© Brad Mangas

Over the last month or so I have taken time to do some soul searching. Good soul searching isn’t necessarily a fun thing and when you come right down to it it can be extremely difficult, uncomfortable even heart wrenching. To quote a passage from the book “Art & Fear” in which I talk about in the preceding paragraphs, “it can be as uncomfortable as a slow drizzle of dead cats.”

Nobody has ever said that to improve would be easy and it is not. Life is not a thing that can be taken for granted. When is the last time you have faced your fears confronted your demons or even questioned your day to day life? Done with courage and humility it is the one thing that has the ability to improve not only yourself but the things you hold close and allows you to see the world as it should be.

© Brad Mangas

In the words of C.S. Lewis; “Nature never taught me that there exists a God of glory and of infinite majesty. I had to learn that in other ways. But nature gave the word glory a meaning for me.”

Last week I purchased the book, Art & Fear  by  David Bayles and Ted Orland. I have just finished the second reading and I am sure there will be more time spent attempting to ingest this insightful account of this mysterious thing called Art and the emotion that goes hand in hand with it, Fear.

This inceptious account of forces surrounding art, observations on the perils and rewards of artmaking is comforting at minimum and transforming during it’s insightful journey for the reader. I would like to share one of the accounts described that is at present close to mind. More I’m sure will follow.

One such account describes the following; An art teacher during the beginning of a pottery course devised this plan to observe the outcome. They split the class into two equal halves. The first half were told they would be graded on the quantity of pieces produced the second half told they would be graded on the quality of pieces they made. The first half would receive and A for 50 pieces of pottery, B for 40, C for 30 and so on. The second half need only create one piece, be it a perfect to receive an A.

An interesting outcome arose. The half that concentrated on quantity produced far better pieces than that of the half that needed only produce one. The first half while churning out piece after piece noticeably learned from mistakes made corrections tried multiple ideas and in the end had very acceptable art to show for it. While on the other hand the half that concentrated on quality had little to show except for grandiose ideas and a pile of dead clay.

© Brad Mangas

What do we learn from this? As mentioned in the book, art is about making art, lots of art. It is only through the process of making art that skills can be refined ideas put to test mistakes corrected and results closer to the artists intention be realized.

During the last month I have still been out in wilderness places camera in hand and my attempt to capture my world continued to be worked upon. Results in my opinion have been dismal at best. There was never a time that I felt the need to quit but there have been moments when I felt the need to stop. Quitting and stopping are fundamentally different. Artists stop all the time even many times and for various reasons. There is no set time frame in which stopping need be adhered to it could be for a day, week, month or years. It simply means you have stopped, for now. Qiting on the other hand happens once. It means, you will never start again.

For some viewing from the outside it may appear I have never stopped. The stopping did not take place in actions of producing photographs it took place in my thoughts about producing photographs, a realization of what had been my “comfort level.” A difference to me as clear as apples and waltzes (a quote also from the book.)

© Brad Mangas

There is no intentional ending point this post is meant to stop at. No insightful or grandiose idea, like art it is a process. In this instance one of laying out thoughts, ideas and experiences in a more physical form.

I have a somewhat more calming attitude compared to only a few weeks ago. Will change occur? One can not know and very likely should not know. Results will take place only when actions are taken. Those actions are the seeds of the not yet realized outcome.

If one thinks about this you quickly realize what is obvious, even the situations you do have control over, in reality you have only a small amount of control over. There is really only one thing you can be sure you have complete and total control of, your own acceptance of the situation.

The attitude you chose to have is yours. It is your belief, your acceptance of what has or will take place in some aspect of your physical life. You are what you think. You chose what to think and thus you control who you are what you believe and what you accept.

New Growth – © Brad Mangas

You never really know what it takes to change something, you must simply and intentionally take the steps that produce change and hope for the best.

Past roads that lead to the present. © Brad Mangas

The change I’m referring to is an elusive one, and seems to be poking at my creative being. Is it a big change? I don’t feel like anything big is happening, but something seems to be.

Let me explain with a personal example that may be easier to understand.

Over the last few years I have become somewhat of a health conscious person. Not a nut that goes to extremes but I have become very aware of the food I eat and it’s effect on health in general. Three times in my life I have taken some serious steps to lose some weight. Once many years ago between my 8th grade and Freshman years of school. Again about 20 years ago when I became a somewhat lean mean fighting machine, (figuratively of course). I ran, biked and worked out daily and maintained a fit 180lbs for sometime. Slowly age crept up and about 10 years ago I found myself staring at 240lbs on the scale I reluctantly stood on. Wow I was miserable and I knew it. It took a few years to work my way up to that weight and during that time I was perfectly aware of what was taking place but it just didn’t bother me. Approx 6 months later I had the scale reading 190lbs. All it took was me deciding to do something about it. In one word, action.

Here’s how my brain works. I’m good with anything right up to the point that I’m not. It may take bolt of lightning to strike and produce change in me but when it hits it’s a done deal. The same weight problem happened again about a year ago. I seen the scale say 225lbs. and I hated it. 3 months later it topped at 200lbs. Now there is still a slight problem here, first 20 years ago it was at 180, 10 years ago 190 and now right at 200. Hmm, I see a slight problem with this sequence, I don’t think I should be so fast to pat myself on the back just yet.

So, what in the world does this have to do with photography? It’s the quote at the beginning of this post. Particularly the words, “overcame the resistance”.

As anyone who checks in on this blog from time to time may notice it has been a better part of a month since I have posted anything, I even forewent the April wallpaper. It was kind of like the gaining of weight that didn’t seem to bother me. There is one difference now, I am acutely aware of bad habits and those that add no value to life.

I have been a lifelong procrastinator, always thinking about what to do instead of just doing it. I noticed I was getting that same feeling about my photography, writing and keeping current on this blog. Now I can’t honestly say a bolt of lighting has hit me but at minimum the hair on the back of my neck seems to be standing up. I am still reluctant, (procrastinating) on setting a specific schedule of posting but what I do know is a month is way too long.

I don’t say this because I feel I am letting anyone down. I do appreciate everyone who takes time out of their busy day to visit this site and see what I have been up to. It’s much more of letting myself down. Like taking another bite of cake just because it taste good even though your full. There must be a healthy amount of discipline when a decision is made to pursue a life rich in creativity. There is a line that divides wanting to do something and needing to do something, this line needs to be examined closely. For the side you chose will be plentiful with the paths that awaite.

I will end this little insightful post with once again the words of Seth Godin; “Art is not in the eye of the beholder. It’s in the soul of the artists.”

Talk with you again soon.

The Wet Ones © Brad Mangas

I took a little hike in a wooded area last weekend and thankful that I did. The weather would have made (and did make) most stay inside. It was overcast, cool and a light sprinkle fell most of the day, Yippe! I wasn’t about to keep that from letting me enjoy time out in nature and as I found out I’m glad the weather was the way it was.

Nothing spectacular happened but then I wasn’t looking for or expecting spectacular. I was more in to finding calm and quiet. This particular place has become my go to area for early spring wildflowers such as the Fawn Lily, Dustman’s Breeches, Rue Anemone’s and May Apples. I simply love going there and walking the heavy woodlands.

I knew it was still too early for such wildflowers to be making their presents but it is getting very close. When I arrived I grabbed my trusty Canon G11 point and shoot tucked it in my coat and began walking the wet lands enjoying the very lite sprinkle that was falling.

Ashes To Ashes © Brad Mangas

There had been some burning of some of the grassy areas I discovered on my way to this spot which wasn’t surprising this time of year but what I did find surprising was there had also been some burning in the woodlands. How this was accomplished without setting the whole area ablaze I’m not sure. But much of the heavy leaf cover from years past had been burned away along with some of the old fallen trees. I found this rather amazing and was quite pleased to see this. One of the issues this area always had with the proliferation of wildflowers was the very heavy cover of old leaves so now with much of this cover gone the sun and rain will reach the soil much easier. Wildflowers such as these are very small and delicate; I have never seen a Fawn Lily over about two inches tall so it’s about all they can do to make it up and out of the thick leaf beds. This was a very welcoming sight indeed. Now if we can just get the moisture needed I’m hoping for a wonderful crop of spring beauties!

Wet Woodlands © Brad Mangas

I made some images with my point and shoot trying to protect it from the sprinkles best I could so the shots were quick and then back under my coat it went. One other thing that struck me as I walked slowly along in the woodland was how much color there actually is this time of year. Yeah there is not a lot of diverse colors but what is there is wonderful. Brown’s, yellow’s and oranges, funny how Mother Nature knows just what colors to put together to make them all produce a wonderful scene.

Spring fever, there’s nothing quite like it! And after tomorrow the days will be longer than the nights! Super Yippe!

Lingering Color © Brad Mangas