Impossible art

I had so much fun photographing all the dogs who stopped by for my Polaroid project, I’m kind of wanting to invite more in and just keep shooting. But I have a huge wooden box full of dog photos that I have to start scanning and there’s literally over a hundred of them! (I think I might have closer to 150.) I’ve no idea how I’m going to choose my favorites (my favorites will be printed extra large); I’ve no clue how to not choose any of them as my favorites. *sigh*

I love to sit on the bed with my dogs and take all the photos out of the box; I spread them around and it’s like a practice curating session. I look them over individually, or as diptychs and triptychs and I can start to imagine how they’re going to look blown up and hanging on a wall. Holding them is the best. There are so many that I can’t hold them all in one hand; not even in two, really. They take up this entire box–there are so many and I get them all in disarray and have to sort them again but I love it.

I just can’t seem to move on to the next step: scanning and printing them.

It’s like when you’re creating something: a poem or a photograph or a dress or painting, and you know exactly, like exactly how it’s going to look or go when you’re done. You’re so certain that you maybe rush through about 7/8 of the project and right when you get to the end, you just stop. People think you’ve lost your creative mojo and that you don’t know what you want to do with the big finale, but you do! You do and that’s the fun of it! That’s also the sadness in creating, because once it’s done, it’s like…it’s done and you have to find a new project to totally fall in love with all over again.

Don’t worry: I’m totally going to get on this project as soon as I get back from the New York opening of The Impossible Project’s “Out of the Blue” (four images from my project were chosen to be in their exhibit). I think seeing them blown up and hanging on the wall and having people admire them and ask me questions about them is going to totally get me cranked to get the other 146 photos done. And seeing others’ work on the wall next to mine: I can’t wait for that part. It inspires me and sometimes their work looks better than mine and sometimes it looks worse and sometimes the two pieces side by side just look so…appropriate.

When I get back I’m going to get on this project and I’m going to start taking a limited number of sessions shot on Impossible instant film. They make amazing pieces of art; not just more pixels arranged into a pretty picture, but art! I love creating art.