Dog Walk Philosophy: Interpreting Existence
“When I enter most intimately into what I call myself, I always stumble on some particular perception or other, of heat or cold, light or shade, love or hatred, pain or pleasure. I never can catch myself at any time without a perception and never can observe anything but the perception””
I walk my dog every morning. Most mornings we walk pretty much the same route. So I decided to give myself a challenge. Find something unique along the path I tread daily and take a photo. Somedays there will be something genuinely new. Others I will have to find a way to shoot the mundane with a new perspective.
Every individual experience in life is a one of one. None of us experience a sunset the same way. It is impossible to give a wholly accurate depiction of that experience or feeling. There is no medium that perfectly encapsulates a moment of your existence. Expression is plagued with layers that subtly (or not so subtly) alter the representation of what you see and feel.
When you take a photo the lens, film (or sensor), the developer (or computer), and the means of display (gallery or website) all provide their own separate interpretation of the image and are combined into the final product. When you write, language and vocabulary alter our understanding of expression. And after all of that distortion, the intended message still has to go through the lens of the person taking in your expression.
All we can do is provide the best approximation of an idea. We use the tools in front of us, light and color, metaphor and phrasing, to create a target for those consuming our work and hope that they land somewhere in the vicinity. Because of this, those taking in your work will often understand themselves better but not necessarily you.
You, they will never fully understand.
