The Observer

I’ve always been an observer of life, someone who likes to store away memories and savor them later. I bought my first camera in Japan. All the instructions were in Japanese. My Japanese is limited to “hello,” “thank you,” and “welcome”, but that didn’t stop me. I still have some of those early photographs on my wall.

My writing and my paining evolved in much the same way. I made up stories for my siblings, I experimented with different art media… I used my imagination and a little bit of ingenuity to figure it out.

Regardless of my lack of formal training, I see all forms of art as an attempt to observe and interpret the world around us.

Someone recently asked my what inspired me to write. My answer was simple… writing (or art) is a way of processing life. The stories I tell, the pictures I take or paint, may not be yours, but hopefully they awaken something familiar within you. Maybe it’s nothing more than a fleeting emotion… something… something we share- that brings us all closer together.