The Art Within

I am no stranger to burnout. Whether I am photographing or socializing I am connected to the emotions and experiences of the people around me. I see opportunities to empower others and I want to help. I go all in. I think this is a key part of what makes photography have meaning. Sharing our work takes great courage.

I had the honor of photographing David Reinke, sculpture artist and graphic designer. David shared with me about the burn out he experienced as an artist and how it led him to open Pizza Mambo in Douglas, Michigan. We explored the emotional connection and the experience of his journey in our photography session.

“As an Artist, I try to become one with the material that I’m using before I even start a piece. Mixing the plaster with my bare hands and feeling the substance before it hardens is a kind of spiritual connection with the future piece. ” ~David

“Then comes the anguish of conceptualizing the sculpture knowing that the end result will be critiqued and judged by the viewer. I feel that the sculpture created is a direct reflection of myself. I have the feeling of “will it be good enough, and will the people viewing it feel the emotion I felt creating it? ~David Reinke

“I put my heart and soul into the work so that the viewer feels that “spiritual connection” or some kind of relationship to the piece. If they have that connection my work is complete.” ~David Reinke

David shared that he experienced healing during our creative session in a way that he was not expecting. I know that I relate as an artist to all of Davids words shared. I am thankful for the artist community that we share. Artists have a beautiful purpose in our world.

Keep on Creating,

Kim