After leaving the school, I have felt a little lost. The Paper has provided me with a solid base to work from, but it was obvious to me from early on, it would not satisfy my need to connect.
By connect I do not mean meet new people, because it certainly provides that. What I mean is, connect and follow through. I meet so many people who could just do with a little hand up. I like people, love animals and have developed a strong connection with the place I live.
The paper provides a valuable service, but it does not have the time, the need or resources to keep contact with the subjects of it’s many one-off stories and can only go so deep.
Dreamer? Maybe, but if you are lucky and able to help, then you should.
When I can, I pass on any images I can to worthy causes, but this has two issues. It does bend the rules a little at the already hard pressed paper and secondly, it only serves to remind me there is more to do.
I have decided that my soul and my mind both need something more than just one avenue of connection and that avenue should be giving without need for recompense. With this in mind I have started to look to not for profit and volunteer groups who could do with a little record keeping, event documenting, a gift to their charges of some images, maybe a feel good retrospective project or even a social or advertising presence they would not otherwise be able to to do or afford.
I could go deeper and give more than just my limited skill set, but it seems to me I should offer what I can do as widely as possible to do as much good as I can. We live in a very visual world, but often this constant need for quality content goes unserved.
A moment of brotherhood with the New Horizons football club who represented the state recently (and did really well).
An example is a music group who have formed several bands around members as young as 12 and as old as 85. This combination of free mentoring and the enabling of older members is a perfect match, but unfortunately, they have no funds, just lost their practice venue and may fold. If I can I will record their remaining concerts, maybe grow their presence or just be another voice that lets them know they are/were appreciated.
Part historian, part enabler, part support element, I hope that what I can bring to the show is of some value to someone somewhere.