On Friday, March 7, I opened the Artist of the Month feature at Collective Vintage in Fort Collins, Colorado. Several of my mounted printed photographs will be on display there for the entire month of March.

I was able to speak about the work with several people at the event, some that I knew, some that I didn't. The depth of those conversations made me very happy. I learned something about the value of putting my work in front of people. While I have done my share of performing in public, it had been a while, and this differed from putting on a concert. It's very easy for me to hide in the corners of my own mind and convince myself of all kinds of things regarding the work--both good and devastating. For me, that's usually a dangerous practice. At the opening, though, I discussed my process, outwardly communicated what a few of the pieces mean to me, and witnessed others engaging with each photograph in their own ways. I don't know that I can fully articulate what I learned from the experience yet, but I know it opened my mind a bit to both what my work can be and how and why I should keep making it and watching it evolve. Community engagement and feedback enlightens in any context, and I will carry what I learned from this into the next phases of my work and my plans to make it public. Stay tuned.

As part of the exhibit, I made a video which consisted of a few clips showing my wall during my photo shoots. People seemed to appreciate it as a tool for explanation of my process. So, I have posted that here and in the gallery. It's 12 minutes long. Enjoy.