2.5.09 - 158/365

i am wondering if there is a split here
between the me in the pictures
and
the me who is taking the pictures

the question comes up again
of what exactly i am doing with this project
and what my intention is by doing it

i started intending to answer these questions through the process
to discover what is important to me
and how to say/convey it

most months i have put a certain set of rules or restrictions in place
to try to give the project more form
to give me something to hit up against
to try to focus my intent

but the overall question remains
is this a personal document
following the conventions of keeping a journal
or
is it a conceptual experiment
that explores from the outside
the similarities/differences
of a person from day to day?

is it about
"me" the subject
or
"me" the maker of the images

does the impact come
from a willingness to confront a piece of one's self in each individual image
day after day
or
does it come from the relationship of the images when viewed as a group

should emotional content take precedence over clever photographic techniques
or
is the emphasis on stylistic concerns and well conceived images

what gets revealed
and where does that revelation happen

is it through the journey of a psychological exploration
that involves an honesty and an integrity
about facing the human condition
using oneself as the subject
or
is it that something evolves out of the process of addressing the same subject matter
day in and day out and the connections that get made between the interaction of the individual images when viewed as a whole

is it subjective or objective
is it personal or conceptual

and if it is personal
how honest, how deep do you go
where do you risk losing your audience
is the audience a concern
can you make something so true that it is compelling
so true that people stay involved
inspite of their desire to turn away

and if it is conceptual
how narrow do you make the boundaries
how high do you set your aesthetic goals
and how willing are you to fail publicly when you can't meet them
day after day

these are the questions that haunt me
these are the questions that i need to be able to answer
if this whole endeavor is to be more than an indulgence
if this whole endeavor is to be more that just a distraction

i think this project strikes a good balance