Yesterday, after worship, one my fellow church members who
sits next to Vanessa and I asked, “So where have you been this summer, we’ve
missed you.” I replied, “I have been
shooting pictures and making videos working on my degree at Savannah College of
Art and Design (SCAD).” He replied, “I
thought you already had your doctorate.” “I do but I am doing an MFA in
photography.” It was as if he were implying that I should be done with school
because I have a PhD and DMin. Degree completion(s) are only a part of the
journey they are not the end of the journey.
I firmly believe that we should be life long learners. This doesn’t mean we have to keep enrolling
in degree programs but it does mean that we should continue to advance our
knowledge, skills and passions in some kind of formal sustained process.
Tonight I will present my summer work for my class at
SCAD. This will be the official end to
my first year of studies at SCAD. Being
trained as an artist has been both challenging yet very rewarding. When I think back over the year I am reminded
how I have grown as an artist. From the
very first quarter I have been pushed.
The professors at SCAD have made me look inward in search of my creative
sources. It has been an inward journey
to produce art that is created with the intent of being shared publicly.
At SCAD we are constantly creating art to be critiqued by
our peers and professors. This isn’t writing the paper, turn it in and get the
grade. The private dialogue between
professor and student is not what happens at SCAD. What I appreciate most about SCAD is that leaning,
developing and growing, as an artist is truly a communal project. I have enjoyed being apart of my new
community because in this community I have found new life, new energy and an
excitement about the demands of my work.
I would wish that everyone could experience what I have
experienced this past year. This isn’t
new to me because I have committed my life to navigating my journey. This thing
is about the journey; the joy of the journey is challenging you to become
yourself. This is a process of constant
discovery, hard work and never resting on what you did yesterday. What we did yesterday is a part of the
journey and informs the next leg of the journey but if we stop to long to read
what we wrote we might never write again.
I choose to continue to write my story. The journey isn’t over yet and I thank God
for leading me to SCAD. Where are you
being led? What is that next stop on
your journey that will help you see more, be more and do more of what is in you
that is trying to get out?
When I got my MFA a few years ago, I was required to take a general studies class. Because of scheduling and availability, I ended up in a business "leadership" class. I wasn't exciting about having to be there, but one of the books I read was called "Leading for a Lifetime". It consisted of a series case studies, mini-biographies really, of what the authors referred to as "geeks" or "geezers"- men and women business leaders (OK, mostly men) who were either under 30 or over 60. The authors contention was that the single most important characteristic these successful people shared was their desire to always be learning. It was what drove the young geeks to succeed and it was what made the geezers vital and relevant in a rapidly changing world.
ReplyDeleteOne of, possibly the single most important reason why I do the kind of photographic work I do, is that I'm relentlessly curious and I want to learn about the lives of the people I photograph. Photography is the tool I use to ask questions and find out what is important to folks, to learn about how they live, how they work, how they play. It gives me permission to be nosy and use the information I gather to make (hopefully) compelling pictures.
Yes, learning for a lifetime is what will keep me, us, young.