ADVICE TO YOUNGER SELF

Black And White Photography, Martha, Photography

I have started a new project where I ask the subject one question, “If you could meet your younger self, what one piece of advice would you give to him/her?”  These men were in front of the Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. All three answered the same way, “Don’t drink or take drugs”.  Then I took their picture.

Unenlightened

Black And White Photography, Emilio, Photography

“All the problems we face in the United States today can be traced to an unenlightened immigration policy on the part of the American Indian.” ~ Pat Paulsen

Why do I have such a fascination with graffiti?

It all started with my son.

When he was 4 years old he showed us a picture of Mickey Mouse that he said he drew. We basically called him a liar so he sat us down and drew Mickey again by first looking at a comic book, then drawing what he saw. When he was 11, a drawing he did of Batman was published in a comics industry newspaper. In junior high, he was caught vandalizing the local high school with his “tag” (his graffiti signature).

Some 20 odd years later, he has been commissioned to decorate store windows and also the exterior wall of the local pizza parlor’s parking lot. I’m very proud of him.

I think the people who practice graffiti are true artists. I love seeing their creativity. I even get enjoyment from the intricate “tags” they use. Unfortunately, the artist above did not tag his/her creation or I would have given him/her credit.

This photo was taken in 2015 in the Arts District of Las Vegas, where the artwork changes almost on a daily basis. This piece no longer exists.

The Great Divide

Black And White Photography, Photography, Steven

The Great Divide © Steven Willard

Separated by age, gender, point of view and experience; how do we find common ground? How do we prevent the over-loud voices from the extremes from drowning out the more reasonable dialogues taking place closer to the center? How do we keep a skeptical eye on the demagogues* without letting our attention on them become fixation?

We talk to one another.

*We don’t need a tweeting Cleon for our time.

I invite you to visit my blog at https://stevenwillardimages.wordpress.com.