I was listening to a fiction book during my drive and a couple of lines jumped out at me. They went something like:
Character 1: So, what did she want to do?
Character 2; She wanted to be a painter.
Character 1: So, did she have the chops to make it?
Character 2: If she had wanted to paint, she would have probably made it, but since she wanted to be a painter, then probably not.
So, my brain picked up on that and started to wonder if there is a difference between someone who loves to photograph vs someone who wants to be a photographer and further someone who loves to photograph and becomes a photographer. Certainly, one who photographs is already a photographer by definition.
It’s just something for my brain to twiddle around with. Perhaps one is about the journey, the other is about the destination. Who knows?
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7 Responses to “The addition of “er””
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I think one is about doing, and one is about liking the idea of doing.
I had an English professor in college rant in front of the class, “Anyone who wants to be a writer better write! If you don’t write anything, you aren’t a writer. It doesn’t matter what you want to be.”
In the example in your book the girl in question wasn’t a painter because she didn’t want to paint, she just wanted to be a painter.
Onto what you are pondering, my thoughts…
Someone who loves to photograph (and does so), is a photographer. Someone who merely wants to be a photographer, is not a photographer. I’m not sure there is a difference between someone who just loves to photograph and someone who both loves to photograph AND wants to be a photographer.
I agree 100% with that thought. That English teacher was correct; it is the doing, not the wanting to be. This is particularly epidemic amongst people who want to be a writer, and I dealt with them all the time in the game business. The one thing that unites our friends in the photography blog space is that we DO as well as talk about it.
I see it a little differently. Your quote reminds me of another quote from a movie called Frida” (2002).
Frida: I just want your serious opinion.
Diego: What do you care about my opinion? If you’re a real painter, you’ll paint because you can’t live without painting. You’ll paint till you die.
I understand both this quote and yours to mean, if you are a true artist it is not in your power not to be an artist. You will create art because you must. If you need someone’s opinion, if you need to be called an artist (or photographer), then your are not or ever will be an artist.
I hadn’t really thought of it that way, Cedric, but it makes sense. I would say that whatever you bliss, or passion, is, you do it just to do it, with no expectations of reward, accolades, or external recognition. You do it because you have to, as you said.
I love that brain of yours, it goes deep and finds ways to express those deep thoughts. Your posts stir my mind thoughts and I enjoy experiencing that. I show up here for these thought provoking posts and because you’re a good photographer.
I’m grateful for your posts which get me to thinking. I remember the expression that dreams without action are just fantasy. That has always been a struggle for me: not enough action to go along with the many dreams I have. Many of us dream of being something but not all of us take the actions needed to fulfill those dreams and create. I’m listening closer to the voice inside of me every day and slowly taking more action towards those dreams, and seeing new dreams. I enjoy photography and over time have come to accept the title photographer, which fits your definition. I have a t-shirt that says the destination is the journey. If we’re on the journey are we within the destination?
Enough rambling on my part. Please keep your brain twiddling as it helps mine to twiddle along. Hope you have a good week, my friend!
Thank, Monte. That brain of mine does like to follow those small breadcrumbs left by others, often times leading me deep into some forest and having me wonder how I got there. I think that there multiple passions that we posses, but we just have to be quiet to hear them. I saw a quote somewhere that said something like, if you have always wanted to try clay, try clay, talent be damned. Just get your hands in the clay and have a good time.
So, follow some of those paths, even if they don’t go anywhere. I’m enjoying my guitar, though I still sound pretty bad, it’s fun. It’s not what I would call a passion, but I do like it, at least for now.
I missed this post for some reason, but once I took a writing class where the teacher said, “Writers write and painters paint.”
So what does a photographer do?