It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. — Albert Einstein
It’s that time of year when one dark day can push you over the edge. It’s always been tough to make your living as an artist, but it seems even harder in recent days. We all know the economy is on the brink of disaster. Technology is decreasing the entry threshold into photography and society is struggling to understand the differences between a weekend hobbyist and a professional.
Technology is depressing. I tire of technology, especially when it fails and it seems to do THAT more often than not. Where technology does work, human greed steps in and it breaks again. Is this the nature of technology from this point forward? Will we ever find balance in our lives and satisfaction? Will we figure out that merely having the technology to create a great exposure does not mean we have created anything of substance?
My brand new Apple Mac Pro is stunningly fast and I utilize every ounce of speed it has to offer. But I’ve already had to replace the logic board and power supply. Countless hours of troubleshooting, waiting on hold to talk to tech support. Setting up appointments to have a technician evaluate the problem. Hours of lost production. Hours of my life I’d like to have spent doing something, anything but watch the endless blue task bars.
Dish Network and ABC have been fighting over pennies for months now. During this time, my wife can’t watch her favorite Sunday night shows. They gave us a $1 credit for our trouble. Wow…thanks Dish. I recently added Boxee to my Apple TV so we could watch television shows and movies on Hulu. Now the content providers are blocking Boxee users. Apparently, I’m not alone in my frustration. And once again, a web site such as Lifehacker steps up with a solution.
My RSS reader is filled with blogs of photographers who usually inspire me. Lately, I find myself trying to figure out my place in all of this. So much incredible work and so many talented artists. Never in the history of the world have we had access to so much information. I can’t help but wonder if all of this exposure is numbing us to the value of the art form. All of this has given me great pause and for that reason, I’ve been stalled with my blog. In the midst of this darkness, I stumbled upon the voice of a fellow artist. A call to transformation by Zack Arias. If this touches you, be sure to visit his blog and comment. Feel free to comment here too!
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