Who am I?

Photo by Michael Schmidt used without permission.

This question is not posed to you, my dear readers, but to me. I am a draftsman, a designer. This is my vocation. I was trained as a machinist but was making prints long before I was making chips. Anyone who reads this blog knows my two main hobbies are motorcycles and photography. I checked in on the blog of Michael Schmidt (not always safe for work) today as I do regularly. Michael is a fashion photographer as his vocation. He clearly loves motorcycling and does some bike related work. The photo above is a reflection of that. This picture really speaks to me. Arguably, good photographs, or at least saleable photographs, should appeal to the viewer without the benefit of context.  This is not a critique of the photo or Mr. Schmidt as I am a fan of both. This picture reminds me of me. It reminds me of me because of the context of my life. Drafting, motorcycles, photography. I've been struggling with who I am and the choices I've made for a long time. Learning to draw the line between who I am and who I want to be is getting a little easier. Of course, who I want to be is somewhat elusive. I don't think I'm alone there. The photo above is not a picture of who I want to be but certainly indicates what I'm about. Manual drafting, out of print books, photos shot on film. All on a digital weblog in the here and now that is 2011.