Because It's More Difficult

DIMENSIONS by HYBYCOZO at Sensorio. Canon M3 w/ 11-22

Each morning, I try to take what I call a "walkie-talkie." I'm naturally a fast walker, so the pace is generally brisk, but the length is fairly short. I'm also naturally a little nuts, so I talk to myself. Out loud. Some days it's more of an argument with myself, though I do try keeping it more like a pep-talk. I go over what is working for me and what isn't, what goals I'd like to accomplish in the day ahead and chart out a bigger picture of objectives. A recent article assured me that I'm not alone in doing this, and it's actually quite beneficial. I may not be nuts for talking to myself, but rest assured; I have plenty more qualifiers. 

Writing this was first on my list after my loop, but I still hadn't settled on a topic. Part of my issue of keeping up with this blog lately is that I have too many topics and struggle to narrow it down to one. Or the topic I choose snowballs into something much larger than I feel I have time for. I mentally reviewed some of my favorite unwritten ideas from the past couple months. I decided instead to just wing it. Sit down and freewrite a stream of consciousness until I end up somewhere that feels meaningful. 

As I plopped down at my decidedly un-ergonomic desk, a flash of a thought occurred to me; I could get AI to write something for me. Like most people, I've been using chatbots more and more to help with a variety of things in life. In fact, I recently sat down with my friend and photographer colleague Jonas Jungblut for a chat on his vlog, and the topic repeatedly veered back to AI. Each time I find another use for it, the idea of using it again comes sooner in my thought process. 

In the same instant the thought came to me, I dismissed it. Was that even my thought? Or was it a response from conditioning? Is this what the powers that be actually want from us – to become so habitually dependent on their tech products that we default to outsourcing every notion to their devices? 

Reflections, New Years Day. Hasselblad X1DII w/28mm f/4p

I could have a much bigger set of entries if I started prompting instead of writing. I could follow all the rules for SEO and appease the Google gods. I could turn on ads and push this thing out there and try to monetize it all. Plenty of people are doing exactly that.  I see it more and more. And I despise it more and more. 

"Hearlding the Dawn" by Frances Jansen
Meditation Mount, Ojai
Leica M11 w/50mm Apo-Summicron 

The point for me has never been to get as many eyes as I can. I really don't care. The point has been to find an outlet for thoughts and photos that would otherwise live locked away. It's cathartic for me in the same way my walkie-talkie is.  I feel better when I do it, even though it can be difficult at times. 

Bell's Books, Palo Alto. 
Leica M11 w/50mm Apo-Summicron

My favorite cameras to use are manual focus, and some of the most fulfilling photos I've taken required meaningful effort from me. Similarly, good stories always have a challenge or series of obstacles to overcome. A strong body is built from physical difficulty. A sharp mind is the result of a lottttt of crossword puzzles. I believe any variety of good art requires some level of human struggle behind it. That is precisely what makes it appealing. If it is easy, anyone can do it. And if anyone can, everyone does. And if everyone does, meaning is diluted to the point that nobody cares. 

 

Bell's Books, Palo Alto. Leica M11 w/50mm Apo-Summicron

"Melancholy Museum: Love, Death and Mourning at Stanford" by Mark Dion
Stanford, California. Leica M11 w/50mm Apo-Summicron