This week my focus was on community - as in, no one makes it on their own. I got to spend time with several of the terrific people I went to my undergrad (Art Center) with. It was like a reunion of old army buddies remembering basic training. In the days after, I thought a lot about the gathering and the truth is, I wouldn't have made it through school without them.
As a teacher, I try hard to create situations where my students will bond and work together, because I know that their chances for success increase dramatically if they build a community around what they're trying to accomplish.
So here's a few steps to consider building your own community:
1. Email (text/whatever) four friends to meet for coffee and bring one new photo each.
2. If you're in a photo class, approach the instructor and ask if you could take the last X amount of time during one lab section and have an informal "photo club" meeting. If Photo club is too corny a word...create your own.
3. If you've got a car, invite several photo friends or classmates to go up to a local park. If you're located in Southern California - consider Antelope Valley, where the poppies are in bloom now.
4. If you don't have a car, look up what photo shows are happening locally and have a group of friends take public transit there - spend the day shooting.
5. Don't want to reinvent the wheel...go to your local photo supplier and scan the notices for groups you'd be interested in. In SoCal there are: SoCal Photog Association, South Bay Camera Club, Clickers and Flickers just to name a few. Start attending and see if there are other's you'd like to create a splinter group with.
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