our first collaboration

i remember the first time we really tried to collaborate - we were in my studio apartment in east lake view. It was snowing and cold, probably february. we had bought some props from a shop in lincoln park, and I was helping him with a project for his photography class. we spent all morning holed up with props and magazines and books and flowers spread across my tiny space in complete disarray. we tried to enjoy it, but mostly i bottled up stress about the mess while he directed me in stern tones that i had yet to understand weren't intentionally harsh or mean. i remember thinking, "wow. this is it. this is what it would be like to work together. we can never make that happen."

until then, i had only been in front of the camera while he had been behind. he hadn't really started to direct me with that either, and i hadn't really explored my own photography "skills," largely informed by what i learned from watching him. i remember being scared because i admired him as an artist and wanted so badly to find a way to work together, but feared that something in our work ethics and personalities would keep us from successfully doing so. i didn't want to fight - I wanted to enjoy and be inspired by one another in work. while, to a great extent, we have only just begun collaborating on real projects, i know that i really do want that to be my life. it is a goal of mine to collaborate on just about everything - from decorating our living spaces to working to supporting ourselves. we are slowly learning how to communicate to each other while working - i am learning to take criticism better, while he (i think) is learning to be more sensitive while not being any less honest.

this is our little gallery from our shoot that day, two years ago.

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