I mean.. whew.. this is personal mission work, and I think, work that brings many to not just love Dr. Brown’s work, but to engage in learning and in connecting/sharing/empowering, and for some, in training to facilitate based on her research.
From Krista’s Tippet’s “On Being” radio interview with former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey and interfaith visionary Eboo Patel :
“…DR. EBOO PATEL: …radio host named Norman Corwin…. He’s got this line that I say to a lot of 20-year-olds on campuses:
“Post proofs that brotherhood is not so wild a dream that those who profit by postponing it pretend.”
“… Post that proof. Just do that. It is a religious act, however small it might be. Just post your proof that
brotherhood, sisterhood,
empathy,
solidarity,
is not so wild a dream that these other people think it might be.”
Published by
Wayne Upchurch
For years, as a “professional ogler” (a newspaper staff photographer), I simultaneously explored photography as craft/process/medium in its own right. The photojournalism work –credentials and mindset– got me into (and out of) places I would certainly never have had access to on my own. I was also practicing the discipline of getting a picture where there didn’t appear to be one and getting it Finished in a timely manner, to professional standards. I also learned to create imminently readable images despite poor reproduction in a small size. Though it took me several years to get this, the value of making photos that illustrated something already laid out in the story was suddenly Not Enough, and I began to make assignment pictures that added dimensions not already in the writing, or better Yet, raised questions so that the reader would go to the story for more answers.
Having gained more than dreamt of, when starting out, I left to pursue my own personal photography, mounting exhibits along the way. I also worked with commercial photographer friends doing studio product photography, and making headshots for actors.
Later, I also helmed a Public Radio “spacemusic” program, and acted in a Wilmington, NC drama company.
I put the cameras away for a few years, to finish shedding the habit of self-limiting my identity as just “Photographer”, and can now pursue personal pleasure and expression through the freedom that digital imaging offers.
Sharing photos on Flickr and participating locally in meetups and outings has renewed a passion for making new images and for sharing the process with others. For some time, I’ve found myself writing detailed comments on other people’s photos, as well as thoughts and pet ideas about photography, in general.
View all posts by Wayne Upchurch