life-part seek and search, part rebellion, part curiosity, part insecurity, part flight.
I guess you could rightly say that my intentional aloneness, right or wrong, good or bad, was a form of escapism.
But the truth be told, my aloneness, plain and simple, was therapy. I needed to be alone, quiet, silent, and isolated with my own thoughts and feelings.
It’s how I worked things out in my head.
I couldn’t work the same out amidst the noise and frenzy of company. I just couldn’t and didn’t and don’t.
I think Photography, as I look at it today, through a revisionist lens, could also be me carrying on the same tradition of escapism.
But, in this case, I’m not running from something but to something.
When I am alone, with and without my camera, I am not always happy but content.
And in my aloneness, the world just makes better sense to me.
And it’s a hell of a lot prettier too.
Granted, of course, I like noise and the company of others, like many of you do… but in small doses.
When I am alone, as odd, even counterintuitive, as it may sound, I am energized.
I am receiving, not giving.
This lesson was taught to me by my younger daughter Audrey.
She taught me I was more introverted than extroverted.
Thank you Audrey, you are right, so right, and I love you for it.
I am a photographer, and I love being alone.
Some people might think that’s strange, or sad, or lonely. But they don’t understand.
Being alone is not the same as being lonely. Being alone is a choice, a freedom, a gift.
Being alone is how I find my creative vision.
When I am alone, I can explore the world without distractions, without expectations, and without judgments. I can see things with my own eyes, not through someone else’s lens.
When I am alone, I can experiment with different ideas, different angles, different perspectives. I can challenge myself, push my boundaries, and break the rules.
When I am alone, I can express myself, my emotions, my thoughts. I can tell my story, my way, my truth.
Being alone is how I connect with myself, and with my art.
I need to be alone, at least for a while, every day.
That’s when I grab my camera, and go out into the world.
That’s when I feel alive, inspired, fulfilled.
That’s when I create my best work.
Being alone is not a curse, or a flaw, or a problem.
Being alone is a blessing, a strength, a solution.
Being alone is how I find my creative vision.
Click.
Jack
