Companytography
Monday looms as I write this. I’ve descended to the bottom this weekend and there’s not a specific reason for me being so down, or a specific known path for me to arrive to the bottom. Realising the downward trend (there are no finite bottoms in mental health, I guess), and being so down, I decided that it’s too much, and reached out for some help. So today we’re at least standing – albeit quite deep under the level line.
I’ve been enjoying taking some mood images of and from the house. I love the 80mm lens as I can frame the space and the objects and leave out a lot of context in the pictures. I’ve also lately uploaded to social media more 'video stuff’ and that’s been enjoyable too. I used to attend a media high school and cinematography, film making, editing were my jams in my 20s. I really used to love the whole film production work due to its complexity and today when I do that type of creation it reminds me of those times. As a enthusiast I like that I can pick and choose music for example and share the clips without fearing copyright infringement — this wasn’t possible before the social media times. I rarely get any views on the clips but really think that trying to beat the algorithm just will add to the stress. Same with this Substack. I have you and that’s enough — trying to expand readership doesn’t work for me. I tried Substack Notes to see how it would feel to reach out for the sake of expanding readership and I don’t think I’m good at it.
The great thing about being tasked with a mammoth task of running a business, manage an artist residency, and trying to not go completely insane in such a remote place, is that whatever small measures I have control over, I really do have control over them. Trying out things as if nobody is watching can be quite a liberating feeling.
I like to frame the business in similar ways I take pictures and do think (although impatience gets me many times) — limit things. I trust that over time, when people have lived in the house and experienced our retreats, symposiums and purchased the ceramic works, that the value of the business will grow as the context gets more visible, and out-of-frame views are defined by others, and not me.
OK, that’s it for now.
Thanks for reading!
Hans