It’s Not the Tool

In A Beautiful Anarchy, Creativity and Inspiration, The Craft, The Life Creative by David7 Comments

There’s a lot of talk these days about how much better analog tools are than digital, but when we rely on our tools to render soul and authenticity in our work, when the tools get either the credit or the blame, I think we’re heading in the wrong direction. Let’s talk about it.

I’ve decided to begin posting my weekly podcast here to my blog, as well as the other platforms, just to make it easy to get to everything I make in one place. You can still get it at aBeautifulAnarchy.com or on iTunes, Spotify, and the usual other suspects.

You can also download the mp3 file here and you can read the transcript here.

One of the reasons I am doing this is there is no way to leave comments through the other platforms, but you can do so here. In the coming months I’ll be less and less on social media. It might be a permanent move away from the world of Facebook and Instagram, it might not, but I want to be sure I remain available and that our conversations continue.

Want to be told when new episodes are live and ready for you? I’ll send you a very brief email to let you know it’s there. I’ll also send you every issue of On The Make, which comes out every 4 weeks when the podcast isn’t airing. Just click here and let me know where to send it.

Comments

  1. David, perfect. The final “you are enough” in this age of “its not not my fault” is reassuring and powerful, because it makes “fault” meaningless. I keep coming back to your blog and books for the resonance and reassurance. There is nothing that we do that matters but everything we do matters.

    Thank you.

    Ed

  2. I thoroughly enjoyed this episode, and I’ll admit to feeling relieved by the message. Unlike many other activities in my life, I enjoy the process of making pictures as much, or maybe even more, than the finished products. Even though I live on a budget and cannot afford fancy equipment, I adore my steadfast camera and simple editing tools. I get to make art every single day! Sometimes my confidence takes a beating when I’m around the folks in my local photography club where the topics always seem to be about gear, or when I pick up a new book and the focus is all about processing and tips or tricks. But when I listen to your podcast, I am reminded to trust myself. I’ve got this!

    1. Author

      You sure do, Donna. Art is within us, not within the tools. Those tools sometimes represent different creative opportunities, but the soul comes from you. Cheers!

  3. Great one again, David! Reminds me not to blame anybody, the muse or my tool in case the result of my photograph “sucks”. It’s only me who has to figure out why the photograph does not work in my eyes.
    Have a good weekend,
    Michael

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