As many of my friends and those who follow me know, I am a practitioner, fan, and follower of martial arts. I am working on a new series in photography that will portray the martial arts in a very artistic manner. The first three of this series are posted on Brown Artworks' Facebook page. I am truly excited about this for a few reasons. The first reason is that it is a completely new series that I have yet to explore in photography. Anytime I am able to start a visual exploration of a topic it becomes an artistic adventure, which is so fun for me. Art is about discovery and expression and I enjoy that part of it more than anything else. The article I wrote that accompanies the first three images can be found here: http://thewayofthewarrioralamedakenpokarate.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-building-of-foundations-in-kenpo.html - so take a read when you can. Another reason I am really excited to work on this series is I get to collaborate with my wife, Gina, and my friend, Brandon Hubbard, of Brandon Hubbard Kenpo Karate. Brandon is a very talented martial artist and a friend of mine who also teaches and trains in the same art as me. I am excited to see the results of our work as it unfolds this year. Gina is very talented behind the camera and she will be shooting the photos when I am in front of the camera. That brings me to the third reason I am excited about the project. I will get to be the subject of some of the work. Even though I am in front of the camera instead of behind it, I find it is easy to work with Gina in combining our ideas and points of view to make some great results.
Art, like martial arts, is a journey. The journey excites me and makes me want to work more at what I do. I find that it is important to have enthusiasm for what you do, because without that, where do you find your motivation to push forward in the endeavor? Surrounding yourself with good ideas, good people, and lots of adventure in an experience makes for a great time and great memories to share with others. In this case, the memories can be shared with the art that is created.
The other hope is that the series will connect with people. I want that to happen and to have other people take something away from the experience that I had in creating the new work. Work like this is kind of specific in that the subject gravitates towards those who are interested in the martial arts or that type of experience and/or culture. However, I hope that the work will be unique enough and artistic enough that it will appeal to those who may not have prior experience in the martial arts, but they may gain an interest from the story that it tells.
Art tells a story. Now, that story may look a little different for each person taking in the work, but there is always a story. There is a story behind that golden belt in the picture above. What does it represent? Why is it hanging there? Why only a belt? What importance does the color have? Why is it tied instead of just being loose? There is a story. I like to leave part of the story for interpretation by each viewer. In addition to the story, I want something to be aesthetically pleasing that you can hang in a livingroom or a bedroom also. It will be my goal, our goal, to create a story that shares something with the viewer.
Please stay tuned and look for the series to continue. Once again, thanks for taking the time to read. I always appreciate the participation.
-Jesse
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