Week 2.5: Misunderstood

Week 2.5: Misunderstood is a photo taken by the train tracks that run through my town. I felt compelled to walk into the middle of the street and take this shot, while my clients looked on with a mix of consternation and bewilderment. It was irresistible to me. I love all the lines. While they stood on the sidewalk and admonished me to be careful, I blithely traipsed between the lanes and crouched low to the ground to make this vision a reality. Thus was born: Misunderstood.

Now it may be said that I showed my shot to the sideline watchers and they expressed a sense of appreciation for the shot. They said that's why they hired me. They said they don't see things I can see. They said they would never have taken the time or made the effort to get that shot.

And while it was great to hear an acknowledgment of my mad skills...and, yes, I know it was mad to walk into that street like that and go low to the ground where a vehicle wouldn't see me and might swerve at the surprise of a person being in such a place....It still left me with a twinge of being Misunderstood. Which isn't actually a bad thing. It's just a time and place where everyone realizes that they're quite different from one another. (I am on the other side of it when I hear friends in the medical field discuss issues with candor and no hint of squeamy....because I am 100% squeamish.)

And since there is a fine line between Misunderstood and the miserable/tortured artist, I thought I'd share the following (authored by Keri Smith see: http://drawn.ca/2006/04/01/keri-smith-on-how-to-feel-miserable-as-an-artist/) sent to me by my fellow artist, The Georgia Peach: