Sweet Disillusionment

“If anyone is going to start finding his way in the world, he has to admit that he doesn’t know where the hell he is.” -Stellan Skarsgard, playing Dr. Erik Selvig in the film Thor.

     When a person looks at life through the lens of complacency, with the self-appointed crown of penultimate understanding and knowledge, he is blindfolding himself. If one desires to begin scraping at the surface of the permafrost called life, he cannot successfully break through ice without first opening his eyes. If man is to learn, he must realize his place in the whole scheme of history and of eternity. If humans are to grow, they must start asking the right questions. Humans are pupils, apprentices of Time. As Einstein once said, “Time is the greatest teacher, but unfortunately it kills all of its students.” Cultivate a garden of apprenticeship in your mind; learn to be a life-long learner.

Reminisce

     I can say with confidence that after cultivating and pursuing my passion for the medium of photography a little more than 3 years, I have come a very long way. I've delved into dozens of books on the topic, as well as hundreds and hundreds of articles online, and a myriad of videos on the topic of photography. While I still feel that I have a lot to learn, along with an immense amount of growth which I must undergo in order to be a professional photographer, I take pride as I look back at how far I've come.

     It's important to reminisce on the past, but dangerous to get buried in it. I think that we as humans often hurt ourselves by not congratulating ourselves and giving ourself a pat on the back for what we've accomplished, whether big or small. By acknowledging personal triumphs and learning from our mistakes, we are chiseling out an otherwise shapeless piece of marble into a defined and emotive sculpture called Character. When we fail to learn from the past, we might as well be blindfolded, aimlessly striking a chunk of marble, disillusioned as we hope for something gorgeous to emerge; conversely, by asking ourselves, "What have I learned?" after we undergo any sort of hurdle -whether good or bad- we are delicately and beautifully chiseling a figure like that of Michelangelo's David.

Taken with my iPhone 3G, while sitting in the passengers seat. Edited with Camera+.

Taken with my iPhone 3G at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Edited with Camera+.