I thought I would write a bit on the next few weeks in my life and some of my thoughts. I am leaving tomorrow, heading out to Redding to take a workshop with David Beacksead and Zack Arias. I wrote a little bit below about why I am so excited about this workshop. At the same time I am getting ready to send my beautiful, inside and out, 16 year old daughter to Switzerland to live with her Aunt and travel with her and help her with her babies in Switzerland. She also gets to play soccer there, she's one hell of a goalie. (So was Ian in college and Mike was as well) and she gets to take French lessons. But if she wants to learn to eat, she will learn French quick. I am a little concerned she is so close to the super collider at CERN, which some scientist are concerned it can create black holes, but it was shut down for a few months for repairs. See, not to worry, I digress....ANYWAY....
She's off in a couple of weeks and then I am in for a long winter in a little slice of Alaska, and no, I can't see Russia from here. I am hoping to paint...learn more photoshop and create a couple of my own actions. That would be very cool, something I would feel proud of. I am also hoping to grow my photography business. I really love taking picture. I am not sick of it. The more I do it, the more I love it. I really don’t like photographing the CHEESE. I find it gross, but I love making people feel gorgeous and even more I love the way they look when they see the images I take of them. I feel kind of pushed by the industry to define myself as a specialist of some sort in the photography bis. Like kids or babies or dogs or maternity or weddings. I like taking fine art portraits of everything including people in their natural emotional state. I don’t care what color, shape, size, age, sex. I don't.
I have been thinking about slogans for my business and one I already have is "Focusing on the heart of the matter." although I do think it is a bit cheesy....I like "shooting the love." That's the slogan I thought of when I saw Ben Chrisman’s wedding blog and he shot a gay Jewish wedding. Hands down it is one of the most beautiful bodies of work I have ever seen. It made me cry. I look forward to shooting like that. Looking for the love between the Lion and the Lamb or a Muslim and a Jew or two men or whatever whomever. I love shooting the emotion between two people. It makes me think of a new Slogan "Marriage is a human right?, not just the right of the religious right." Head hunters in the south pacific marry and they don't even know about a bible or Jesus, and eating one another is really a sin...there I go. I digress. Anyway. ...I love Ben Chrisman’s work. And the brass b**** he has, to put it out there. He's not only super talented he's brave and I love that.
I believe in love. I do. That's about the only thing I really am buying these days. The news is depressing and not for me. I can play KF*** all day long, on my own in my head I don't need to waste electricity doing it.
If I want to avoid a financial crisis I need not spend money I don't have and am not going to get. I have never been one really to care much about the Jones’ and what they have in fact if I did, I'd be driving a giant suburban, shopping at wal-mart, voting against gay marriage (HATIN and calling it WWJD). It’s so hard for me not to HATE the HATERS, but I believe in love so I can’t go there either…..Just take pretty pictures Kim and forget about them. Yes, I talk to myself and write to myself as well…I digress…ANYWAY….
I am sad about Olivia going...I also know it is the best thing in the whole wide world for her to go to Switzerland and get out of small town America. To go see how the world sees us and to get a giant world view. Also to see what Europe thinks of us and our values and to see more values and principles. Ultimately for her to have a world of choices, options, opportunities. Besides to learn French and learn how to eat, play, work, rest in the mind set of the Swiss. Lucky girl!
I had NY, PARIS and ROME at 18 .....thank you Martin Ryter, Oliviero Tuscani, John Casablancas...a poor kid, a high school drop out, who would have never had the option and all these men helping me and safe for me and only one was gay. I think straight men in general are way more dangerous for girls and boys, then gay men. In fact I believe it’s fact. I was respected and protected by them gay and straight. I look back and now know how big that was. I sent Oliviero an email thanking him last year and I spoke to Martin a while back about my path to photography because he is a great and wonderful photographer. John, I never spoke to, he's famous and unreachable, but he was charming and adorable and of course a totally bad boy who never gave me a lick of trouble. He was encouraging and he lectured me, I was SUCH an unprofessional model. I took up clubbing in NY and PARIS as my profession. 18 in NY and Paris and a taste for dancing...what more can I say. I loved the clubs. I loved studio 54. I was 17 in 1982 when I went there and I think it closed that year, talk about a world view. How much fun do think it is to listen to Rick James's, "Mary Jane" while in Sonoma and then Dance next to him and Janice Dickenson in NY at studio 54. It was wild and mind blowing and it opened my mind a crack that there were possibilities for me in this world. And that life could be a fun and a magical ride. And it was…and still is...,But just like my entire life I never knew it til I looked back.
And I am NOT sending my daughter off to Europe without a chaperon and a surrogate mother. She isn't going to the clubs, but a small town and some train travel...Nevertheless, it will be different than here. And different than what I had. I know I love her so much because I am letting her go and it’s what’s right for her, but for me I will be sad and lonely without her til I get distracted by art because art for me is the great translator and it will heal my sadness.
Ok I don’t know if any of that made any sense…..but I am off to a soccer game, her last one here and editing 3 more jobs before Olivia and I can take off to shoot with some great men. Oh Boy!
