digital / film

in a land far far away i studied photography. moved to nashville to teach kids, lived with three other photographers, and got burnt out. somewhere in there everyone else was trying to be a photographer as well, and in my true anti-hip anti-competitive nature, decided that i didn't want to compete to be cool. my conscious continuously told me that having a camera around my neck automatically made me someone who wanted to be just like everyone else. the fear being that whatever greatness i could possess would get lost.

when i first got my camera i vowed that if it became something more than a tool (for art or documentary) i would stop taking photos.

so i put my camera down.

it collected all sorts of dust for a solid year.

in pursuit of great treasures a friend and i went to a yard sale and found a pentax for five dollars (and a half-broken lightbox). of course not having more than a couple bucks on me (everything at yard sales should cost a quarter-one dollar) he bought the camera for me. one of the greatest gifts i've ever received.

my pentax is so deeply treasured, and has become my favorite form of documentation. my digital camera, however, still sits on the shelf (mostly), so when nathanael mehrens asked me to take photos for him, i had to wipe a few years worth of dust off of it.

so here's a little preview from the digital :

i'm excited to share the great treasures that come back from the pentax film, but i'd say this is pretty decent.

remember the things you once loved and put down. they might surprise you if you tried them again.

- k

fox skulls

nathanael mehrens is going back on tour for summer/fall. on and off, but the majority of these seasons he'll be all over the US, playing shows. so. don't miss out - dates will be up as soon as possible.

i got the privilege to sketch/design the posters for him, so i thought i'd share with you a little of what i've been working on. i tried so hard to push the limits, make something so obscure, incredibly brilliant, blah blah blah. but i couldn't pull away from the fox. and i can't really ever get away from bones. so, here you go:

oh yeah, and happy june.

- k.

found : photo

i don't know, but there's a lot of hatred towards the end. 

- k.

ps. a n palamara's release show is tonight @ 314 scott ave. you probably want to be there. marrow & the broken bones, and nathanael mehrens will also be playing. 

happy 72˚ monday

the little monster i made for el.

i can't believe its the 22nd of november and 72˚ outside (only downfall: allergies. damn you allergies). i can't believe that tomorrow is my 23rd birthday. time does fly, but i'm still just a baby.

lately i have been struggling through the idea of value & meaning. you know, questions like "what am i doing here?" "does my art mean anything?" "is my art marketable?" "do i really value my art, or even, myself?" on and on and on and on.

David Hamby, a dear friend, really helped me understand something - if you're doing what you love, and what you feel like you're meant to do, it'll market itself... in the place you feel most free, beauty will flow, and become contagious... when we try to gear ourselves towards what other people want, we're really only seeking their approval & appreciation, thus losing ourselves. besides, the last thing anyone wants is to be so focused on marketing that they lose who they really are, and the work they really want to do.

all this to say: i'm learning (slowly) to be who i am, without settling, or selling out. what are things you struggle with in art? and how to do you overcome them?

so i gave my hand at making a terrarium for el. and i framed a monster for her too.

jars from the thrift store... it was a haven of terrariums!

see my new tattoo? i just love it.

this weekend was full of so much love - family, friends who are family, friends, friends around a fire, good food, all of our favorite places (including whole foods, trader joes, the book store, etc). saturday meant doing whatever we wanted until friends came over to celebrate, eat cake, and have a drink around a fire. sunday we spent drinking fresh pressed beet-kale-apple juice, coffee, lounging at Arrington Vineyards (while eating cheese, apples, and tasting wine), reading The Beautiful & Damned (by F. Scott Fitzgerald) aloud, and finishing off the weekend with dinner, Toy Story 3 (which was fantastic... i laughed so hard i cried... watch it!), raspberry dessert wine & truffles. there's definitely no need for more celebration - however, it is always welcome - and thanksgiving is coming at a perfect time... as always (and of course i forgot my camera for almost all of these things..... i'm terrible... but i refuse to forget it on thanksgiving!).

so, what did you do this weekend?

if we don't chat, which i'm thinking we will, happy thanksgiving,

- k.

all images ©kbaergen

ps. listen to Nathanael Mehrens.