2024 12 02
Seems like weāre due for another Life Update Monday around here. Itās been a while. As always, I use this blog primarily as a space for me to think and practice writing. Honestly, after close to a year of doing this every day, Iām happy with the results so far! That said, this year has also been a blur. Iām clearly taking on too much and doing too many different things. While mostly by design, Iām aware itās not sustainable and plan to scale back on my ambitions next year, while hopefully focusing on less things simultaneously.
Today, I woke up to a social media post that hit me:
Nietzsche describes 3 modern vices:
ļ»æļ»æļ»æOverwork. To be constantly busy is self-negation. It betrays "a will to forget" oneself.
ļ»æļ»æļ»æCuriosity. Vague curiosity about everything, without deep obsessions, goes nowhere.
ļ»æļ»æļ»æSympathy. Sympathy for all = a refusal to rank good and bad.
Iām definitely guilty of numbers one and two and generally agree with his assessment of their negative aspects. These next two weeks are going to be a whirlwind, as I have a number of studio events going on (including a holiday market I organized happening this Saturday!) and multiple photo shoots (some my own, including a large four-day shoot, along with others where I play the role of studio manager). Picking priorities and ensuring the most important tasks donāt get neglected is critical, but of course, many of the less important details are going to get put off. My printing, side projects, a holiday party, bartending, Illinois Project, reading, photo editing, website updating, blogging, film screenings, portrait sessions, all will have to wait until next year.
Bigger picture, a big takeaway Iāve had from this yearās chaos was that I love running a photo studio space, largely for reasons that donāt even involve photo shoots: hosting and planning events, collaborating with fun and interesting people, community. Itās a ton of work and exhausting, but nevertheless fills me with purpose and inspiration. The big challenge is figuring out how to make an event space sustainable financially.
Ideally, I can continue to focus my time and energy on these things, while also keeping my love for photography in the forefront. I continually look at places like Baltimore Photo Space as inspiration and plan to pursuit some hybrid entity that combines all the things See You Soon already is, while making it more focused on photography as an art form, which I continue to think is wildly underrated.
I realize this is all quite vague, and thatās because it is and will continue to be a work in progress, and there are still lots of questions to be answered. This post, I hope, will serve as a reminder to myself that I canāt neglect focusing inward and giving my own voice a space to talk. Whatever becomes of See You Soon will be best guided by following my own interests and excitement and not by attempting to copy something that exists elsewhere.
-Clayton
Baltimore Photo Space. Photo Books Inside. Baltimore, Maryland. September, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Seems like weāre due for another Life Update Monday around here. Itās been a while. As always, I use this blog primarily as a space for me to think and practice writing. Honestly, after close to a year of doing this every day, Iām happy with the results so far! That said, this year has also been a blur. Iām clearly taking on too much and doing too many different things. While mostly by design, Iām aware itās not sustainable and plan to scale back on my ambitions next year, while hopefully focusing on less things simultaneously.
Today, I woke up to a social media post that hit me:
Nietzsche describes 3 modern vices:
ļ»æļ»æļ»æOverwork. To be constantly busy is self-negation. It betrays "a will to forget" oneself.
ļ»æļ»æļ»æCuriosity. Vague curiosity about everything, without deep obsessions, goes nowhere.
ļ»æļ»æļ»æSympathy. Sympathy for all = a refusal to rank good and bad.
Iām definitely guilty of numbers one and two and generally agree with his assessment of their negative aspects. These next two weeks are going to be a whirlwind, as I have a number of studio events going on (including a holiday market I organized happening this Saturday!) and multiple photo shoots (some my own, including a large four-day shoot, along with others where I play the role of studio manager). Picking priorities and ensuring the most important tasks donāt get neglected is critical, but of course, many of the less important details are going to get put off. My printing, side projects, a holiday party, bartending, Illinois Project, reading, photo editing, website updating, blogging, film screenings, portrait sessions, all will have to wait until next year.
Bigger picture, a big takeaway Iāve had from this yearās chaos was that I love running a photo studio space, largely for reasons that donāt even involve photo shoots: hosting and planning events, collaborating with fun and interesting people, community. Itās a ton of work and exhausting, but nevertheless fills me with purpose and inspiration. The big challenge is figuring out how to make an event space sustainable financially.
Ideally, I can continue to focus my time and energy on these things, while also keeping my love for photography in the forefront. I continually look at places like Baltimore Photo Space as inspiration and plan to pursuit some hybrid entity that combines all the things See You Soon already is, while making it more focused on photography as an art form, which I continue to think is wildly underrated.
I realize this is all quite vague, and thatās because it is and will continue to be a work in progress, and there are still lots of questions to be answered. This post, I hope, will serve as a reminder to myself that I canāt neglect focusing inward and giving my own voice a space to talk. Whatever becomes of See You Soon will be best guided by following my own interests and excitement and not by attempting to copy something that exists elsewhere.
-Clayton
2024 11 24
Did you know the roller coaster sound of a lift hill that plays while the iconic game RollerCoaster Tycoon loads up is from Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America? I worked at Great America and operated that ride for a few years. This year, in my current job as photographer, I also got to utilize a roller coaster while taking tourism photography in Ocean City, Maryland. While there, I met the owner of a roller coaster and thought to myself: this very well could be me in a few more decades.
-Clayton
Roller coaster towers over the bus station. Ocean City, Maryland. September, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Did you know the roller coaster sound of a lift hill that plays while the iconic game RollerCoaster Tycoon loads up is from Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America? I worked at Great America and operated that ride for a few years. This year, in my current job as photographer, I also got to utilize a roller coaster while taking tourism photography in Ocean City, Maryland. While there, I met the owner of a roller coaster and thought to myself: this very well could be me in a few more decades.
-Clayton
2024 10 16
Sadly, Iām here to announce the end of this here blog. While we didnāt quite hit our goal of one year of continuous daily blogging, I think we should be proud of the two-hundred and eighty some odd days we did complete!
For those of you who are curious about why the sudden end is necessary, let me explain. Today I was offered a job I couldnāt say no to. The Listerine company has a viral marketing division and Iāve accepted the role of clandestine marketer for the Chicago region. Basically, my job will be to attend six to ten karaoke events nightly and sing Bushās hit song āGlycerineā, while humorously swapping out the title word for that of my new employer, Americaās best mouthwash brand, Listerine. Perks of the job include free mouth mash and one draft beer at each location to help me blend in with the crowd. Iām excited for the opportunity to push the Listerine brand forward and help America keep our teeth looking sparkly clean. Also, if youād be so kind to follow my TikTok account @BushMegaFanG, I would super appreciate it. If I get a post to go viral, I get really nice job perks, such as lunch with the CEO at Applebeeās or additional drink tickets, which I can also trade in for their cash value if I decide not to consume the alcohol and instead sneak a decoy beer container into the bar to appear like a regular customer.
Anyway. Thanks so much for stopping by and Iāll see you at karaoke!!
-BushMegaFanG
Bar whoopsie. Ocean City, Maryland. September, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Sadly, Iām here to announce the end of this here blog. While we didnāt quite hit our goal of one year of continuous daily blogging, I think we should be proud of the two-hundred and eighty some odd days we did complete!
For those of you who are curious about why the sudden end is necessary, let me explain. Today I was offered a job I couldnāt say no to. The Listerine company has a viral marketing division and Iāve accepted the role of clandestine marketer for the Chicago region. Basically, my job will be to attend six to ten karaoke events nightly and sing Bushās hit song āGlycerineā, while humorously swapping out the title word for that of my new employer, Americaās best mouthwash brand, Listerine. Perks of the job include free mouth mash and one draft beer at each location to help me blend in with the crowd. Iām excited for the opportunity to push the Listerine brand forward and help America keep our teeth looking sparkly clean. Also, if youād be so kind to follow my TikTok account @BushMegaFanG, I would super appreciate it. If I get a post to go viral, I get really nice job perks, such as lunch with the CEO at Applebeeās or additional drink tickets, which I can also trade in for their cash value if I decide not to consume the alcohol and instead sneak a decoy beer container into the bar to appear like a regular customer.
Anyway. Thanks so much for stopping by and Iāll see you at karaoke!!
-BushMegaFanG
2024 08 27
Caught a fish haul returning to dock while out scouting for our shoot. The boat set out at 3:30am and travelled seventy miles off shore. While this was a paid trip for tourists looking for a bit of deep-sea action, it was an interesting scene to encounter and got me thinking about how vastly complex our world is, and how typically these days most of our food ecosystem takes place behind the scenes and out of sight. We choose a number or place an order and minutes later, a hot fresh plate is waiting. I just had a chicken sandwich for dinner, and while seeing a few dozen dead fish on the dock is one thing, I canāt imagine what the equivalent scene would look like down the road at the chicken factory.
-Clayton
The end of the line for ole fishy. Ocean City, Maryland. August, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Caught a fish haul returning to dock while out scouting for our shoot. The boat set out at 3:30am and travelled seventy miles off shore. While this was a paid trip for tourists looking for a bit of deep-sea action, it was an interesting scene to encounter and got me thinking about how vastly complex our world is, and how typically these days most of our food ecosystem takes place behind the scenes and out of sight. We choose a number or place an order and minutes later, a hot fresh plate is waiting. I just had a chicken sandwich for dinner, and while seeing a few dozen dead fish on the dock is one thing, I canāt imagine what the equivalent scene would look like down the road at the chicken factory.
-Clayton