Doing With Intention

Konrad Sauer and his 911Recently I was asked to critique a photographer's portfolio, and at some point I learned that all the work was shot on film. I asked the photographer why he shot on film and he said that it was because each shot was a commitment. You have to photograph with intent. The cost of film made each push of a button important and required thought. He didn't get that with digital photography, for which the marginal cost of another picture is zero. This technique helped him focus and make intentional decisions. I write with a fountain pen. It helps me think. Or maybe more accurately it trains me to think. Ink doesn't erase so I have to approach the page with the intention of getting it right. I need to visualize the words and the spelling and the shape of the letters beforehand. It helps me focus and it trains me to think about my intentions whatever I am doing, including designing tools and making things. I also find the entire process as complicated as it is very…