Should we blindly believe in the asserts by Sontag, Barthes, Benjamin,…? I don’t think so. Isn’t style an invention of the artist?, any either painter or photographer. The artist decides to make his art that way. It’s not done by nature…
I don’t think we have to 'blindly believe' anyone, but I do think theorists like Sontag offer interesting frameworks for reflection. This essay is a personal examination of my own work. I’ve found that when I was only thinking in terms of client work, I wasn’t developing in the direction I was personally interested in. Looking back, while the work was good and the clients were happy, it didn’t feel like a reflection of my ideas as an artist. In many cases, I felt like anyone could have taken those photos. That’s what led me to question authorship—not as a universal truth about photography, but as something I needed to explore for myself.
Yes, it seems looking for one’s own voice in photography is far from those obvious painters or sculptors we see in museums. I’m more and more convinced style is an artificial feature. For more we try to “find” it in our work it won’t appear if we don’t have the intention of having a particular one. Painting use their own means and tools for that. Photographers have some others too
Yes, I think intention plays a huge role. Looking back, I wasn’t making deliberate choices about my style...I was just making images. It wasn’t until I started questioning what I wanted to say that I realized my work felt more like ‘competent photography’ than something distinctly mine. So maybe it’s not just about finding a style but actively shaping one.
That said, I also think style can easily be reduced to what social media would call a ‘niche.’ As someone thinking about a lifelong journey with art, I know I’m going to change and evolve. I have no intention of staying stagnant just to fit into a fixed style or niche for the rest of my life.
Ula, reading this was like listening to my inner voice having a conversation with myself. I totally relate to this as my journey has been pretty much the same, facing the same challenges wanting to be an artist but prioritising a payday. Everything resonates!
Good luck with your journey, I'm curious to see where it takes you.
Thank you for sharing this Xavi. Sharing personal experience can sometimes feel strange, so I am really happy it connected with you. I write these just as much for myself, a reminder of the lessons I learned so I DO something about it. I've been taking incremental steps and so far... it feels good, like I am aligning more with my personal goals as an artist. And good news, they bills are still getting paid lol
Should we blindly believe in the asserts by Sontag, Barthes, Benjamin,…? I don’t think so. Isn’t style an invention of the artist?, any either painter or photographer. The artist decides to make his art that way. It’s not done by nature…
I don’t think we have to 'blindly believe' anyone, but I do think theorists like Sontag offer interesting frameworks for reflection. This essay is a personal examination of my own work. I’ve found that when I was only thinking in terms of client work, I wasn’t developing in the direction I was personally interested in. Looking back, while the work was good and the clients were happy, it didn’t feel like a reflection of my ideas as an artist. In many cases, I felt like anyone could have taken those photos. That’s what led me to question authorship—not as a universal truth about photography, but as something I needed to explore for myself.
Yes, it seems looking for one’s own voice in photography is far from those obvious painters or sculptors we see in museums. I’m more and more convinced style is an artificial feature. For more we try to “find” it in our work it won’t appear if we don’t have the intention of having a particular one. Painting use their own means and tools for that. Photographers have some others too
Yes, I think intention plays a huge role. Looking back, I wasn’t making deliberate choices about my style...I was just making images. It wasn’t until I started questioning what I wanted to say that I realized my work felt more like ‘competent photography’ than something distinctly mine. So maybe it’s not just about finding a style but actively shaping one.
That said, I also think style can easily be reduced to what social media would call a ‘niche.’ As someone thinking about a lifelong journey with art, I know I’m going to change and evolve. I have no intention of staying stagnant just to fit into a fixed style or niche for the rest of my life.
Painters and other artists haven’t that problem but any intention other than pressing shutter button can be seen as “manipulation”.
Thanks for sharing. Keep going, keep growing. Meaning isn’t found, it’s made.
Ula, reading this was like listening to my inner voice having a conversation with myself. I totally relate to this as my journey has been pretty much the same, facing the same challenges wanting to be an artist but prioritising a payday. Everything resonates!
Good luck with your journey, I'm curious to see where it takes you.
Thank you for sharing this Xavi. Sharing personal experience can sometimes feel strange, so I am really happy it connected with you. I write these just as much for myself, a reminder of the lessons I learned so I DO something about it. I've been taking incremental steps and so far... it feels good, like I am aligning more with my personal goals as an artist. And good news, they bills are still getting paid lol