Negative Space
2025
I have been using my website and newsletter mainly to share my good news of upcoming exhibitions, publications and new inspirations, but I thought I might be fully transparent and share some of my disappointments and rejections too. Fellow photographer Dana Stirling has been a champion of publicly sharing her rejection letters and being very real about the ups and the downs of this creative life. Inspired by her candor, I want to share that though I did get accepted and invited to share my work in several wonderful opportunities this year, because I sent out many more submissions, I also got more rejections than usual. I know it's all subjective... but still. Sometimes a kind of vaguely bruised feeling lingers for a week or two and starts you down an unhelpful path of self doubt and frustration.
But then I always think of this quote by Brené Brown and it sets me back on my feet again-
“If you are not in the arena getting your ass kicked on occasion, I am not interested in or open to your feedback. There are a million cheap seats in the world today filled with people who will never be brave with their own lives, but will spend every ounce of energy they have hurling advice and judgement at those of us trying to dare greatly. Their only contributions are criticism, cynicism, and fear-mongering. If you're criticizing from a place where you're not also putting yourself on the line, I'm not interested in your feedback.”
Because I AM in the arena every time I send my creative children out into the world, I am always leaving myself open to taking punches. And every punch hurts just as much as you'd imagine. Still. Every time I get knocked down, I pick myself up, dust myself off and get back in the ring to make and share new work, and I hope you will too.
The new series below - Negative Space- speaks to just this idea about turning the negatives of life into something beautiful... just as photography has always done.
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