Saturday, August 14, 2021

Tensions


As an artist, I am certain that you must feel the push and pull of opposing forces when you work. There is definitely an analytical side to photography, which for me manifests as a deep interest in documenting the materiality of the world around me. That's just my jam. Of course, there is also a more emotional or expressive side, which in my case often comes out in the form of manipulated images. Finding the right amount of tension is an important aspect of doing the work. The word 'tensions' is also used in music theory to describe the use of additional notes to spice up a chord (such as stacking two triads together, say a major 9th over a major triad). I just tried it, by the way, very nice. Every jazz player ultimately figures out their preferred methods of working, and the same is true of visual artists. As an additional twist, I think it is important to keep things fresh. Tensions tend to lose their force with repetition. 

How do you keep thing fresh?