Daniel Boorstin, a historian and twelfth librarian of the United States Congress, published in 1962 – The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America. I read the book in the late 1980s while in college. Boorstin observed the evolution of politics and news reporting where politicians create events for media to cover and thus amplify their narrative. I have reflected on this book for most of my career, sometimes cynically looking at some events that really weren’t newsworthy and other times leveraging the principles to create awareness. Boorstin really laid the foundation for public relations (PR) driven events and talked about influencers well before we had social media. My takeaway from his work and my experience is that there must be authenticity in any messaging that is pushed out to an audience (don’t waste their time).
With that in mind, when I started to become more interested in photography and I wanted to establish myself, I developed a public relations strategy to share my story with local media. I began to enter local photography competitions and shows and sent out press releases when I did well. These stories were picked up by several publications and began to build awareness.
In the Winter of 2020, Delaware Beach Life magazine reached out to me to see if I was interested in being profiled for a story. The publisher was aware of my photography and thought it was unique and worth sharing. My PR gears were turning, and I eagerly accepted. The project evolved into a story of three artists who find inspiration from coastal Delaware. I have always been on the other side either writing about people and events or promoting a narrative. This was an opportunity for me to dig deep and share my story. Honestly, it wasn’t easy for me. I’m much better at telling someone else’s story.
The magazine assigned award-winning author/writer Chris Beakey to interview me and write the profile/story. We met in person, had multiple calls, and worked together to make the profile as authentic as possible. I went into the interviews mostly knowing what I wanted to say, but I also allowed myself to be vulnerable and I trusted Chris to let me explore and develop my ideas as we collaborated. From that perspective, it was somewhat of an uncomfortable process. I was forced to think about my creative journey, my ideas on art, and why they matter. Chris did an amazing job guiding and helping me to focus and I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to work and collaborate with him.
The magazine assigned Pam Aquilani to create an environmental portrait of me working. That’s where the story gets a little interesting. She made a comment to me that they wanted a picture of me doing my “landscape photography”. This surprised me because I didn’t think I was a landscape photographer but I had created a few images that fall into that category. Apparently, the magazine really liked my image, Summer Breeze On Whites Creek.
One of my favorites, this image has a somewhat abstract quality which clearly shows movement and conveys the feeling of being in the elements as the grasses and tree thrash in the summer winds. We were able to integrate this into the story and it’s part of the growth process going through this type of experience.
September 2021 Issue of Delaware Beach Life
It also served as an impetus for me to evolve my work and create something new. Later, the Rehoboth Art League had a call for an October 2021 show on the topic of Abstract Landscape. I decided that I wanted to submit something, and I challenged myself to create an abstraction of a landscape by only showing the effects of the elements of a beach scene. It was somewhat of the antithesis of being a landscape photographer, but I was still focused on the idea of a landscape. I spent weeks collecting tools and materials and testing ideas to bring my concept to fruition. The three elements of the landscape include sunlight, water, and sand. I used a magnifying glass to burn paper and show the heat of the sun, I boiled and manipulated paper to show the energy of the ocean and created very tiny cyanotypes to amplify the imprint of sand. The triptych was accepted into the show and marked a point of growth in my work.
I think when you embrace new opportunities, you don’t necessarily know where they will lead you, but growth occurs just by saying yes. This was certainly the case for these two disparate yet connected stories. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work with the Delaware Beach Life team and support them with their article. That publication has led to new opportunities such as participating in the Rehoboth Beach Writers Guild, Art in the AM program. It also allowed me to grow and better understand my work and interests which prepared me for the next work that I created. All of this circles back to Daniel Boorstin and a reminder to myself to not worry about the message as much as the experience while focusing on authenticity and growth. As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom,” or as has been adapted, “Its the not the Destination, It’s the journey.”
