Hiding your light under a bushel - Vivian Maier by peter

or I should say is interested in listening….. it’s also sharing ideas in a pure creative sense, the best way to do this is with other creative minds.

I think sharing can be very liberating in many ways…. why would you think that not sharing would be more liberating…..?

“Life’s a solo journey – we don’t need to share any of ourselves.”

Life can also a very personal journey for some. There are some works I create purely for myself and have never shared, nor feel the need to…they fulfill something within me that requires no further validation, they are in themselves liberating.
Btw, very nice to see you Peter.

Well, I’m always working for me, I ignore (politely) opinions at home or online on some of my works…. I think that I’m the only one “getting” some my works :))) but I know what you’re saying, it reminds me of someone I’ve read recently, I’ll come back when I remembered his name… a philosopher…. I’ve read several recently ….. I’m thinking of two, I’ll check :)

I don’t think we can be fully liberated from the influence and input of others even without sharing as our creation will have others’ influences and input involved in it at some extent. Whether consciously or not.

Peter!! Is that really you? Hi!!!!!
(((happy waves)))

Her images are absolutely wonderful! Wow…..thank you for telling us about her!

As to sharing, I guess we do what “works” for us or feels good (and I know that may sound cynical but even altruism has rewards). Some people are more inclined than others to open their worlds to scrutiny. Some people love to share their time and their possessions, some their stories and wisdom, some their feelings. I’ve never met anyone who shared all of those things equally, and I do think that we share because it benefits us in some way. Sometimes just getting a smile in return for sharing a funny story is the “payback,” but for the sharer that’s enough. You know? Good vibes, karma, satisfaction, whatever…

It’s too bad that we can be dissuaded from sharing by bad reactions, no reactions, etc. But it happens. And sometimes people share only because they’ve been told to (so they do it “to do the right thing”).

Me? I don’t like to share my stuff… I want that last chocolate chip cookie and I’m NOT sharing it!!…LOL…or my time, or my “real self.” Feelings? Yes, some. Stories? Absolutely. Views of the world and humanity? Oh, yes. That’s part of why I write and make the images that I share. It works for me; I get that payback of knowing that someone may see or feel or understand something I the way I intended. Or not. It’s a little connection. But probably 50% of what I do isn’t for sharing. The risk is too great, still. It’s a tap dance on the edge of time, Peter…deciding how much we can and are willing to share in the days we have left in our lives, how much we’re willing to risk in order to get that precious connection.

And there are things that I’ll never share. I create them for me, my connections with my self. Being able to do that is a freedom that I treasure. And it’s all mine.

Great to see you!!
((hugs))

It IS great to see you Peter!

My thoughts on your question, “Why do you share?”
My hubby would be wanting to know why I had bought all that gear, and why I was leaving the house at 2am with said gear…..if I hadn’t been sharing what I have been doing ;) Clearly Vivian didn’t have anyone to ask those questions….

What a great find though!

I wonder if she didn’t have the need or didn’t have the confidence? Can we know for sure.
But different people have different needs. To me, the creative process is incomplete until it is viewed or read by another. I wonder why I think that way? I wonder why some sort of reaction or validation is important to me. You have me thinking, Peter.

Peter, I’ll swap you two lads, (22 and 19, one house trained one not so much). Being severely outnumbered by males I really could do with a few more girls. But seriously, what better way to be distracted? :)

On this observation of yours Anne: (“I don’t think we can be fully liberated from the influence and input of others even without sharing as our creation will have others’ influences and input involved in it at some extent. Whether consciously or not.”).
I understand what you are saying in regards to not being free of external influences, nothing is a truly original idea nor does anything exist in a vacuum (except perhaps a few million dust mites ;) )
For me the liberation exists totally within the absence of the need to share, it sits squarely outside of the fear of rejection, possible lack of understanding from others or validation from others, and nestles quite comfortably in the singular feeling of self satisfaction in an achievement. (I’m not sure if this makes any sense at all).

I share things which have brought me pleasure or amusement in the hope that they will bring a moment of the same to others, be they things I have “made” or things natural or contrived by others.

I share other things in the hope that they will evoke or provoke a response, be it a memory or a new thought/experiece, from others.

Beauty is universal but the things which are considered beautiful are not. What one person finds beautiful others may think it is ugly, sad, amusing or smoething else. By seeing what someone else considers beautiful, we may learn to look at it differently, especially if we haven’t seen or thought about it before. You only have to look at the people who leave comments on work, here on RB: they are all ages, races/cultures, both genders, beliefs,

It is only when someone finds something which is harmful to be beautiful that we, as a group, society or other collection of people, must protest. But, we must be very careful how we define harm.

And, in reference to Vivian Maier – I came across her work somewhere else quite recently. I’m not sure where, though – it could have been in a newspaper, a magazine, it’s even possible someone here on RB introduced her by means fo a Journal detailing their discovery of her.

Amazing story and ideal. I can’t quite understand it, even as somebody who is quite withdrawn in many ways I can say that I share only the smallest parts of my work with others. But at the same time, I would find it kind of…. strange? (I was going to say ‘wrong’ but that’s not right)… to create art without implicitly wanting to show ANY of it at all to anybody. Very amazing. It also makes me wonder what she might have thought about the idea of her work being shown after her death : would it have frightened her? made her excited? regretful? Or even completely indifferent??

For many years I was reclusive, then I began to share. Sharing has made me long for the days of being a recluse, selfishly keeping my thoughts and my art to myself. Exposure through the art and images we create is a risky business, dangerous and fraught with peril. There are always those who will seek only to do harm out of jealousy and engage in petty battles for some perceived top spot. Strangers get too close and friends back away when too much of the inner self is exposed.

Vivian Maier seems to have been a wise person. Thank you for sharing. ;-)

Hi Peter :)
Thankyounfir sharing these wonderful images! I share because it is my duty. To share my happiness, to share my wisdom, to share my take on life through my images. I hope that I have a least made a difference to at least one persons life, however I strive to make a difference to many! Enjoy your girls that sounds like Fun :) a joy that I one day hope to enjoy and share :)

Thanks Peter for bringing Vivian to us.
She may not of thought of being amongst others who had a creative heart like hers but what a big heart me thinks she must of had.
That is for me the crux of my sharing, it is my heart that I share so it is done with fear at times to risk exposing ideas, thoughts, concepts but is always is worth the risk.
Perhaps Vivian had a creative heart that could beat soundly for one and in that I think she was unique.
I need to heart the creative hearts of others around me. :)

Hi Peter and thanks for sharing.
Why do I create, why do I share?
Well I really don’t know the answer to those questions at this point in time. Up until recently I thought it may have been to share what I see with the world, and I suppose that is still the main point, but things in my life have taken many twists and turns lately and I wonder if it is just for the ego trip or other reasons.
Sometimes I think it maybe just the trip of ego, but there are times when I think…whoa FIGJAM, f@#k I’m Good,just ask me. (sorry for the French :-))
As artists we all have those times, cmon who can deny it? I reckon not many, especially in this time of technology. We want to show our BEST…but that is where capitalist society comes in. WE ALL WANT to show what we can do, we all think we can be better than others.
I reckon we are all different with our own perspectives on life…our own vision. Why copy everyone else when we are all individuals?
Actually I have been going against the norm of late because I am pissed off, excuse the French again, because I am sick and tired of seeing the same thing…long exposures of sunsets and sunrises…they are so boring.
I don’t have the latest tech…my camera is a couple of years old and has been through the wars…I recently dropped it and to be honest I have had to do a lot more in PP to make my images work the way I want them to.
I am also not a canon/nikon user. I still love my camera and would not swap it for the world, even though I have issues with it.
The heart of people come out when they go their own way. The feeling of people come out when they do “THEIR” thing!!! That is what makes an artist UNIQUE!!!

Funny … funny question … and a good one … makes me think and wonder. All I know is that back in the days when I couldn’t do much else, I could pick up a pencil and draw and draw. To show these scribbles to my parents and feel their enthusiasm and love was the goal of my life. When Daddy would take one in to work then tell me how everyone loved my drawing … or when Mom taped one to the fridge (this was before refrigerator magnets, yes I’m old) … was the end-all-be-all of my little world. Later on, but still before the camera had taken a chunk out of my soul, I would wander art galleries or sit in front of the computer for hours on end scrolling the great online galleries of the world. What I wouldn’t have given to strike up a conversation with the masters and let them know how deeply they moved my soul!!!!!! The discovery of the camera and the ability to create something pretty myself was like a great door opening to a whole new world, and the ability to communicate back and forth with other artists was a dream come true. I believe I’m not the only one out here who is truly, emotionally touched when an image reaches out. Learning from, emulating and sharing with others has now become like breathing to me … automatic and joyful. And it doesn’t hurt when I sense the echos of kindness and enthusiasm in my artist friends that reminds me of my long-gone mom and dad.

Good to “see” you, Peter! Robin sent me a bmail asking if I’d seen your post. We’ve missed your presence.

Although I had seen some of Vivian Maier’s work online earlier, coupling her unseen work with the question you pose is excellent.
Perhaps I risk sharing to:
1) Reach out,
2) learn from others and about others,
3) and continue to learn and stimulate brain cells as I grow older,
4) (and to keep up with my IT spouse about all-things cyber-related!)

I do know that I wouldn’t share my efforts in photography or writing in the “real” 3D world. I would visit museums and libraries and internalize. Even offering an opinion in the, cough, MoT proved both difficult and mind-expanding. Thanks for that.

And I’ve come to understand that sharing work does offer, as you write, “a relative understanding of oneself”. Nicely worded. Hope you can appear here a bit more, but I’m sure your two girls will flourish with your attention—they’ll learn to share and explore, perhaps, without fear!

Thanks for all that you’ve done.

What a lovely and insightful link, many of the portraits and self portraits were intense. She looked lost or alittle sad in afew. I wonder if she did not feel a need to share, because she knew she was documenting life’s moments and seeing them through her own eyes was enough and she just enjoyed the interest of photography (outside of her work) etc. Maybe back then, women photographers were a rarity? and she didn’t feel her work would be recognised, maybe developing was pricey and she was unable to pay for the things she needed? I don’t know much about photographers in the 50’s obviously something for me to research :) I enjoyed her entire portfolio and story. Best wishes to you and yours.

why do you share?

Peter, this is a question I have often asked myself. The answers are surprisingly disappointing. I share because I’d like to be known and loved for who I am. I share because I would like some validation that I’m worthwhile. I share because sometimes I think everyone else should hear a message, that i have not even applied to my own life yet…so how would i know what’s good for others. I too, have had a similar realisation, be quiet, just be….it’s enough to just ‘be’

Wonderful work – I look forward to seeing the works, your examples here are completely arresting.

Peter Peter, I’ve had a revelation….I do share for all the wrong reasons, but some fight ones too, because it can shine a light in darkness….yay, I’m so happy I saw some reason to continue sharin…big hug!! You see, when others share something, like a dark Poem, it releases my emotions, in a healthy way…or a picture will light up my world…what if no one ever shared, I would not make connections I need that grow me and help me understand different points if view…I have to hooe and believe too, that by sharing, others will come to understand the world as I see it…this seems very important to me at the present time….perhaps there are other times and seasons tho, where the soul must hibernate and go into a deep silence…I have been there for over 40 years and only just found a little voice that wanted to express itself beyond herself :))

Ps thanks for sharing and making me think!!!!!

And fight should be ‘right’ lol

Perhaps or just internal and content with the world inside.. Nice find.