(embiggenable)
POPEYE THE SAILOR MAN REPEATABLY DECLARED TO THE WORLD, “I yam what I yam and that’s all what I am. I’m Popeye the sailor man.”
Were I to be a teacher of things photography, Popeye’s words would be printed large and mounted on the wall at the head of the classroom. That’s cuz, iMo and iMpersonal experience, if you desire to be a unique actor in the world of Art, plain and simple, ya gotta be what ya yam.
To wit, ya gotta discover and recognize the innate manner-the one ya came equipped with when ya slid down the chute-with which ya see the world. That is, a way of seeing which, in the Art World, is labeled as one’s personal vision.
Re: vision: in a purely “mechanical” sense, seeing begins when light falls on the eyes, initiating the process of transduction (the action or process of converting something, especially energy or a message into another form). Once this literal visual information reaches the visual cortex, it is processed by a variety of neurons that detect colours, shapes, and motion which creates meaningful perceptions-a mental image-out of the incoming visual stimuli.
Think of that like this: the “mechanical” apparatus of human vision records literal visual information. However, because we are sentient beings, we are able to use our mental acuity to create perceptions-responses to the sensations-about the literal visual information that we see. Or, as Edward Weston suggested:
...[the] “strongest way of seeing…means no more than to see and present it in the strongest manner possible….so called “composition” becomes a personal thing, to be developed along with technique, as a personal way of seeing.
All of that written, finding one’s vision-putting your own imprimatur on your work-all comes down to a concept expressed by Robert Henri in his 1923 book, The Art Spirit*:
“An artist has to get acquainted with himself as much as he can. [cuz] The technique of a little individuality will be a little technique. However long studied it still will be a little technique, the measure of the man. The greatness of art depends absolutely on the greatness of the artist’s individuality…”
Bottom line:
“Know thyself ” ~ Socrates, and, “To thine own self be true” ~ William Shakespeare
*In addition to Popeye’s words in my things photography classroom, there is only a single mandatory read - The Art Spirit by Robert Henri.