“Our lives begin to end the moment we remain silent about the things that matter.” The words of a man who didn’t listen when he was told to be quiet, and do as he was told; the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Despite such examples of audacity and courage, so many of us choose not to speak or act, instead choosing to remain silent. It is the decisions we make not to act that I want to talk to you about.

We are faced with so many problems that crave simple answers, and some are as simple as our decision to act. Low voter turn-out, critically low levels of blood donation, a failing education system, racism, sexism, pollution, starvation, homelessness, and war are just a few of those problems. We’ve been silent, I’ve been silent. It is my own silence which made me realize the depth of the need to change what it means to be a part of changing the world. Our lives start to end by letting ourselves believe that our voice doesn’t matter. Our lives begin to end by letting ourselves believe that corporations and politicians won’t listen. Our lives begin to end when we allow ourselves to believe our actions are useless. It is our decisions to remain silent about the things that matter, which jeopardizes our futures.

I’m going to talk to you about why we choose to tune-out and turn off; and then, I’m going to talk to you about how, and why, it’s time to tune-in and turn on. Because, I believe, that even the smallest actions can be a source of fundamental change.

We’ve allowed ourselves to be bombarded, not just by the problems, but by the voices of hopelessness and apathy, I’m there with you; it is hard to know how to make a difference when it all seems so big. We’ve been told by those who hold sway in our lives that there are too many problems for us to possibly solve, and we’ve listened. We come from a generation which has been told from childhood that there are things we don’t talk about, and we’ve listened. In doing so we’ve relegated our moments of caring for the time we spend in our religious institutions and our fleeting pangs of guilt as we watch the suffering of starving children on television. We’ve relegated our moments of activism to shouting complaints at the television as we watch the news. We’ve relinquished the power of our voices, and in doing so, our lives have begun to end. This is the cause, this is the problem, and it will take no less than fundamental change within ourselves (but not in the world) to change it.

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.” These are the words of Mohandas Gandhi, a spiritual leader and powerful symbol for change. These words are only words, what made Gandhi a leader and a symbol was his decision to act. His voice was made powerful by his decision to act.

It doesn’t take the voice or influence of Martin Luther King Jr., Mohandas Gandhi, or Mother Theresa to be the change we want to see in the world. But then what does it take for one person to make a difference? I would suggest that it takes only the ability to be an example for others, to be an influence for change. Mother Theresa herself once said “you can do no great things, only small things with great love.” What it takes to make a difference is simply the decision to do so, and the courage and passion to act.

Action can sometimes seem so hard, and even positive change can be a source of fear and come at great risk. History is filled with those who died for an ideal, and whose names are remembered. But it doesn’t take the courage or the risk of those people to be a source of change in the world nor does it take dedicating one’s life only to such a pursuit.

What can you do to make a difference? First, don’t try to fix it all, but don’t be afraid to try and work toward a goal that seems so much bigger than yourself. The idealist in me, the dreamer in me, wishes we could change it all and heal the world all at once. But one person can do more than the voices of doubt and disbelief can ever understand. The power of us, as individuals, is in our ability to make the small changes in the world. Even the voice of Dr. King would have been of no effect had it not been for the millions of those who chose to act.

You can start making a difference by finding an organization that means something to you and getting involved. If you can’t find one, start it yourself. There are countless charitable organizations, aid organizations, activist organizations, and community service organizations waiting for you to act. I will leave you with a list of such organizations and causes and would encourage you to find one to get involved with. Also, an opportunity to be a part of deciding our future and be involved is coming up in what will seem like an instant; the selection of our next president. I encourage you all to learn what the candidates stand for; ask tough questions, and then act: vote. According to the center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement in a release dated November 3^rd, 2004 the 2004 youth voting turn up was up 4.6 Million more than in 2000… it is time to for us to make those numbers even higher and prove the voices of doubt wrong. When you’re done with that, go to the American Red Cross and save three lives by donating blood.

Now that I’ve told you what’s been stopping us from making a difference. Now that I’ve told you what you can do to change that and how; it is time to make the decision, and make the changes you want to see in the world.

Dr. King became the voice of a movement, the voice of a generation, simply by having the courage and the strength to act. Any of us can be a King, a Gandhi, or a Theresa, all it takes is for us to choose to speak our mind even if our voices tremble; to do those small things, and do them with great love. You may not end up influencing millions, but you will change the world.

REGISTER TO VOTE! (And then do it.)
http://www.rockthevote.com

Find an organization…
http://www.networkforgood.org
http://www.idealist.org

Huron Valley Habitat for Humanity
(734) 677-1558
http://www.h4h.org

American Red Cross Washtenaw County
(734) 971-5300
http://www.wc-redcross.org

Michigan Humane Society
(248) 283-1000 ext. 136
http://www.michiganhumane.org

Make a Wish Foundation of Michigan
(800) 622-9474 ext. 118
http://www.wishmich.org

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washtenaw County
(734) 975-0933
http://www.bbbswashtenaw.org

Shelter Association of Washtenaw County
(734) 662-2829
http://www.annarborshelter.org

The Ypsilanti Area Jaycees
(734) 332-9139
http://www.ypsilantijaycees.com

UMHS Volunteer Services
(734) 936-4327
http://www.med.umich.edu/volunteer

Natural Area Preservation
(City of Ann Arbor Parks and Rec.)
(734) 996-3266
http://www.a2gov.org/nap

With the turn of events with school I’ve found a greater need than ever to find new locations for photo shoots. If you know any great indoor or outdoor locations that you think would be interesting and that they would be easy to get access to (legally) drop me an IM or e-mail and let me know!

They say one bad egg spoils the bunch… never has that seemed more true.

The circumstances surrounding the restriction of fine art nudes in the WCC photographic studio revolve around the actions of a single individual. That individual chose to act completely without regard for the consideration of others. His actions have shown him to be little more than a self-centered, self-serving, and inconsiderate responsibility dodging festering wound on the program and everyone who has had the misfortune of having to deal with him. It would seem obvious at this point the level to which he has earned my contempt, so perhaps I should digress and explain in perhaps some detail.

As I have said in previous posts, there are specific standards that photographers hold themselves to; in the case of students at WCC there are additional standards in the way we conduct ourselves in the studio. One of the standards we hold as students is to always respect and give consideration to the fact that we are working in a shared environment. Each of the bays have curtains which can be drawn for both privacy and to maintain the quality of lighting on the subject being photographed. These curtains (if necessary to the needs of the shoot) are very easy to clamp to seal off the individual bay from the rest of the studio. Common sense would dictate that while shooting nudes you would take every precaution to ensure privacy for the sake of the models and to prevent access. The photographer I speak of has been observed on several occasions to have not taken this precaution. (Keep in mind that this is a place where families are also brought in to be photographed)

To further the matter, his work is what could be generously called sub-par fare which is often exploitive of the feminine form and excessive in its display of genitalia for the sake of sexual suggestiveness. Irrespective of this, the professors had generously at this point (from what I understand of the matter) not taken it upon themselves to do any more than give consideration to possible policies to state the standards that other students held as a matter of course. Upon hearing about the discussion of the matter it was not simply good enough for him to accept that a reasonable policy on nudes in the studio would be an unfortunate necessity, he decided to take the matter to the dean. His discussion with the dean, without consideration to any other students, was centered around his perceptions of persecution on the foundations of his ethnicity and his self-centered agenda to do what he wants wherever he wants, no matter who he tramples along the way. The dean, chose (perhaps wisely in the legal sense) to at this point restrict the photographing of nudes.

Despite the restriction of the photographing of nudes in the studio, he maintains his seeming inability to distinguish the appropriateness of locations in which to conduct his work, choosing to set up shop with a laptop just outside the inner doors to the studio in full view of anyone entering or exiting the studio and edit his images. Add to this his abandonment of his class partners (of which I am sad to say I was hoodwinked into being one of) in both of the studio classes he is enrolled in because he hasn’t gotten his way and you end up with an equation which gives rationality to my contempt.

So, all this said, his actions have hurt every student in the photography program. It is hard to give an exact number, but I would estimate that at least three quarters of the students at one time or another chose to add a nude to their portfolio. As for me personally, this has not only put my assignment intents for two classes this semester to a screeching halt while I try to totally rethink nearly every idea I had but puts me at the imposition of having to organize with other like-minded students to reason with the dean and undo the damage which a single student has done.

The word came down from the woman behind the curtain (the dean)… the photographing of nudes at WCC has been forbidden.

What is left now is to consider my options and decide a best course of action. Something I must say is not easy, as lately I have felt rather disheartened with the attitudes of our current social climate and the shocking lack of mindful thinking. The school’s decision is one of supposed self-protection; and to some extent I can understand their reasoning. Despite it all, I am still adamant that their base thinking is critically flawed and assumes scenarios that are either unrealistic or what-ifs that even the highest level of entropy would find highly unlikely. Their fantasies of worst case scenarios are the sort of thing that only a Salem preacher from 1692 could appreciate fully.

I want to fight this, but this seeming one man pursuit is a lot to swallow. I’ve been artistically devalued by a program that has decided to call itself a “vocational” program yet ignores that by its very nature photography is an artistic endeavor. I might add, that while I find the medium one I choose to disfavor, even pornographic photography is a vocational pursuit. The photographers for playboy, hustler, and other magazines are just as capable of making money from their work as are wedding photographers. If you want to strip the art from photography and analyze the pursuit as one of only a vocational goal then the fact that photographers of pornography are indeed vocational photographers cannot be ignored.

That being said… I have chosen the photographing of fine art nudes primarily as an artistic endeavor to satisfy my deep respect and admiration of the human form. One which I would never have been able to develop had it not been for the guidance of the professors at WCC and the access to equipment which let me learn and grow in an environment that was both safe for myself and my models. This decision has served to effectively pull out the support structure that allowed me to establish myself as a photographer.

The school has decided out of a sense of self-protection to venture down a slipperly slope where censure will inevitably lead to further censure. The photographing of nudes was the first step. How long it will be before they start removing any work deemed “controversial” from the student art display? How long until Lisa Steichmann (the History of Photography professor) is no longer allowed to teach about artists whose work has inspired controversy? How long until life drawing is considered too risky for the school to continue to offer as a class?

Don’t believe those things will happen? That, they will draw some line because as a government institution they have to live up to the expectations set upon them by the people to uphold the liberties of the people? That’s what Martin Niemoeller thought when the Nazis started taking people away.

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He who would give up essential liberty for a little temporary safety deserves neither freedom nor safety. ~Thomas Jefferson