INSPIRED BY: Tim Walker

"I know the world that I am painting is not a reality.
It is a whim, an entertainment to provoke something in people,
whether as escapism or relief. I think that is very valid."
--Tim Walker

INSPIRED BY: Mary Ellen Mark

Why do I love Mary Ellen Mark? Because Mary Ellen Mark taught me that photography could be art.

I was a junior in high school with no art classes on my transcript when I joined the photo club and some fellow yearbook members on a trip to Ball State University to hear Mark lecture.
Honestly, I don't remember much of what she said. I remember she said that everyone has a story and that some people's are just harder to find.
Mostly, I just remember thinking, "I can't believe you can do something like this with a camera."
Sure. I had seen photos taken by professionals before. Senior portraits. Some Ansel Adams. Stuff in newspapers.
But I had never seen photographs like this. Photographs that were as eloquent as my favorite novels. Photographs that were more honest than my best friends. Photographs that were as well-done as famous paintings and sculptures.
Photographs that were art.

Goals.

I made a post-graduation goal to be more active on my photo blog.
I'm a lot better at sticking to my goals once I have them written down, so here are the things I'm planning on doing.

1. INSPIRED BY

Post an inspiring artist every week. Probably on the weekends.

2. POSTCARD EXCHANGE

In high school we did a postcard show to raise money for our photo club. We used matte board scraps to make 4x6 pieces of art. Most of mine were collages, but one of the drawing teachers did some nice paintings. Some people just printed off a 4x6 image and glued it to the board.

I've also heard them called artist trading cards, but I think that sounds weird. 

I want to make some and send them to people who want them. They can send one back if they want. More information on this later aka when I actually make some.

3. POST MORE OF MY OWN STUFF

Have I done a lot of work that I have never scanned/posted? Yes. Is some of it, especially the non-photography stuff, not that great? Yes. Should I post it anyway? Probably. 

Goal: Post my work twice a week.

4. FINISH MY DAYDREAMER SERIES

I first mentioned it here. I was doing it for a class, but never got to finish due to a bunch of reasons. It's time to get that stuff done.

5. START A NEW SERIES

Because, duh. I got a BFA degree. That's what I should be doing.

BFA Opening.

This post is a long time coming.

My BFA show was in the Hyrum Manwaring Center of BYU-Idaho, which is like a student union building. The space I chose was perfect because it gets excellent natural light during the day, and gets a lot of traffic from non-art students which I thought was important for my series.

My display to the left and my treat table to the right. 

The school's gallery sets out treats, but they were on the other side of campus. I thought I should reward those who treked all the way up to my show.

Jason has a gluten intolerance so I set out three of his favorite gluten-free treats: puppy chow, potato chips, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Next to the treats I set out bubbles (Jason loves them) with tags that had my website and "Different But Not Less" on them so people could remember Jason and me.

 The whole show.

Left: The beginning of my display had my artist's statement, pictures of Jason and me with mini biographies, my book, a book of Jason's paintings, a book of photos of Jason, my mailers, and three mini composition books for people to leave comments in. I also matted an original version of one of Jason's paintings and my photographs and hung them to the right of my artist's statement.

Right: I had to use movable walls because there were no hanging strips in my area. They worked out really well, and the custodial staff was really nice when helping me set them up.

The amount of anxiety I had about my show was very high. 

Mostly because I'm a nervous person, but also because I wasn't doing straight photographs and was worried I would get backlash from graphic designers especially (I am in no way a graphic designer and I'm sure I broke a lot of typographical rules). But I got a lot of positive comments from friends, family, art department heads, random people, and people who had loved ones who have special needs. (And there were only two negative comments in my comment books and neither of them made sense.)

It feels really good to have the show done. It was especially awesome to be able to talk to people who have interacted with individuals who have autism. The show was just as personal for them as it was for me. The comments people left Jason about how amazing of an artist and person he is usually made me tear up. Those are the type of things that made all the work feel worth it.

I'm looking to hang it again now that I'm settled here in Indiana.

BYU-Idaho Photo Lab, Rexburg, ID

Fort Wayne, IN

Lately I've been pretty busy making a baby.

Probably my most creative endeavor yet.

My younger brother Jason is
a three time gold medal winning bowler, abstract painter, 

heart breaker, pro spin jumper, avid potato chip eater, 

lover of hats, comedian, farm animal enthusiast,
nonverbal, and has autism.

I have learned so much from Jason.
He has taught me about humility and service.
He has taught me about patience and unconditional love.
He has taught me about gratitude and happiness.
I have also learned that people don't always treat Jason 

like the amazing person that he is.

While we are making great strides
in efforts to treat those of varied races and lifestyle 

choices with respect, there is a lot of prejudice and
ignorance against people with mental, developmental,
and emotional disorders and disabilities.
I do not think this is okay.
People are naturally afraid of what they do not know,
but I do not think that ignorance
is a good excuse.

These collages of my photographs and Jason's paintings 

are an attempt to show how he sees the world.
His paintings are really his only commentary on what is
happening around him.
His perspective of the world is different,
but not less.

We are all different, but not less.

 Captions can be found on my website.

A book of this series can be ordered here.