Ashley

Ashley and I have class. Well, we have class together, I mean. We also sit next to each other in the front row. She sits between Reina and myself, acting as a buffer between me and my old friend. Reina and I tried sitting next to each other for the first two classes, though we spent most of that time hitting each other. Fortunately our professor only has one eye and bad hearing so he missed out on our horseplay. I feel like I should mention that my mentioning of our professor's sensory limitations is in no way a reflection of him as a teacher. He's awewome.

I feel like I suckered Ashley into this project, as I think I have (and will be) suckering many others. With Ashley, I told her about the project first. Then after I produced the camera, I got the desired reaction, and the commitment was made. Though I have to thank her (like everyone else on this page) for willing to be a part of my nonsense.

As my luck would have it Ashley also has a history with photography. When we first started talking about it, she said she was into, "stupid pinhole shit."

I replied, "I love stupid pinhole shit!" I really do, even though there's none of it on this page (yet...). She also did her own cyanotype work, and said that she's thinking about getting back into photography. Great. Another person whose work I'm going to look at and just make me feel smaller.

I mean, I know this isn't supposed to be a competition (it isn't, right?), but isn't it in a way? Any kind of "art" is being judged in terms of dollars and/or praise. I think a lot of "artists" will say that they don't care whether people like their stuff or not, they're doing it for themselves. Bullshit. If you're making a living from your art, you had damn well better care what people think of it, and hope they like what you're producing. And despite what they all say, it feels pretty damned good when someone compliments you on something that you created.

I guess that's why I'm doing this site/blog/thing. I admit it, compliments feel good. I like getting them. Though I'm also willing to hear people tell me where I'm screwing up too (even if I'd really rather not). I mean, I don't know what's going to come of this thing. In my midnight confessions (apologies to The Grass Roots), I'd like to think that somebody will see this page and say, "Wow, you're like if Steiglitz, Avedon, Bourke-White, Weegee, and Arbus all had a kid together, and I'll give you craploads of cash to keep on taking your crappy photos!"

If only.

In lieu of that I'll stay in school, cramming as much information into my brain as it will take, and keep a camera at my side as much as possible.