2024 12 26
Becoming a Fine Art Photographer in 2025
This past year has really been a re-focusing of my photography career in many ways. Headwinds working against the commercial photography business have pushed me in many new directions, including more towards the art photography world. To be candid, I’m grateful for it. I’ve spent years neglecting my core passions of photography largely because the money was good. It’s been, and will continue to be, a process getting over the feeling of “selling out.” This process will continue and hopefully only thrive in the new year, as I make a prioritized effort towards making my own personal work from a more artistic perspective (in addition to the commercial work that pays the bills — the worry is that by trying to do both, I could dilute them both and fail spectacularly, forcing myself to become a bartender). Making money through photography is not a bad thing, don’t get me wrong. I’m just working to find a better balance and not shun the type of work that brings me joy.
At the core of this new artistic endeavor, at least as of right now, is a loosely defined Illinois Project aka Ill Wandering. The general idea behind this project is to explore the state I’ve resided in my entire life, while excluding the one county (Cook) that I spend 99% of my time in. Chicago gets all the attention (like my commercial photo career has been) but the state is so much bigger and more interesting than this one city, as great as it is. I aim to explore and document the history, people, textures, decay, nature, landscapes, and mystery contained in all one-hundred and one counties of the state that don’t include the city of Chicago.
The end goal is to turn this project into a photobook, although what exactly that book is is very much a mystery to even me at this point. I’m also considering the idea of making the project more web-based, like this here blog, with the aim of gaining exposure to the project as I collect images and stories over the coming months and, likely, years. One big challenge I’ve had so far is that I haven’t shared much, if any, of the work I’ve made so far publicly. That has been hard! I tend to be an over-sharer, so my thinking has been that this new approach (to me) in making more artistic and thoughtful work should be handled differently than my previous work, which would be blasted out onto the internet as it was made. Art is made in the decisions and juxtaposition of images, which create meaning and narrative.
My current struggle is the feeling that I’m only sharing my second tier work with the world. All of the best stuff, be it work made for commission or work made for myself, is hiding away on hard drives, not being shared. There are many justifications for this (including: fear the good work isn’t actually all that good and I will be discovered; fear of sharing all the work up front will take away from the moment when it is finally reveled; fear that sharing more of my commercial work will muddle my vision for pivoting more towards artistic photography), but the biggest reason is simply that in holding back the new work I am now creating, I can sculp and shape it into whatever becomes of it down the road. Meaning, connection, and narrative should form organically as the project is carried out.
In the end, my newfound push towards getting my ass out of the house to make work that speaks directly to me has been driven and motivated by countless other photographers, through their books, websites, YouTube videos, and instagram accounts. I’ve been diving deep into the world of photography that I’ve regrettably neglected while the gettin’ was good. Getting back to my roots and putting in the effort to schooling myself on these things has been wildly inspiring, and in the end, the sole purpose of this effort is not in seeking fame or fortune (chances at either of those through this project are slim). This is about self-growth and personal discovery both in my photography and in myself. If I’m able to take a few people along for the ride and give them some new perspective as well, that would be super exciting.
Likelihood it will happen: HIGH!
-Clayton
Quiet street at sundown. Grayville, Illinois. April, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
Becoming a Fine Art Photographer in 2025
This past year has really been a re-focusing of my photography career in many ways. Headwinds working against the commercial photography business have pushed me in many new directions, including more towards the art photography world. To be candid, I’m grateful for it. I’ve spent years neglecting my core passions of photography largely because the money was good. It’s been, and will continue to be, a process getting over the feeling of “selling out.” This process will continue and hopefully only thrive in the new year, as I make a prioritized effort towards making my own personal work from a more artistic perspective (in addition to the commercial work that pays the bills — the worry is that by trying to do both, I could dilute them both and fail spectacularly, forcing myself to become a bartender). Making money through photography is not a bad thing, don’t get me wrong. I’m just working to find a better balance and not shun the type of work that brings me joy.
At the core of this new artistic endeavor, at least as of right now, is a loosely defined Illinois Project aka Ill Wandering. The general idea behind this project is to explore the state I’ve resided in my entire life, while excluding the one county (Cook) that I spend 99% of my time in. Chicago gets all the attention (like my commercial photo career has been) but the state is so much bigger and more interesting than this one city, as great as it is. I aim to explore and document the history, people, textures, decay, nature, landscapes, and mystery contained in all one-hundred and one counties of the state that don’t include the city of Chicago.
The end goal is to turn this project into a photobook, although what exactly that book is is very much a mystery to even me at this point. I’m also considering the idea of making the project more web-based, like this here blog, with the aim of gaining exposure to the project as I collect images and stories over the coming months and, likely, years. One big challenge I’ve had so far is that I haven’t shared much, if any, of the work I’ve made so far publicly. That has been hard! I tend to be an over-sharer, so my thinking has been that this new approach (to me) in making more artistic and thoughtful work should be handled differently than my previous work, which would be blasted out onto the internet as it was made. Art is made in the decisions and juxtaposition of images, which create meaning and narrative.
My current struggle is the feeling that I’m only sharing my second tier work with the world. All of the best stuff, be it work made for commission or work made for myself, is hiding away on hard drives, not being shared. There are many justifications for this (including: fear the good work isn’t actually all that good and I will be discovered; fear of sharing all the work up front will take away from the moment when it is finally reveled; fear that sharing more of my commercial work will muddle my vision for pivoting more towards artistic photography), but the biggest reason is simply that in holding back the new work I am now creating, I can sculpt and shape it into whatever becomes of it down the road. Meaning, connection, and narrative should form organically as the project is carried out.
In the end, my newfound push towards getting my ass out of the house to make work that speaks directly to me has been driven and motivated by countless other photographers, through their books, websites, YouTube videos, and instagram accounts. I’ve been diving deep into the world of photography that I’ve regrettably neglected while the gettin’ was good. Getting back to my roots and putting in the effort to schooling myself on these things has been wildly inspiring, and in the end, the sole purpose of this effort is not in seeking fame or fortune (chances at either of those through this project are slim). This is about self-growth and personal discovery both in my photography and in myself. If I’m able to take a few people along for the ride and give them some new perspective as well, that would be super exciting.
-Clayton
This is one entry in a multi-part series of self-exploration and contemplation-out-loud in advance of the new calendar year. Some of this may happen; none of this may happen.
For the complete list of posts, please see 2024 12 25.