In a Silent Way
After several days of sun and what is turning out to be an uncharacteristically timely springtime for Pittsburgh, I find myself today writing amidst cloudy skies and still air.
Overcast days seem to always put me in a pensive and sentimental mood.
Life as of late has had a bit more excitement than I had bargained for. Without divulging into the details, I will simply say taking time to get outside and shoot portraits has been my best consolation. How intriguing that so much art comes from the turbulence of feelings.
My goals have shifted toward taking on more and more projects that excite and terrify me. I’m trying to learn more and take on any potential opportunity that comes my way. Prior to writing this all out, I took some time to go back through some of my older posts here and I was pleased with just how regimented this outlet has become. Recently, I’ve been exploring the writings of Seth Godin, someone who has staked much of his reputation on a militant commitment to consistency. There’s something about the plaintive and almost obvious nature of what he writes about that cuts incredibly deep for me. I think a level of candor from artists and creators is something that I greatly value.
So with that I am going to attempt a similar vulnerability here.
I did this shoot a little over a week ago with actor and model Jordan Beltz, someone who’s genuine kind nature is matched only by her talent. During this shoot I took some time to eplore the complicated emotions I’ve been experiencing and tried to communicate these feeling with my subject as we went through the shoot together. I think we created a collection of portraits that reads with an impressive level of expression, one that would not have been possible without allowing myself to open up to Jordan, to myself, and to the work we were creating together.
Moving forward I aim to continue to find opportunities to explore myself through the art that I make. I love how these pictures turned out and I hope you all can enjoy them as well.
Until next week,
Noah.
