This quote is from a book by Nillu Nasser mainly about immigrants in Berlin and both the political aspects and the human experience a huge part of what makes the writing very memorable and worth reading. This quote in particular I thought was interesting in light of the discussion on the No Ramen/No Life photo I posted earlier this week.
The vast majority of time, I don't ask people if I can take their photo unless it is a photo of them and their pet...that might be an exception. But, I really despise most posed photos to be honest. I used to be afraid of street photography, which is why I did concert photography instead and I am still very discreet. I typically shoot from the hip and gravitate towards louder streets or streets with a lot of distractions. I can't even recall a time when someone realized I was taking their photo and called me out on it. I wouldn't want to ruin someone's day.
But...this idea of it violating privacy...I would never want my photographs to ever come off as exploitative in any way. First of all, I don't make money from my work. In fact, I am in thousands of dollars of debt from camera equipment and Flickr Pro isn't getting any cheaper, either. Second, there's nothing malicious about my intent. I don't want to show people in a bad light..in fact, it is always the exact opposite (which is why I don't take photos of Trump rallies). I aim to show the range of the human experience but also exceptional human moments even if it a simple gesture that I feel like connects humans on a collective consciousness level.
So, no, I don't view any human being as my "walking model" My intent is to show the genuine human experience as I am trying to myself wrap my head around it. Whenever you are unkind to someone, you are naturally unkind to yourself, for you are just as a part of this world and will have to live with your actions. Whenever you are kind to someone, you are also beneficent to yourself for you will become closer to your best self.
Hopefully, I don't offend anyone with my photos. I have had some occasions where people find themselves and are actually quite thrilled. I have given them a high res copy for free gladly.
But, I don't want to live in a world where art is severely limited and restricted. When the intent is good, I think perhaps it is less an act of violence and more so an act of love.
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It's back to school in Chicago and many other American cities in Chicago and, as the quote taken from Scottish Author Jenni Fagan and her novel, The Panopticon, suggests, the brain is very powerful. We must remember to exercise it to the fullest extent and teach it to learn not just facts about the world, Math, Humanities, and Science, but to have empathy for all people in the world and to read carefully, knowing that "alternative facts" are actually code words for lies and that climate change is a very real thing....we must teach the brain and the heart at the same time about social justice and love for all people, including immigrants and refugees..I'd rather my tax dollars going to the needy than to Trump's golfing. That's what being a good American and also a good human being means.We must also show compassion for all students regardless of race, class, citizenship, or gender identity. These are the ways we teach the brain and the heart to function like a human so that we teach our children well.
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Maybe I'm not so naive to think that literature and art can save the world (especially when America's so called leader has never even read a book that wasn't about him) but I do think it makes us feel and makes us realize what it is to be human and to have humanity. The quote above is taken from Salman Rushdie's The Golden House in which he follows the story of an unforgettable and somewhat cursed family of immigrants living in modern day NYC. He also likens Trump to a hideous Joker of nightmarish graphic novel proportions that we wish were all just a fiction and talks a great deal about politics in the later half of the book especially. This photo was taken in the North side Chinatown (Argyle) around Chinese New Year. Let us turn to humanity. And with humanity, you decide to fight for all humans to have a peaceful existence regardless of who they are, where they come from, how much money they have, and what their genetics are. Because, you realize that only with this kind of community will we all find a greater America.
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Berlin, Germany
Quote from The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel
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Quote taken from one of my favorite books read this year, which is actually set in Chicago. The books is called I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, by Erika L. Sánchez
www.nationalbook.org/nba2017-ypl-sanchez-i-am-not-your-pe...
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