Last week I listened to a podcast with Sturgill Simpson being interviewed by Rick Rubin. Rick is Rick. He’s a legend. And Sturgill is one of my favorite musicians. Not just because he’s extremely talented, but because he takes risks. Every album is different from the last which probably causes him to lose a lot of fans. During the interview Rubin asked if there were any major things that happened to him which greatly improved his career. His answer was great. He talked about a visit to Merle Haggard’s house where they met for the first time. At that point Merle was already a living legend and one of Sturgill’s heroes. Inside the house was the only Grammy Merle ever won. It was on the ground all banged up and scratched, being used as a door stop. At that point Sturgill knew that nothing mattered but the music and the awards don’t mean shit. Sure, awards bring attention to the music, but they don’t make it any better or worse. A turning point for him.
A long time ago I came to that same conclusion and let go of any desire or need to create images that I thought other people would like. It was the best move I ever made. From that point on there was a major change in my photography and the direction of my career. Those changes can cause a lot of short term stress, but ultimately worth it in order to achieve the long term goals. Working on a project like American Backcourts, which has now been going on for 9 years, you go through many different emotional stages. Along the way everybody wants to tell you what you should be doing. If I had a dollar for every person that said I needed to go to New York City to photograph all the famous courts there! While I appreciate their enthusiasm, we just don’t share the same vision. Much respect to those courts and their history, but that’s not what this project is all about. Besides, there are some guys who have been doing that and doing it damn well. If city hoops are your thing, check out Kevin Couliau and Thai Neave. They both do beautiful work. Ultimately, anyone in my position just wants to find a way to connect with other like minded people who will appreciate their book. So it felt great to have an interview/article on the front of the sports page in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Hoosier state. If ever there was a group of people who could appreciate my style of basketball imagery, it’s the Hoosiers. Dana Benbow did a great job with the article, and people really connected with it. Since the publishing a lot of people reached out saying how much they enjoyed it and my project. What more can you ask for? I’m really thankful for all the books headed to Indiana this week because I know the people who bought them think like me and will get a lot of joy from the content. Long live the personal project!!
