A New Life in Seattle

A New Life in Seattle
August, 2018

Monday, December 5, 2011

Monster in the Desert: World Premiere Photo Event!

You've been here too, I'm convinced of that, friends:  had an idea that would not leave your skull, but which you kept failing to follow.  Oh, logic had its reasons for you as well as me:  the idea was too wild, too this or too that.  Maybe your brains even told you:  You're not that kind of person.  Well, get a load of this one and know you're in good company.

Seven or eight years ago, an idea came to me for a photo event that I thought could make some waves, move a few viewers and get a few laughs.  Maybe even lots more than a few.  I imagined a pair of photos, Then and Now:  the first showing what I'd call The (Midlist) Monster in the Desert...the second showing his rebirth as he was 'goosed by luck'.  Now, the second shot wasn't the problem, though it packed some   challenges:  I needed to look svelte and charged, radiating energy--with a certain something extra I couldn't quite define.  Either a prop or...I didn't know.

The first shot presented the problem:  I wanted to look grossly fat, whacked-out and downtrodden.  I thought up ways to pull that off, including XXL clothes and stuffing.  But....how far was I willing and able to go to convey the spot-on essence of The Monster in the Desert?  For years I thought about this, brainstorming and backing off from increasingly wild ideas.  But bolts of boldness struck this year and I began to give in to my wild side.  I bought the most outlandish props, showing them casually to people who raised their hands in horror.  I practiced poses and expressions for a month.  Hell, what did pride or dignity matter compared to conveying the truth:  of how it felt to be a monster in the desert for so long.

Result:  the photo shoot this weekend went off without a hitch.  And, whatever reception it gets, I feel a delicious unburdening, now that my long-orphaned idea has a home.

Check it out on my Facebook page.  The official event date is December 10.  But, you never know, it may appear days sooner...:)

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