why i have trouble thinking of my photographs as art, in 25 words or less
my first week of elementary school was pushed back a little bit because there was a teacher's strike, so it was kind of close to xgiving. in our first art class we were drawing our first grade versions of cornucopias. i colored in my grapes purple. the result is that my art teacher (mrs hanke was her name) SCREAMED at me. GRAPES AREN'T PURPLE. THEY ARE RED OR GREEN. THERE ARE NO PURPLE GRAPES AND ONLY SOMEONE THAT WAS STUPID WOULD COLOR GRAPES PURPLE. ever since then whenever i even think of being artistic i freeze up.
jesus christ, what a fucking bitch. what kind of a warped asshole does something like that to a little kid? i am crying now thinking about it and it was more than 30 years ago. and my elementary school career was FULL of SHIT LIKE THAT. FUCKING GODDAMNED BULLY ASSHOLES WITH NOTHING BETTER TO DO IN THEIR PUNY MEANINGLESS LIVES THAN CRUSH A BEAUTIFUL, SWEET LITTLE KID'S SPIRIT. JESUS GOD MY CHILDHOOD WAS FULL OF ASSHOLE BULLY ADULTS SCREAMING AT ME. FUCK.
even though he never met me harry chapin wrote this song and i swear to all that is good and light and beautiful in the world that he wrote it for me.
flowers are red - harry chapin
so nowadays when someone tells me that my fotos are art and that they are touched by them it makes me feel so goddamned good it's unbelievable. but sometimes, just for a minute, it makes me think FUCK YOU MRS HANKE. FUCK YOU SO MUCH. FUCK FUCK FUCK. i wish i could go back to being that little 6 year old kid and saying FUCK YOU I WILL COLOR MY GRAPES PURPLE IF I FUCKING WANT TO. BITCH.