Creation: And The Processes Thereof is a photographic narrative focused on the emotional and physical processes and influences of artistic creation.

I've been making things for as long as I can remember. I know I started very young, scribbling on copy paper with crayons and throwing paint around on a kiddie canvas. Nowadays, I spend my time cloistered away in a studio throwing paint onto big-boy canvases and making books that only I will read. The point is, art is an intregral part of my life, my experience as a person. As such, I thought it fitting to dedicate this photo-narrative to the processes, both mental and physical, that I go through when making my art.

I began this experience full of trepidation as I had very little experience with photography before, and I was terrified that I wouldn't be very good at it. Of course, photography just like any art form is subjective, nonetheless I was worried that I wouldn't like the results and that I would be frustrated the whole way through. There were points where I was frustrated, largely at my beginner-level skills, but I think that works really well for this narrative. This collection is meant to show the process of art, and that includes all the frustrating, nitty-gritty bits. So, the fact that I had to work hard to show the processes of my other hard work is fitting. Of course, in the end I had a lot of fun with this project—especially watching it all come together.

My initial idea for this narrative was to do the whole thing in black and white and focus solely on the emotional aspect, but I figured out very quickly that this wasn't my style of photography or art in general. It didn't feel authentic enough as I couldn't show the full context of my art with my initial ideas—some of which can still be seen throughout the narrative, like myself in a trashcan (I know, original huh?). They were also just physically difficult. I had neither the time or the space to create some of the sets that I wanted to show, which is a good thing too because I'm very happy with the direction I took as a result.

So, instead of black and white "staged emotional art" as I like to call it, I went with something more raw. All of my images are in full color, some of which are very colorful, and I made sure to capture as many photos of myself just...well being me! Lots of photos of myself just exhausted from the long painting session or the particularly frustrating book I was making that day. I also made sure to capture the general chaos that is making art. It's not a clean process, there's always stuff strewn about my desk or paint on my hands and face.

I split the narrative into three main sections: The Binding, The Painting, and The Mind. The Binding focuses on one of two of my major artistic avenues: bookbinding. This sections shows snapshots of the binding process and how I felt during the process. The Painting is similar but focuses on my other artistic avenue of painting. Then, The Mind focuses on the emotional impact art has on me as well as the chaotic nature of art—which I believe to be a representation of myself.

Although my photo-narrative's direction divulged from its original course, I would still like to show the work that inspired my collection. This is a separate presentation on Arnulf Rainer and Arnold Newman—two photographers who explored art and creation in their photography.