I can also relate to your feelings about people thinking that it all comes so easy. I myself am a student illustration, and I know that creating an interesting picture is not laying back and do some clicking, to just “let the talent go it’s way”. It demands determination, dedication and a hell of a lot of work. For example, A lot of people ask me to make a drawing of this and that, thinking it will only take me an hour or so, when in fact, to get a satisfactory result, it takes days and days.
(But I only have to draw, what is so hard about that?)
Also, when people get to hear I’m studying illustration, one of the first things they mostly ask is: “so you do get to draw naked people, do you?” “Are they good looking? Or are they old bats who want to get the impression they are sexy?” and other varieties of this kind. Let me tell you, we have all kinds of models, but mostly woman. I do not know why. There is one girl that has the perfect measurements. She’s in her twenties, tall, slim, long hair, nice skin. One of the other models is a woman about 56, not really tall, and as you can imagine her age shows. Some parts are shaggy, she is not really tall, and so on.
And yet I prefer the older model a lot. I admire her for her dearing to sit totally naked in a class full of eyes focused on her body. I love the way she shines. She just makes herself comfortable, she is confident about herself, and it shows. It’s doesn’t matter that she has a lot of curves, not at all, because I find it’s more interesting to draw than the other model, who doesn’t have those curves. I do not think in terms of fat, anorexic, nice, pretty, ugly or whatsoever. I just draw the person that’s in there, I’m not making a copy of how she looks. If that was the case I would suggest to put her in front of a mirror, or to make a snapshot.

That is what I believe what art is about. We let others see what we are seeing, to give another interpretation of things. To try to get an emotion in visual. A detail that attracked your attention. Your views about things that you want to share. An experiment. Another part of yourself.
And how you look, and what others think, mostly don’t matter.
Everyone sees an image in his/her own way, each with another personal background. We are all individuals with different passions and interests.
Don’t let people who don’t share your passions get the best of you. Keep up the excellent work, I’m looking forward to new pics already.

Saying that, now I can browse through your images trying to see if I like them for the art, the craft, like I really did on that first one, and set aside if I find you attractive or not.

Well, I’m not writing to get into the discussion, but rather to suggest you a look at Helga Stein’s work, that flows a bit in this theme. Take a look at her Flickr’s page:
http://www.flickr.com/people/helgastein/

Her last post is from a year ago, probably because she’s off that project by now. The whole idea came up on discussions questioning her beauty, specially on the internet, on chats, and then she started taking self portraits and modifying them to a point where they were no longer real images of herself (in a portrait sense). Something, anything, is always modified. There’s never a ‘real’ portrait. In the end, you can no longer judge if she’s pretty or not, and that’s her provocative intention: who are we, really? are we real or not on the web? what really matters and when?

She probably got a lot of comments about her beauty, as well. But that’s not she. Or, better saying, we’ll never know what in those pics is real and what is not.
What belong to her and what not.

Beuty or not aside, keep up the good work.

Cheers, Fabio

I think you had an interesting point but the way you phrased it was weird - as if to say ’shut up, we don’t want to hear your opinion of your own work’, rather than ‘Oh I prefer your images to your words, that’s just my opinon though, I will stick to looking at your gallery pages instead’.

People often encourage ‘the artist’ to not explain what he/she is doing, and whilst I think this is a comforting outlook (as if the art will say all, and nothing needs to be explained) I disagree that the artist talking somehow undermines their work, makes them look paranoid or unsecure. I also think it’s an easy way out - as if ‘art’ is sacredly existent and doesn’t need questioning. I think it would be too easy for me if I didn’t verbally explore issues around my work especially when there are people who think my pics are all about tits and ass popularity. Writing stresses me out, which is why I take pictures instead, but I know that sometimes I have an issue to address that can only be done with words. Why should I be told to shut up? Can’t I have an opinion like everyone else? What gives the viewer sole right to oratory?

Anyway, I agree with your point about ‘talking to me through the pictures… challenging yourself to addres things visually’, when taken out of the negative ’shut up’ context. Some people would argue that I already do this. That is exactly why they don’t need explanations or ‘rants’ from me that you might say try to fix the meaning. In a sense there is a contradiction then in what you are saying - work harder to put meaning into your pics, and yet don’t talk about the art, don’t worry about the art.
The more ‘meaning’ I try to put into pics, naturally the more I will want to talk about it verbally. The more complex and stressful the whole exercise of photography will become.
I do appreciate your valid comment, cheers.

guess i’ll keep skipping the verbose rants

sure, i often appreciate the context in which a work of art develops, and at the same time, i find that the purity of visual work allows me to have my own reaction, informed by my own outlook.

i find that your opinions impose on my enjoyment, and detract from the work itself because while the photographs are enjoyable, the rants are petulant and self-absorbed.

talk to me through the pictures… if your point isn’t getting across, or if you have concerns or issues, challenge yourself to address them visually.