On SEEING, A Journal. #554
The final Journal.
December 27, 2023
A few years ago I embarked on a new project, “Above and Beyond: Portraits and Interviews of Extraordinary Individuals In Our Time.”
Recognize any? Names listed below.
The arrival of the Pandemic in March, 2020, necessitated an interruption. My desire to press on never waned. I have restarted the project with a recent visit to our studio by the great filmmaker Spike Lee.
https://howardschatz.com/above-and-beyond-an-interview-with-spike-lee/
This is a short overview of 15 of the people who visited the studio prior to the pandemic, plus Spike Lee.
Click here (the video interviews can also be accessed):
https://issuu.com/beverlyornstein/docs/schatz_a_b_issuu_booklet_final?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ
I ask you, our readers, who else ought be invited to participate in this project? Suggestions are welcomed; the most important criterion is that each individual has contributed greatly to the benefit of humanity.
I look forward to your suggestions.
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Finally, this is my last “On Seeing” Journal.
Eight years ago, in October, 2015, I began writing and posting on our website a weekly missive about creativity, art, and the pursuit of surprise and delight through photography. There have been about 450 such posts.
https://howardschatz.com/blog/
I began this quest in an effort to learn who I am, what fascinates me, what moves and energizes me to work, strive, search, experiment, explore. I have learned a lot—one discovers all sorts of things about oneself when writing.
I have come to realize that the taking of photographs is for me, at least in part, the gathering of raw material. The use of such raw material in post production in search of something unexpected, magical and magnificent is what entices, draws, and moves me to work, persist, endeavor, persevere….
I make many, many photographs: most are just OK; some a little better than that; a handful good, I believe. However, the creation of something really unique and special is very challenging, infrequent and even rare.
I have decided to challenge myself: can I create one new image a week that I feel is exceptional? I don’t know. I will try. If a week goes by and I fail, I will not post anything, although I will probably learn something. This challenge scares me a bit but I am game.
Have a look next week, the first week of the New Year, to see if my new missive “A PHOTOGRAPH” appears in your inbox. And, I would appreciate if you would inform others about receiving this weekly post.
As this year comes to a close, we are sending you………
Above and Beyond participants pictured above:
Top row: Lesley Stahl, Anthony Fauci, M.D, Billie Jean King, Spike Lee.
Second row: John Guare, Eve Ensler, David Brooks, Maya Lin.
Third row: Lynn Nottage, Michael Pollan, Carrie Mae Weems, Bill T. Jones.
Bottom row: Philippe Starck, Marian Wright Edelman, Daniel Boulud,
Adam Gopnik.
