Another farewell...

Note: See the clarification above.

Just read today that my friend Bruce, aka BT Charles, is "turning the page" on his erotic photography and essentially closing up shop. He'll be doing photography as a hobby, concentrating on nature, landscapes, and architecture. I guess this has been in the wind for a while now, as he's dropped a few hints that "the thrill is gone" and has had a lot on his plate personally, so I'm not entirely surprised, but talking to him just last weekend it sounded like he was still going to stick with it for a while longer. While I support him in his decision to step away from a pursuit he found had become a burden, it won't be the same without him in the game. I do hope that he won't disappear completely from the art community.

BT's retirement has also is given me food for thought. He had gained quite a level of success and recognition within the local and national art community, even extending internationally, with work in more than a few prominent publications, numerous exhibits and inclusion in several permanent collections, strong sales of his work, and a variety of other achievements that seemed to be happening more and more frequently. And while I'm sure he found these to be rewarding and gratifying, evidently it still came down to whether or not he was enjoying the process of creating new work. Who knows? Maybe in six months or six years he'll get the urge again, but walking away from it when the inspiration is gone is probably preferable to feeling obliged to keep at it and hoping that lightning will strike a second time. I hope he won't mind me conjecturing on some of these points, but whenever I hear about someone reaching a decision like this, it makes me take stock, too.

I guess one lesson I can take away from this is that, while recognition and sales are good things, if the art isn't there for its own sake, does the rest really matter? One can have goals and objectives and dreams, but those generally aren't enough to actually lead to achievement. The key seems to be enjoying the process itself, regardless of outcome or reward. I'm sure BT could press on doing what he does and reaping the rewards, even if his heart wasn't in it, but life is short, so do what you love as long as you love it.

Take care Bruce...