x marks it

I'm drawn to photographs that have been designated as throwaways-- for every one of these photographs there is surely a different but very similar composition that was selected for larger printed production and that has been put in a frame. When you're looking at a photograph that you know isn't "the best" there's something free about the way you can look at it-- the expectation of the photograph to be pleasantly composed or to be unflawed is put on the shelf. I find myself thinking about all the other lovely reasons why this picture is worth existing-- I like that the horizon line is crooked and that something in the lower left corner is obstructing the frame. I like that the head of the black horse is awkwardly cropped out of the picture and that the men sitting on the log haul are blowing on their hands to stay warm instead of being captured in a more favorably heroic pose.

Surely this is an important strategy within an art-making practice or really any part of life-- that once you're able to dismiss the pressure and expectation of being perfect you're allowed to redefine and establish what your own idea of what qualities are valuable and interesting.