Recently the Middletown Arts Center announced the artists and works accepted for the 2021 Photography and Digital Art Exhibit, and I was pleased to see that 6 of my images were on the acceptance list.

Often when I see the word “artist” connected with my name or works, the thought of being an imposter creeps into the back of my mind. Why is that?

Merriam-Webster defines the word “artist” as follows:

1a: a person who creates art (such as painting, sculpture, music, or writing) using conscious skill and creative imagination. “the great artists of the Renaissance”, “an artist specializing in watercolors”

 1b: a person skilled in any of the arts.”I can't draw at all, but both of my children are very talented artists.”

2: a skilled performer “a trapeze artist” especially : a musical or theatrical entertainer : ARTISTE “a jazz artist”

3: a person who is very good at something “a scam artist”, “a strikeout artist”

Notice there really isn’t anything in there regarding photography? One could argue that its implied in “1b” as being a person skilled in ANY of the arts.

Most people forget that photography is a relatively young practice, only really existing for about 200 years, with the first known image being made in 1826 by a member of Napolean’s army. Photography only became popular with the masses after Kodak invented roll film and the Brownie camera in 1900. This made it accessible as a hobby and made for an easy point of entry into the craft – especially compared to the huge view-cameras with plates that required minutes to make an image.

Years passed until photography started to become recognized as not just an oddity, but also as an art form. This appreciation of it as an art form, or at least the beginning of it, can be traced back to Alfred Stieglitz and the opening of his 291 gallery in New York, where he showcased images from Ansel Adams, Georgia O’Keefe, himself, and others. The Metropolitan Museum of Art finally established photography as an independent curatorial department in 1992, so perhaps it is that date where one can say it finally became “art”.

So I think today, one could definitely define photography, or at least some of it, as art. So why do I cringe a bit when someone calls me an “artist”? Let’s get back to the feeling of being an imposter that I touched on before. Like many photographers, I never went to photography school. I don’t have a degree in it nor did I have any formal training. Yes I’ve taken many classes on it and also have spent a long time working on my skills, but at the end of the day, at least on paper, I don’t have a degree in it. Contrast that with my significant other – Renee. She has both her bachelors and masters degrees in art, and is a damn fine painter and graphic artist. There’s no hesitation in my mind at all to use “artist” when it comes to describing her or her work.

So if I don’t really look at myself as being an artist, what am I, really?

I think, in reality, deep down I am a “tinkerer”.

Merriam-Webster defines the word “tinker” as follows:

intransitive verb

: to work in the manner of a tinker - especially : to repair, adjust, or work with something in an unskilled or experimental manner : FIDDLE “always tinkering with his car”

transitive verb

: to repair, adjust, or experiment with

You see, photography is one of many passions I have had over the years, or still have now. There are so many aspects to it that I feel like even if I spent every day for the rest of my life studying it, working at it, and producing work – I would never really “master” it. Also, like many photographers, its rare that I make an image that is ever “final”. What I mean is that months or years later I can go back and look at an image I made and think “I should change that” or “What was I thinking when I did that”. The work is never finished – I am always tinkering with it and trying to improve it.

For more evidence pointing to me as a tinkerer, one only has to take a look at other hobbies that I am immersed in.

Bicycles – I love bicycles and working on them; having been a cyclist and racer for years, I was also in the bicycle industry.

Cars – I’ve always enjoyed working on cars, and have had a “project car” for many years. While I love driving it, the biggest enjoyment has been modifying and tweaking it.

Home repair/improvement – Other than roof replacement and electrical, most of the work done at my house was done by me. Not because I am cheap – but because I love the work and the challenge. And no, the house is not yet “done”.

Cooking and Homebrewing – I love to eat, I love good beer. And if either are something that create or perfect in my kitchen, its all for the better.

I could go on with more, but hopefully you see the pattern here. I definitely am a tinkerer. Where did that come from?

I think I have my grandmother – Marge Sexton – to thank for that.

I spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ house as a child, and some of my fondest memories were from that time. Marge would often throw me in the station wagon, and drag me to flea markets and garage sales. At some point we started a trend during these outings – if I found something that I was interested in that was broken or not working, she would buy it for me under the condition that I got it working again. Old radios, cameras, toys – you name it. I took all of them apart, figured out what made them “tick” and most of the time, got them working again. One of my more infamous projects was bringing a gas-powered mini-bike home in milk crates, and putting it back together to ride in the yard. I’m certain this did not go over well with my parents; I seem to recall not having that in my possession for very long.

Marge passed away in 2004. She can’t be at any of the galleries and shows that my images are often featured in, but I think of her often. I’d like to think she’d appreciate and encourage my work, while not being hesitant to give me thoughts on where, or what, I could improve.

I owe being a tinkerer to her.

Thanks for reading,

Jeremy

What are your thoughts on photography as art?

Are you a tinkerer or an artist?

Who was an influence on your work?

Please feel free to comment below with any thoughts or questions.