Clark Patrick

Here’s my dad and step mom. They’re cool.

Things have been a little crazy for me for the last few weeks…. working like mad. This is good, this is moving me forward. I’ve got a high bar set for myself on a fast time line, with much to be done in the near future. I made this postcard for myself a few years ago to remind me where I stand - to always be pushing myself forward. Within the next 2 months I’m going to be taking some serious financial risks. I have to keep the faith that my choices are the right one.

Alas, I do indeed spend a lot of time at my desk. My cactus that I’ve had since the 5th grade. 30 inch-HD monitor. Camera. Keys. Cell Phone. Wallet. And a whole lot of creativity. Glad to have a window.

Every once and a while I get out with one of my close friends who is a graf artist. I like to hear him talk about his craft. It is interesting how big a part of his life it is and yet it is only something a few people know that he does. He is actually a fairly famous writer in that world but gains nothing from it except the pleasure of following his passion - and so what else matters?

I have recently decided to start doing portraiture work in large format. I did my first experiments with an 8×10 film camera with a friend of mine whose studio space is also in my building. This is a shot he took of me. I edited the contact sheet in photoshop a bit. And these photos of this camera are pictures of the new camera I bought this last Monday. I bought this camera from a local musician who use to do a lot of backpacking and landscape photography. He said he didn’t really have time for it anymore with his family, etc. and gave me a good deal on it. The camera is a Phillips Compact II and was made buy a man in Mich. who I’ve spoke with on the phone several times. I’m really excited about the fact I know the person who made my camera and bought it from the original owner. It feels like the right thing for this type of photography. I can’t wait to start using it. I have a photo shoot on Sunday for my vintage series and will use it then.

So I felt like putting out some positivity. The last month has been nuts for me. I’ve been working blazing hard. To the point where I’ve had to actually say no to some work. It feels good to be making some decent money, but beyond this I’m just really happy. I really enjoy the process of getting better at what I do. And the process of being on the road learning from my mentors, being more selective in my own projects and continuing to build on the direction I’ve started down with my work. I know this all sounds kind of vague, but I guess the bottom line is that for the first time in my life for as hard as I’m working things seem to be falling into place. It’s interesting also to note that I don’t have a TV and have slowly retreated more and more into my own creative world keeping less and less track of what is happening with the rest of the world. I think I’m really a much happier person when my mind isn’t cluttered with news beyond my control. I wish this for everyone. Next week is going to be very busy for me as well but I’m excited about it…. enjoying the process.

So I just got back a bunch of film from being developed from random trips and shoots last year. And I tell you what - there is something about the color in film that still can’t be matched in digital.

Recently someone I know sent me an ‘assignment’ from their photo club…. It needed to include the colors red, blue, and yellow as individual shots. And a self-portrait… I combined mine and did this… Once upon a time I use to work in the the Senate in Washington D.C. - it was intense and I learned a lot. But, although, I love to think about politics I think it’s best I no longer work in it…. it was too emotionally draining for me. Or I guess I mean… Bush ruined America.

A few years ago I wrote this for a family member going through a rough patch… I still stand behind these thoughts.

Thoughts On Choices:

1.) Remember to have faith in your choices.

2.) If you trust yourself to make good choices because you’ve thought about them and you’ve listened to your intuition then you have no reason not to have faith in them.

3.) Enjoy your choices because you can never know for sure, or control, their outcomes.

4.) When you are faced with the outcomes of your choices whether they are good or bad, (even though you made them based on your faith in a positive outcome) you still have control over your life, because you are faced with new choices in response to your original choices’ outcomes.

5.) In other words, 90% of life is your choices, 10% is the outcomes. The outcomes are just as important as the choices, but in the end the only thing you have control over is your choices.

6.) If you make a mistake or something bad happens to you, you can dwell on it or choose to move forward and make your situation better.

7.) The better you can get at turning negative things into new starting points and seeing them as positives the faster all of your choices will become positives for your life.

8.) However, sometimes you need to let negative things be negative, and feel the shit of it for a bit, it helps you understand when things are good, and in a way, it makes them better.

9.) Freedom through decisions - Once you make a choice all that remains is the outcome and you get to find out what happens. You don’t have to think about the outcomes anymore so you have the freedom to choose again.

10.) Take responsibility for your choices and actions.

11.) Finally, sometimes you shouldn’t think so hard about your choices, make random decisions.