7 Reasons Why

Have you ever wondered, Why am I doing this? This very question has been an itch a could never scratch since my early 20s when it came to making art. Now the answer has become much more clear, with this very simple exercise. It is called 7 Reasons Why; which is simply asking yourself, “Why?” about everything. Each answer you give is challenged by another question of why, going deeper and more specific into the true motivation of what you actually think and feel about what you do. I encourage you to try this exercise with many different things you do and to repeat it to get different outcomes. There are many different paths to take, so find the one that is best for you. You can try it with your friends and family to challenge their motivation and reasoning. I will demonstrate on myself with a dialogue:

Question 1: Why do you use such a big camera?

Answer 1: To slow down.

Q2: Why do you want to slow down?

A2: To be more methodical in my workflow.

Q3: Why do you want to have more methodology in your workflow?

A3: I want my photographs to have artistic intention behind them.

Q4: Why do you want to have artistic intention behind your photographs?

A4: I believe that the camera is just a tool to create what the mind envisions. The large format camera that I use compliments me to create a more clear, more authentic vision.

Q5: Why do you want to create a clear and authentic vision?

A5: I am actually being authentic to myself, my senses, and what I am feeling in the moment when I make a photograph.

Q6: Why is it important for you to be authentic with yourself and to feel what is present in the moment?

A6: If I am able to focus my thoughts beyond on what is seen. The camera becomes less of a factor in the equation in the making of a photograph. This allows me to feel and envision what makes a powerful photograph and translate that feeling into art.

Q7: Why do you use a large format camera if it is such a small factor for making a photograph that becomes a work of art?

A7: Art is made from the artist’s mind, not from the tools he uses. The tool I choose to express myself is the means of which my vision of my art is brought into the physical world. The tools that the artist uses is not set into stone, but evolving and changing as the person does. A painter might adopt new brushes or paints when his skills evolve, and a writer might take on new vocabulary, new grammar, or even a new language. A photographer is no different.


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Mitchell BakerComment