Self-Discovery Through Photography with David Ulrich

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Here we explore the creative process as expressed in the art of photography. Photography can awaken our potential for expanded consciousness. It can help us become fully present, undivided, and liberated from the constraints of our mundane preoccupations. Photography appeals to many as one of the most important means of communication of the 21^st century. Thanks to cell phones and digital technology it’s become the great democratic medium. We are in the early stages of a profound revolution and we can participate in shaping the realities of the new order in which images are made, seen, and shared immediately and globally without curation or censoring by editors or governments. David Ulrich explains, “The marvelous thing about photography is that it requires a dual awareness. We have to be aware of the external world; we have to be aware of our subject. At the same time, we need to be aware of ourselves because our response to the world takes place in our mind, in our heart, in our body. The more we become attentive to what’s outside of us, the more we are becoming aware of our own reactions and responses. I think when it comes to people, it naturally engenders greater empathy.” (hosted by Justine Willis Toms) 

Bio 

David Ulrich is a college level professor and co-director of the Pacific New Media Foundation in Honolulu, Hawaii. He teaches frequent classes and workshops and is an avid photographer and writer whose work has been published in numerous books and journals. His photographs have been exhibited internationally in more than 75 one-person and group exhibitions. He blogs about creativity and consciousness. 

He is the author of: 

• The Widening Stream: The Seven Stages of Creativity (Beyond Words 2001)
• Zen Camera: Creative Awakening With a Daily Practice in Photography (Watson-Guptill 2018) 

To learn more about the work David Ulrich go to www.theslenderthread.org or www.creativeguide.com. 

Topics Explored in This Dialogue

• Ulrich’s time as a student at Kent State when the National Guard fired bullets into a crowd of protesting students
• How even amateur photography can create more empathy for others
• How the way in which a photographer works with a subject can be deeply nourishing or exploitive
• How picking up a camera is an invitation to observe the world and take note of your own responses
• Why there need to be required courses in visual communication to go along with math, science, and language
• How to use photography as a daily record of what you are paying attention to
• How the camera can be a tool to for you to become more present and attentive in the moment
• How to edit your images and choose the ones that have a magnetic pull
• How individual photo albums are a unique reflection of that person
• What does it mean to frame an image
• How to use different times of day and different seasons to photograph a single image
• Why a certain photograph is memorable
• What is the relationship between the practice of Zen and the creative process
• How to build your attention muscle 

Host: Justine Willis Toms         Interview Date: 5/18/2017          Program Number: 3646

Music Playlist

From Album: Bloom Road
Artist: Dan Kennedy
2015 MPM-003 Mt. Pollux Music 

Opening Essay: Track 02 Prayer for Janet
Music Break 1: Track 04 Falling
Music Break 2: Track 05 Beautiful Day (With You)
Music Break 3: Track 10 Heaven