It's been a full three months since we've moved to Paris, France.
My wife and I have been rather busy. We needed to visit the OFII to process our long stay visa requests. We needed to find a new apartment, one that we could live in for at least a year. We need to get things moved. All of this has taken an incredible amount of time.
In the meantime, I have been attempting to make connections into the creative community here. I've been hoping to begin making images again.
Alas, I'm constrained, just as I said I would be, to making travel photos.
I have started to look for a place to work in. I started with dance studios to see if I could find a room I could rent by the hour. It's possible that there is such a place down in the 14th, but I'll have to see how far it is from our new apartment.
I have started looking for people to work with. This is where the differences in cultures between the USA and France seem to be hitting hardest. The French are indeed conservative.
Sometimes, back in the States, I would come across someone who felt that the only valid art was "good, professional" art. In other words, art that hangs in galleries and museums. Art that plays out on a "professional" stage. Art that is somehow "acknowledged" to be good by some ill-defined group of "experts".
It's disappointing to find this approach to art is in full play here in France.
I'm used to finding creative people, sharing a bit of what I do and how I do it, and to come to a point, in many cases, where we could find common ground where all parties could share the results of an art work party. Some on some level were professional. Others were simply very creative people looking to extend their art.
I have yet to find that kind of creativity, quick understanding and engagement here.
I will need to remain patient. We've only been here three months. Still, I look forward to getting out of the habit of making travel photos.
My wife and I have been rather busy. We needed to visit the OFII to process our long stay visa requests. We needed to find a new apartment, one that we could live in for at least a year. We need to get things moved. All of this has taken an incredible amount of time.
Timekeeper's Goddess
In the meantime, I have been attempting to make connections into the creative community here. I've been hoping to begin making images again.
Alas, I'm constrained, just as I said I would be, to making travel photos.
I have started to look for a place to work in. I started with dance studios to see if I could find a room I could rent by the hour. It's possible that there is such a place down in the 14th, but I'll have to see how far it is from our new apartment.
I have started looking for people to work with. This is where the differences in cultures between the USA and France seem to be hitting hardest. The French are indeed conservative.
Sometimes, back in the States, I would come across someone who felt that the only valid art was "good, professional" art. In other words, art that hangs in galleries and museums. Art that plays out on a "professional" stage. Art that is somehow "acknowledged" to be good by some ill-defined group of "experts".
Saint Rationalism
It's disappointing to find this approach to art is in full play here in France.
I'm used to finding creative people, sharing a bit of what I do and how I do it, and to come to a point, in many cases, where we could find common ground where all parties could share the results of an art work party. Some on some level were professional. Others were simply very creative people looking to extend their art.
I have yet to find that kind of creativity, quick understanding and engagement here.
I will need to remain patient. We've only been here three months. Still, I look forward to getting out of the habit of making travel photos.
3 comments:
I imagine it will only be a matter of time before you connect with the people you are looking for. It isn't like you stepped out your front door in PDX and started what you did. If that is the way it happened, it was a huge fluke!
I think the idea of finding people to work on "valid art" in Europe is probably true. I've always thought work coming out of Europe was for the most part, so much more interesting than here in the States, especially photography. If that assumption is true, it only validates your own work that much more when you do get connected and start creating like you want to...
You're, of course, right. It takes being in the right place at the right time and continuing to show up and work the art. It takes many opportunities followed and many artists connected to. It takes many hours behind the camera and in front of the processor system (chemical or digital).
The concept of "valid" art is interesting. It many times seems so contrived and limiting. Yet I know there is an undercurrent of rich artistic creativity that can be tapped into. At some point.
I've found that Berlin has some incredibly creative people. I'm not ready to move to Berlin. But, if they happen to come through Paris...?
Well, it's time to just start anew and see if this can lead anywhere.
In the mean time, travel photos can be so boring... LOL!
I hope you do follow your dream some day and come to Europe. It IS so much more interesting than the US. Photography is well supported here. It's almost a competitive sport, but with such emphasis on art that is makes for a very interesting experience.
You should've looked at the Joel-Peter Witkin's exhibit Jude and I visited. Wow!
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