When I bought my first medium format camera, from Foto Care in 2016, I’ll never forget what my good friend Rich said…
Use the right tool for the right job.
Out of context the sentiment was nothing new, although this tool was going to cost me the equivalent of a low-end Mercedes at the time. Pre-heavy arts education I explored landscaping and construction for a little over a decade. You were always looking for the right tool, and made due without in a pinch. Ahhh, sparks of creativity under fire, literally.
As a clarinetist, you are brand loyal. All four of your clarinets, if you’re lucky enough to have the family and then some, are usually all of the same brand. Musicians, or rather all artists to an extent, tend to be a bit dogmatical or fantastical based on their years of training and who they studied with. This is the Best. Only use that. Blah Blah Blah…
For me, capturing light with every kind of film or digital camera imaginable, I find that as an Artists I can create with anything. The camera is a vehicle for expression. With Covid chaos still on the mind, we’re seeing creativity explode, making due with the most ingenuitive of rigs for self-expression. I say run with it. Make haste with that idea, even though you might not have the right tool.
Don’t get mired down in what you don’t have, or how all those amazing artists on instagram are doing their thang, and you’re stuck with your tools and skills. Rejoice in that simplicity, use your limited artistic vocabulary and explore in childlike wonder. You’ll be surprised what speaks to you and might forge new paths all together. I know I am.
Use your Tools. Stay Healthy. Stay Creative.
