Found in the “things you might not know about John” folder: I really don’t like needles, thus I don’t have any tattoos. But if I did have a tattoo it would definitely depict the ancient symbol of a serpent eating it’s own tail, Ouroboros. I was thinking about the dragon today in relation to this new year and decade when a lot of us are feeling like we are on the edge of something different, new and old, devouring our past to stake out the future while simultaneously trying to strip away artifice and excess in an attempt to get back to the genesis of our creative energies. Whether its video, promotion, projects, or just your reading list – there is a palpable energy in the air this January that whatever has come before we are starting over again.
Last week I notched my first editorial gig of the decade (details TK) and even though I have shot for the client before and have shot many, many jobs like it over the past 7 freelance years, I was nervous waiting for the “thumbs up!” call from my editor. I knew I had worked hard, saw well, shot a ton of options, etc.; but still there was that feeling in my stomach. In a lot of ways that feeling is such a gift at this point in my career. That split-second sensation as the caller ID lights up where you go into super fast-forward of the whole shoot, every missed shot, out of focus frame, dodgy lighting cue, and awkward banter with the subject… and then of course they love it and are excited to talk about specific pictures they really dug and how they hope to publish more than they initially planned. But that feeling that you remember from the early days, the mistakes, the gambles that paid off…
Beyond the individual it’s not hard right now to see signs of Ouroboros everywhere: the publishing industry destroying itself before being reborn again with the Tablet?; or maybe the DSLR/HD video “revolution” stepping out of the ashes of newspaper multimedia?
The year might start slowly for many in terms of tangible work with clients themselves slow to get back behind their desks. But I feel like this January has already been 2 months long in the amount of thinking and re-thinking of photography goals, promotional approach, and personal needs. Being in your head can certainly become a problem but right now it feels important, what with the rapidly shifting photography world beneath us. Of course after this thinking I’m running out of the door to take pictures and when the calls do begin to pick up in earnest I’ll feel ready to sprint, tail or not.
Nice post John. Cheers.
I can’t believe I remember this, but Agent Scully from The X Files had an Ouroboros tattoo. I can’t remember where I left my keys, but I remember a minor detail about a tv show in the 90s, go figure.