Artist's Statement

So, here I am finishing up my blog, eating Doritos and downing Gatorade. No, this isn’t some spot for a commercial, I just couldn’t figure out a better way to start this statement, so I thought I’d give a glimpse into what I’m doing at the moment. Well, let me start it off with this- I’m not an artist. There, I said it. I’m not, never will be, and never was. Ask my art teacher in school, he’ll tell you I was enthusiastic (I never had anything against art), I tried hard, but my work was never of a high quality. Ask my best friend Dan, his dad was the woodshop teacher, we always took a summer woodwork class together, and I’d always end up sanding my wooden boat too much, or hammering the bumper in crooked on my wooden truck, and he’d have to fix it. He’s going to school to be an architect, so, not only can he work with hammers and nails but he can draw as well. I, on the other hand, am a no-nonsense business major. Sure, I have a sense of humor, I mean no-nonsense, in that I don’t do good in creative situations. Want me to calculate fixed interest over 3 years- I can do that. Want me to describe how I feel on a warm, sunny afternoon, or, better yet, draw that, sorry, that’s just not me.
I must admit I was challenged in this project, not in the sense of taking pictures, I mean, anyone with can do that, its just point and click. No, I was challenged in that I had to not only take pictures, but I had to make them artists, and perhaps the biggest challenge was, I had to use my pictures to tell a story. I’m much better with words, I feel comfortable with words, pictures, I just never really thought of framing, and lighting, and all those other things that come into importance when taking a good picture, a meaningful picture.
The pictures I took at HomeSource turned out really nice. If you ever step foot in that warehouse, you’ll realize there is no lack of materials with which to frame a photo. While talking to Toni (director of LAND) and Jimmy (warehouse supervisor) I realized how proud everyone is of this organization, and rightfully so. Jimmy was always pointing out particular items of interest or things, while he didn’t say it specifically, he was proud of. Toni talked about how they have so many items and supplies and their goal is to get more members. I realized that the focus of photos shouldn’t be people, or even homes, but the supplies and the items. It’s the donations that speak volumes, pardon the pun, about this organization. When Toni spoke of the $5000 Kohler tub, or when she said they were always in need of refrigerators and gas stoves, it was obvious that while the people made HomeSource work, the items and tools spoke about it best.
The video was a collaborate work between my group members and me. I did the interview, Jessica took shots of the warehouse, and Diana filmed the interview and uploaded the video. I think it turned out really nice, but it was really hard to figure out how to upload because none of us have a Mac, don’t know really how to use a Mac, and didn’t have a wire to upload it to a PC. Kudos to Diana for figuring out how to upload the video. The interview is with a newer member to HomeSource and an active member of the HomeSource board. She had a lot of input and spoke about all the HomeSource offers residents, I almost wish we could’ve had a longer video to include all she said, but I think the video does more than give her and HomeSource justice.
While my blog is not a pure media blog I feel really good about it; there are words because I felt that while the pictures showcase what HomeSource is all about and what it does and I felt that some writing was necessary to clarify ideas and to give a history of what HomeSource is and what they want for the future- a larger warehouse and more members. I felt I learned a lot about how to make a creative and visually pleasing project- something I’m never really asked to do in my business coursework. I felt before I was limited as an artist, now I feel much more comfortable with a camera and know how to make images not just be visually appealing- but tell a story. I wish I got the blog program down a little better, some of my slideshows are not centered, but I have to say that PhotoBucket is a really nice way to post pictures. I used the materials to showcase all that HomeSource has to offer- and they have a LOT to offer. I hope you enjoy learning more about HomeSource and what an excellent program it is for the Lisbon Avenue area and Milwaukee as a whole.