Look Ma, No Hands! I Think?

Clouds over Second Beach, Washington © Jay Goodrich

I spent last night leafing through a sketch book of mine from 1994. That was right after I graduated college with a 5 year Bachelor of Architecture Degree. This sketch book was originally 100 sheets of paper. I know there are less pages in there now because I remember tearing out multiple sheets for those “whatever” necessities over the years. This book has everything in it. Notes on construction projects, diary pages, wacky sketches, designs, logos, notes to my brain, dimensions, quotes, literature, black, white, color, how-to stuff, and what ever else came to my mind. The book is completely full, with a final page stating “the end” in blue pencil dated almost 5 years ago. I didn’t bring this sketchbook everywhere and there were many others. I was looking at this particular one because I remember liking the paper texture and feel for drawing and wanted to find a new one that was the same or similar.

Seastacks, Second Beach, Washington © Jay Goodrich

On one of the pages in classic Jay scribble was written a quote, “The rest of those who have gone before us can not steady the unrest of those to follow.”–Finding Forrester. I don’t know if that quote was written for the movie or if was taken from someone else but, whew, definitely thought provoking. And, when thinking about creating a photographic image–even more provoking. I immediately think about all those photographers who have been to popular locations before many of us, the Art Wolfes and William Neills of the world, or the Elliot Porters, Ansel Adams, and William Henry Jacksons for that matter. I can not imagine being the first human to discover a place like Yellowstone or Yosemite. Crazy.

The Pacific Ocean at Sunset, Washington © Jay Goodrich

A couple of weeks ago, I had that little taste of venturing back out into nature to a place that has seen and will see tons of traffic. I have personally visited the location three times now. This place is Second Beach in Olympic National Park. I am not the first and not even close to the last, but for me this place holds a beauty and a tranquility that is almost indescribable. Many have asked what the sunset was like that night, well, it was pretty amazing. It was…perfect and not for the common visual cues that rise to the surface of the mind immediately. It was perfect for reasons beyond.

Beach Texture, Washington © Jay Goodrich

As I think about that quote a little more, it leaves me with a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration. What does he truly mean, “those who have gone before us can not steady the unrest”? After sifting and thinking, over and over again, I have come to one conclusion. Those before, no matter how original, how creative, or how different can not change those who follow in their footsteps because the followers desire the same thing–with photography that is the act of creation. My unrest is my desire to create something, anything, new and different. I crave it and I will never cease from it. And quite frankly, it does not matter who came before me, no matter how amazing their images are or were, I thirst for something new, different, and in response to my personal visual connection to that place. I think of it and my stomach churns, my heart skips a beat, and I peruse thoughts in my head of how quickly I can find a place, that one or a new one to study, explore, and fuel the unrest for the rest…of my life.

Beach Texture, Washington © Jay Goodrich

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 at 1:42 pm. It is filed under articles and tagged with creativity, desire, emotion, Olympic National Park, Second Beach, unrest, Washington. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.