White Sage, Sneezeweed, and Western Goatsbeard

"Sneezeweed in an English Brass Spittoon Used for Snuff," 10" x 10" (25,4 x 25,4 cm) RA-4 Color Reversal Print, July 16, 2023

They are commonly known as 'Sneezeweed' due to the ancient use of their dried leaves in making snuff, which was inhaled to help sneeze and rid the body of evil spirits. The dried, nearly mature flower heads are used in a powdered form as snuff to treat colds and headaches. When made into tea, they are used in the treatment of intestinal worms.

“Sneezeweed” POP (palldiotype) July 20, 2022

"Western Goatsbeard," 10" x 10" (25,4 x 25,4 cm) RA-4 Color Reversal Print, July 16, 2023

Remember the yellow salisify flower from the other day? This is what it ends up being. An amazing transformation! Life and death, that’s the jam.

“Western Goatsbeard” POP (palldiotype) July 19, 2022

The Great Mullein Flowering and Antlers

“The Great Mullein in Flower,” 10"x10" (25,4 x 25,4cm) RA-4 Reversal Direct Color Print, July 18, 2023

Native Americans used mullein flowers and leaves for a variety of issues, including: cough, congestion, bronchitis, asthma, constipation, pain, inflammation and migraines. They used antlers to create handles for knives and hide scrapers, spear points, bracelets, combs, hairpins, buttons, and figurines.

The Challenge of Doing Something Different: Examining the Creative Life

Without matte, a full 10” square

MAKING STUFF
I often think about the act of creating something and what it means—a photograph, making a knife (blade-smiting and blacksmithing), or writing something meaningful. What is it that drives us to create? I’ve been reading and thinking about this question for some time. It falls right in line with Becker’s theories; in fact, it’s right at home with terror management theory. Otto Rank believed that art and creativity were essential for human psychological health and development. He argued that art serves as a way for individuals to express their innermost desires, fears, and conflicts. According to Rank, the artist is a heroic figure who confronts and transcends the existential anxieties and limitations of human existence through the act of creation.

“Nothing exists until or unless it is observed. An artist is making something exist by observing it. And his hope for other people is that they will also make it exist by observing it. I call it ‘creative observation.’ Creative viewing.”

— William S. Burroughs, Ports of Entry: William S. Burroughs and the Arts

In reality, there are many reasons human beings create “things.” Most of the reasons are somewhat superficial or commercial. I feel the predominant one is rooted in the quest for immortality. We fear dying, mostly because we fear being forgotten and our lives being insignificant. Becker said, “What man really fears is not so much extinction, but extinction with insignificance.” I can understand that, at least intellectually. At times, I feel like my creative life and the objects that I create are meant for another time or different people in a different time. In the same way, I look at work created long ago that resonates deeply with me. Maybe it’s just me justifying a fear or a desire, but I think it’s rooted in my unconscious desire for symbolic immorality. There is also an immediate and significant reward; it gives my life meaning and significance. I can see the short- and long-term anxiety buffer in having a creative life.

"Three Mountain Coneflowers in Moon Rocks," 10"x10" (25,4 x 25,4cm) RA-4 Reversal Direct Color Print, July 13, 2023

Tea was made from the leaves and flower heads. Native Americans boiled prairie coneflower leaves and stems to make a solution that was applied externally to draw the poison out of rattlesnake bites. An infusion was used to relieve the pain of headaches and treat stomachaches and fevers.

BEING YOURSELF AND CREATING SOMETHING UNIQUE
Different is good, right? We hear that often. Why do we think that being different is good? It’s usually applied to people who are pushing the boundaries and challenging the status quo of something. We hear it chanted often because mediocrity breeds contempt. Meaning that the more familiar you are with something or someone, the more likely you are to find fault with it or them. Human beings thrive on diversity and uniqueness. However, a lot of people resist anything different and want things to remain known, comfortable, and predictable. The truth is that we are at our best when we challenge ourselves and get out of our comfort zones. Most people know that, but most are afraid to do it. They’re afraid to fail.

“ An artist, a man truly worthy of this great name, must possess something essentially his own, thanks to which he is what he is and no one else.” This applies to women as well - remember the context of the time.”

— Charles Baudelaire

How can artists challenge themselves? Hasn’t it all been done before? For the most part, yes, it has all been done before in one way or another. What’s unique is how YOU are applying the concepts, ideas, processes, methods, etc. to the work and the narrative as a whole. You are the difference. Period.

You are something that’s never been before and will never be again. That’s what makes artwork unique—its creator. So, if you copy or emulate someone or something else, you lose that edge—you lose the only thing that will make your work different or unique. I know it’s tempting to always make images that are familiar and that people can easily connect to, but remember, it breeds contempt! Thinking through a compelling idea, question, or concern is the only thing that will make you stand out from all of the others making photographs of the same old stuff or trying to “wow” people by working in some obscure process or using expensive or rare equipment (especially without context or a narrative or story).

This is the reason that I rant so often about the physicality (hand-made or deeply involved connection) of making artwork. It’s the best way to ensure that human beings (you) did the work, not a machine, computer, or software—but that’s an argument for another day.

Charles Baudelaire said, "An artist, a man truly worthy of this great name, must possess something essentially his own, thanks to which he is what he is and no one else." This applies to women as well; remember the context of the time. This quote sums up the ideas that I’m talking about in this essay.

If you want to challenge yourself or push yourself, do something that you never thought you’d do. At least try it. Break some rules and try to tell your story in a different, unconventional way. Don’t follow the advice of the masses: “It’s supposed to look like this or that.” Make it yours; make it fit your story in a new and unique way. Be true to yourself; don’t allow the pressures of tradition to dictate how you express yourself. In the end, your audience is just one: YOU! It’s great if other people “get it” or appreciate it, but it’s more important that you create it in your own unique style, authentic and true, whatever that looks like.

"White Poppy," 10"x10" (25,4 x 25,4cm) RA-4 Reversal Direct Color Print, July 13, 2023

Long before Europeans discovered North America, Native Americans were aware of the biological activities of extractions from poppies and using Argemoneas source of medicines. They used concoctions derived from poppies for anesthetizing fish, sedating humans, removing warts, treating cold sores, cuts, scrapes, and congestion associated with colds and flu, and as a soporific, an emetic, and a laxative. The first Americans had other uses for poppies as well, including dyes for fabrics and tattoos.

"White Poppy," 6.5” x 8.5” Palladiotype from a Paper Negative (Calotype), September 21, 2022

Long before Europeans discovered North America, Native Americans were aware of the biological activities of extractions from poppies and using Argemonea as a source of medicines. They used concoctions derived from poppies for anesthetizing fish, sedating humans, removing warts, treating cold sores, cuts, scrapes, and congestion associated with colds and flu, and as a soporific, an emetic, and a laxative. The first Americans had other uses for poppies as well, including dyes for fabrics and tattoos.

"Three Mountain Coneflowers, Antlers (as bleached bones), Rocky Mountain Wheat Grass and European Silver," 10"x10" (25,4 x 25,4cm) RA-4 Reversal Direct Color Print, July 13, 2023

Tea was made from the leaves and flower heads. Native Americans boiled mountain coneflower leaves and stems to make a solution that was applied externally to draw the poison out of rattlesnake bites. An infusion was used to relieve the pain of headaches and treat stomachaches and fevers.

I’m starting to put these images together as diptychs. They look beautiful together—different languages saying the same thing. I love it.

“Damaged Willow Tree, Fremont County, Colorado,” 10"x10" (25,4 x 25,4cm) RA-4 Reversal Direct Color Print, July 15, 2023

The iPhone snap of this isn’t that great, but the print looks wonderful. I’m very happy with the results of this process. Lightning struck or a wind storm tore this willow tree apart. It was a very dramatic scene. I love how the clouds show up in the image. This is a very painterly image to me.

Without matte, a full 10” square

“White Poppies In a Field in Fremont County, Colorado,” 10"x10" (25,4 x 25,4cm) RA-4 Reversal Direct Color Print, July 15, 2023

I never really know exactly what I’m going to get with this color reversal process. What I hope for is either muted colors or shifted colors. Colors that are just enough to seem real or accurate but shifted just enough to make you wonder about what you’re seeing.

I was very pleased in the darkroom today to see this appear in the developer. I’m reminded of an old Polaroid or expired film from the 1960s. I really like how it evokes memories with its aesthetic. The white poppies are blooming everywhere right now. They look wonderful on the landscape.

Death Anxiety, Creativity, and a Big Announcement

Dr. Sheldon Solomon is an experimental social psychologist. He teaches at Skidmore College in New York and is a co-author of the book The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life and one of the creators of terror management theory.

The Big Announcement
Let’s get right to it! I contacted Sheldon Solomon a few days ago to ask him to come back on my YouTube channel for an interview. He said yes! We will arrange something for September. That’s far enough out that everyone can get their questions sorted out to ask him. I know I will. When I have a date and time figured out, I’ll post it. I hope we can talk about the nuts and bolts of these theories in a way that the uninitiated can understand; that’s my biggest desire.

"Rank asked why the artist so often avoids clinical neurosis when he is so much a candidate for it because of his vivid imagination, his openness to the finest and broadest aspects of experience, and his isolation from the cultural worldview that satisfies everyone else. The answer is that he takes in the world, but instead of being oppressed by it, he reworks it in his own personality and recreates it in the work of art." Ernest Becker discusses Otto Rank in The Denial of Death

“Even evil is just the fear of death. Our heroic projects that are aimed at destroying evil have the paradoxical effect of bringing more evil into the world. Human conflicts are life-and-death struggles—my gods against your gods, my immortality project against your immortality project. The root of humanly caused evil is not man’s animal nature, not territorial aggression, or innate selfishness, but our need to gain self-esteem, deny our mortality, and achieve a heroic self-image. Our desire for the best is the cause of the worst. We want to clean up the world, make it perfect, keep it safe for democracy or communism, purify it of the enemies of god, eliminate evil, establish an alabaster city undimmed by human tears, or a thousand-year Reich”

— Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

“Wild Peppergrass, Deer Antler, and European Silver,” 10” x10” (25,4 x 25,4 cm) RA-4 Reversal Direct Color Print, July 10, 2023

Native Americans used the bruised fresh plant or a tea made from the leaves to treat poison ivy rash and scurvy. A poultice of the leaves was applied to the chest in the treatment of croup. The seed is anti-asthmatic, antitussive, cardiotonic, and diuretic as well.

My photographs represent an esoteric conflict that’s rooted in our unconscious denial of death. That conflict is the psychological underpinning of the atrocities that happened on this land—the genocide and ethnocide. I’ve connected these ideas through the content of the images: their landscapes, medicinal and ceremonial plants, and some of the symbols that were used on the land. These ideas are represented both symbolically and literally. The cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker said in his 1973 book, The Denial of Death, "Even evil is just the fear of death. Our heroic projects that are aimed at destroying evil have the paradoxical effect of bringing more evil into the world. Human conflicts are life-and-death struggles—my gods against your gods, my immortality project against your immortality project. The root of humanly caused evil is not man’s animal nature, not territorial aggression, or innate selfishness, but our need to gain self-esteem, deny our mortality, and achieve a heroic self-image. Our desire for the best is the cause of the worst. We want to clean up the world, make it perfect, keep it safe for democracy or communism, purify it of the enemies of god, eliminate evil, establish an alabaster city undimmed by human tears, or a thousand-year Reich." Becker’s ideas perfectly describe the reasons for the xenophobia and genocide of the Tabeguache and all other indigenous people all over the world and throughout history.

According to Becker, individuals develop what he called "immortality projects" as a means of overcoming the terror of death. These projects are essentially belief systems or ideologies that provide a sense of meaning, purpose, and significance to our lives, offering the promise of immortality in some form. Examples of immortality projects can be found in religion, nationalism, political ideologies, a creative life, and other forms of collective identity.

Becker argues that conflicts between individuals and groups arise from clashes between these immortality projects. People invest their self-esteem and identity into their projects, and when these projects are threatened or challenged, it triggers a fear of death. This fear, in turn, leads to defensive responses, including aggression and violence, as individuals strive to protect and preserve their immortality projects.

In this context, Becker suggests that even acts that are commonly labeled as evil can be understood as manifestations of the fear of death. When people feel threatened by opposing ideologies or beliefs, they may engage in destructive actions to defend their immortality projects. Paradoxically, the very attempts to eliminate evil and establish a perfect world can lead to more conflict and suffering because they stem from our fear of death and the need to maintain a heroic self-image. This is a perfect analogy of what my project is about.

Ultimately, Becker argues that the root cause of humanly-caused evil is not inherent human nature but rather our deep-seated psychological need to gain self-esteem, deny our mortality, and construct a heroic self-image through immortality projects. Our pursuit of the best, the ideal, and the perfect can inadvertently result in the worst outcomes, perpetuating a cycle of conflict and suffering. Most atrocities are committed or acted out from this viewpoint.

While I find this very compelling, it is important to note that these ideas put forth by Ernest Becker are just one perspective on the nature of evil and human behavior. Alternative theories and philosophies provide alternative explanations, and the subject of evil is complex and multifaceted, and academics and thinkers from various disciplines continue to explore and debate it.

A Recent Interview on “Tin Questions”
I was interviewed by Chad Shyrock from Tin Questions; you can listen to that here if you’re interested.

Meaning and Significance: Why We Need It and How We Find It

“Did you know the uniquely human fear of death has a pervasive effect on human beings’ thoughts, feelings, and behavior? Humans manage the terror of death by adhering to culturally constructed beliefs about reality that provide a sense that one is a person of value in a world of meaning and thus eligible for either literal or symbolic immortality. The quest for immortality underlies some of humankind’s most noble achievements. It also, however, engenders some of our most ignominious affectations, including hostility and disdain for people with different beliefs; attraction to ideological demagogues; indifference to, or contempt for, the natural environment; and the mindless pursuit of material possessions—which, if unchecked, may render humans the first form of life responsible for their own extinction.”

Sheldon Solomon, PhD, Author of "The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life"

Last year, I had Sheldon as a guest on my YouTube channel. We had a discussion about the importance of Becker's theories for creative individuals, especially photographers. It was a great conversation, and I would like to have him on again.

I have two main objectives for my book: firstly, I want to explain these theories in simple terms that anyone can understand. Secondly, I want to show how these theories were directly involved in the mass killings and massacres of Native Americans during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the western United States. Additionally, I explore how these theories impact artists and other creative people, albeit in a slightly different way.

“Did you know the uniquely human fear of death has a pervasive effect on human beings’ thoughts, feelings, and behavior? Humans manage the terror of death by adhering to culturally constructed beliefs about reality that provide a sense that one is a person of value in a world of meaning and thus eligible for either literal or symbolic immortality. The quest for immortality underlies some of humankind’s most noble achievements. It also, however, engenders some of our most ignominious affectations, including hostility and disdain for people with different beliefs; attraction to ideological demagogues; indifference to, or contempt for, the natural environment; and the mindless pursuit of material possessions—which, if unchecked, may render humans the first form of life responsible for their own extinction.”

— Sheldon Solomon, PhD, Author of "The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life"

I’m making most of these color flora prints with the 10” x 10” Chamonix camera and an 1874 Dallmeyer 3B lens.

Let's talk about the concept of meaning in life. For me, meaning implies that our existence has a purpose and makes sense. On the other hand, significance refers to being noticed and considered important. Our greatest fear is to live in a world that lacks meaning and significance, often referred to as "death anxiety." Essentially, we are unconsciously terrified of impermanence and insignificance.

Throughout thousands of years, humans have undergone psychological evolution as part of their overall development. Our brains have evolved to have a large neocortex, but we have also suppressed the awareness of our mortality in order to function in our daily lives. Thomas Ligotti, in his book "The Conspiracy Against the Human Race," said, "For the rest of the earth’s organisms, existence is relatively uncomplicated. Their lives are about three things: survival, reproduction, death—and nothing else. But we know too much to content ourselves with surviving, reproducing, dying—and nothing else. We know we are alive and know we will die. We also know we will suffer during our lives before suffering—slowly or quickly—as we draw near to death. This is the knowledge we “enjoy” as the most intelligent organisms to gush from the womb of nature. And being so, we feel shortchanged if there is nothing else for us than to survive, reproduce, and die. We want there to be more to it than that, or to think there is. This is the tragedy: Consciousness has forced us into the paradoxical position of striving to be unself-conscious of what we are—hunks of spoiling flesh on disintegrating bones." It is a paradox. We possess incredible intelligence, yet we are aware that we will eventually die. This is a difficult reality to accept, and we tend to deny and reject it. However, death is an inevitable part of life for all of us.

The “scene” photographed with an iPhone to give you an idea of my working environment.

So, how do we deal with this existential dilemma? The answer lies in culture. Every culture, and there are countless diverse cultures around the world, provides its people with ways to alleviate their death anxiety or existential dread. These "cultural worldviews," as Becker calls them, serve as intricate distractions or illusions that prevent us from consciously dwelling on the subject of death (especially our own). You may be reading this right now and thinking, "What is he talking about? I rarely think about death; I don’t have death anxiety!" Exactly. That means you have a cultural worldview you are clinging to tightly and are ensconced in—protected from the thoughts of death by the cultural constructs you believe in and participate in—and it works well!

What are these cultural worldviews? They are anything that your in-group shares as reality. It’s what you and the people around you believe to be important. The most potent are religion, politics, nationalism, family (having children), money, fame, looks, etc. These worldviews usually provide ways to gain symbolic or literal immortality and give us a road map to follow in our lives. Ernest Becker said, "No wonder men go into a rage over fine points of belief: if your adversary wins the argument about truth, you die. Your immortality system has been shown to be fallible; your life becomes fallible." Cultures reward good behavior (things that the group believes in) and punish bad behavior. Remember, what’s “good” or “bad” in your culture may be very different from someone else's. Read about the “Flute Ceremony” versus the “Bar Mitzvah” in Sheldon’s book “The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life.” This is where the conflict begins.

In order for us to get out of bed in the morning, we need meaning. And we need to feel like we are part of something important. If we don’t have meaning and significance, there’s a good chance we’ll fall into depression and other mental health issues. The takeaway is this: Be conscious of what you’re choosing to lean on—your cultural worldview—to bolster your self-esteem and stave off existential dread; it can lead to good things or bad things. It’s very easy to adopt the malignant worldviews of racism, hate, scapegoating, and othering. It’s easy to fall into the cultural trap of treating people who are different from you badly. If we’re conscious of these psychological pressures, we can make good choices and allow other people to find good, healthy, non-destructive ways to buffer their death anxiety. Awe, gratitude, and humility go a long way as buffers and do no warm to other people.

“For the rest of the earth’s organisms, existence is relatively uncomplicated. Their lives are about three things: survival, reproduction, death—and nothing else. But we know too much to content ourselves with surviving, reproducing, dying—and nothing else. We know we are alive and know we will die. We also know we will suffer during our lives before suffering—slowly or quickly—as we draw near to death. This is the knowledge we “enjoy” as the most intelligent organisms to gush from the womb of nature. And being so, we feel shortchanged if there is nothing else for us than to survive, reproduce, and die. We want there to be more to it than that, or to think there is. This is the tragedy: Consciousness has forced us into the paradoxical position of striving to be unself-conscious of what we are—hunks of spoiling flesh on disintegrating bones.”

— Thomas Ligotti, The Conspiracy Against the Human Race

“Flowering Prickly Pear Cactus and Water Vase,” 10” x 10” (25,4 x 25,4 cm), RA-4 Reversal Direct Color Print, July 7, 2023. If you look close, you can see what I’m experimenting with. I exposed the paper backwards—exposing through the paper—and then exposed it again with the emulsion forward. It looks really great in your hand.

My 100th Direct Positive Color Print and New Book Details

I was surprised today when I reached into my paper box and pulled out the final three sheets of the 100 I started with. Wow! That went quick! It didn’t take me long to burn through a box of printing paper. I’ve averaged just over 30 prints a month—about one a day. Not too bad. I’ll end up with at least 200 color prints to select from. I’m very happy with the results. I’m opening my second box of 100 sheets of paper tomorrow.

My goal is that before winter arrives, I’ll have about 325 prints to choose from for the book. I have 125 wet and dry collodion negatives, 40–50 Calotype negatives (paper negatives), and about 20–25 photogenic drawings, toned cyanotypes, etc. I have over 100 POP prints in various historic processes and can print whatever I feel is needed. I want plenty to choose from, and it looks like I’ll make that happen.

“Dead Grama Grass, Prickly Pear Cactus and the Moon,” 10’ x 10” (25,4 x 25.4 cm) RA-4 Reversal Color Direct Print, July 4, 2023 This is my 99th direct-positive print! Mature seed heads are curved, resembling a human eyebrow. Blue grama can be found growing in association with buffalograss, western wheatgrass, needlegrasses, and, in some areas, bluegrasses.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PLANS FOR THE BOOK
I’m not sure how many photographs will end up in the book. Currently, I’m working with a 10” x 10” (25,4 x 25,4 cm) square format layout. I’m making 10” x 10” (25,4 x 25,4 cm) prints, and I’ve been matting the prints with 11” x 14'“ mats with a Whole Plate (6.5” x 8.5”) opening, and I really like it! With this book layout, I can present the photographs at “life size,” a true 1:1, and that does interest me. Right now, I’m just writing and making photographs. I’ll worry about the details later in the year. However, the square format will give options on layout and design.

If everything stays on schedule, I’ll be able to publish the hardcover book sometime in 2024. My goal would be to offer it for sale to those interested with the hopes of raising enough money to donate 125 copies to the Ute Indian Museum in Montrose, Colorado, and 125 copies to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.; retail would be about an $8,000–$9,000 USD donation at each organization (if they sold the books at $60–$70 USD). The buyers of the other 250 books would be the ones donating the extra books or cash—that’s YOU should you decide to purchase one!

“Dead Yarrow, Stones, Silver, and the Moon,” 10’ x 10” (25,4 x 25.4 cm) RA-4 Reversal Color Direct Print, July 4, 2023 This is my 98th direct-positive print!

It would be a perfect fit for both places. I have no intentions of making money or capitalizing on the publication at all. My hope is to offer it for free to places that are relevant to the theories and the history that I’m addressing.

I’m not sure about the cost right now. One of the big reasons I don’t have an exact estimate is because of the number of pages. I’m assuming it’s going to be 230–250 pages—that’s my best guess right now. It will be top-end quality-hardcover, 80-pound paper, etc. I’m in contact with Mixam USA right now and will arrange for them to print it when it’s ready. It’s important for me to print it here in the U.S. I know there are places in China that would do it for half the cost, but I just don’t feel good about doing that. This may be the last book I publish, and I want it to be made here in the United States (see my death anxiety hanging out?).

“Foxtail, Granite Stones, and Rocky Mountain Geraniums in European Silver,” 10’ x 10” (25,4 x 25.4 cm) RA-4 Reversal Color Direct Print, July 4, 2023

I would like to make a run of 500 copies. If I had to guess, I would say the cost of a book of this size would be around $30,000 USD—about $60 USD per book. I want to donate 250 copies and sell 250 copies with the hope of covering the printing costs of the donated books. I’m guessing $75–$85 USD per book plus shipping. If I signed every book and included a POP print, I may be able to cover my materials and printing costs all together. I don’t want anything beyond that. This project is not, and never has been, a commercial project. It’s my passion and my preoccupation, and I’m more interested in sharing these ideas and making interesting art than anything else.

If you have any ideas that fit into what I’ve laid out here, I would really like to hear them. I know people have already suggested to me that I should do a Kickstarter campaign for this. I’ve looked into it, and it may be a way to handle it, logistically speaking. So let me know if you have any good ideas! Thanks!

“Foxtail, Granite Stones, and Rocky Mountain Geraniums in European Silver-Detail,” 10’ x 10” (25,4 x 25.4 cm) RA-4 Reversal Color Direct Print, July 4, 2023

Life Asked Death...

“Life asked Death ‘Death, why do people love me but hate you?’ Death responded ‘Because you are a beautiful lie and I am a painful truth.”

— Anonymous

“Prickly Pear Cactus Flowering and Mullein Feathers,” 10” x 10” (25,4 x 25,4 cm), RA-4 Reversal Color Print, July 1, 2023
Early historic observations and archeological data clearly indicate Native Americans relied on prickly pear for food, medicine, and as a source of needles, containers, and water. The prickly pear gets its name from the numerous sharp spines borne on the stems and the seasonal fruits known as pears or tunas. The prickly pear cactus is a symbol of hope and endurance in harsh conditions. To many Native Americans, the yellow cactus flowers are a “mother symbol,” representing a mother's unconditional love and their patience and selfless protection.

“Prickly Pear Cactus Flowering and Mullein Feathers,” 10” x 10” (25,4 x 25,4 cm), RA-4 Reversal Color Print, July 1, 2023
Early historic observations and archeological data clearly indicate Native Americans relied on prickly pear for food, medicine, and as a source of needles, containers, and water. The prickly pear gets its name from the numerous sharp spines borne on the stems and the seasonal fruits known as pears or tunas. The prickly pear cactus is a symbol of hope and endurance in harsh conditions. To many Native Americans, the yellow cactus flowers are a “mother symbol,” representing a mother's unconditional love and their patience and selfless protection.

The Denial of Death

Did you know the uniquely human fear of death has a pervasive effect on human beings’ thoughts, feelings, and behavior? Humans manage the terror of death by adhering to culturally constructed beliefs about reality that provide a sense that one is a person of value in a world of meaning, and thus eligible for either literal or symbolic immortality. The quest for immortality underlies some of humankind’s most noble achievements. It also, however, engenders some of our most ignominious affectations, including hostility and disdain for people with different beliefs; attraction to ideological demagogues; indifference to, or contempt for, the natural environment; and, the mindless pursuit of material possessions—which, if unchecked, may render humans the first form of life responsible for their own extinction. - Sheldon Solomon, PhD. Author of "The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life"

Death Anxiety and Terror Management Theory: Impacts on White Colonizers in Colorado and the Tabeguache Ute Tribe

The history of colonial expansion is fraught with complex dynamics, including encounters between indigenous populations and colonizers. One notable example is the clash between white colonizers in Colorado and the Tabeguache Ute tribe, known today as the Uncompahgre Ute. This essay explores the influence of death anxiety and Terror Management Theory on the white colonizers as they encountered the Tabeguache Ute tribe, highlighting the profound impact on their interactions and perceptions. Furthermore, accompanying photographs of flora, landscapes, and Tabeguache Ute symbols will serve as visual aids, offering glimpses into the historical context and cultural richness of the Ute tribe.

Death Anxiety and Terror Management Theory

Death anxiety, a fundamental aspect of the human condition, manifests as a fear of one's mortality and the annihilation of self. Terror Management Theory posits that individuals employ various psychological mechanisms to cope with this anxiety, seeking cultural worldviews and symbolic beliefs that provide a sense of meaning, purpose, and continuity in the face of mortality.

White Colonizers in Colorado

White colonizers who ventured into Colorado encountered a vast, unfamiliar land with indigenous tribes like the Tabeguache Ute. The colonizers were driven by ambitions of territorial expansion, resource extraction, and the pursuit of wealth. However, their encounters with the Ute tribe disrupted their established cultural worldviews, triggering a heightened awareness of their mortality and fostering a clash between different cultural ideologies.

Death Anxiety and Perception of the Tabeguache Ute Tribe

The white colonizers' death anxiety became a lens through which they perceived the Ute tribe. The Ute's spiritual beliefs, deep connection to the land, and reverence for nature were in stark contrast to the colonizers' worldview. This stark contrast threatened the colonizers' sense of cultural continuity and superiority, intensifying their anxiety.

Impact on Interactions

The white colonizers' death anxiety and subsequent terror management strategies influenced their interactions with the Ute tribe. Rather than embracing the cultural differences as opportunities for growth and understanding, the colonizers often reacted with hostility, attempting to suppress or eradicate the Ute's cultural practices and beliefs. This aggression aimed to reassert their dominance and alleviate their own existential fears.

Photographs Depicting Flora, Landscapes, and Ute Symbols

My photographs provide an abstract, visual representation of the Colorado landscape, the flora, and the symbolic richness of the Ute tribe. Prints of the majestic landscapes, aspen and pine trees, and unique flora indigenous to the region, used both medicinally and ceremonially, highlight the natural beauty that both the Ute and the colonizers encountered. Additionally, my photographs of Ute symbols, such as the Medicine Wheel, depict the cultural depth and spiritual connection of the people to the land. I often think about the Tabeguache people seeing the same flowers, the same plants, the same trees, and walking on the very same landscape that I do every day.

Conclusion

The encounter between white colonizers in Colorado and the Tabeguache Ute tribe was deeply influenced by death anxiety and Terror Management Theory. The clash between these two groups stemmed from the colonizers' fear of mortality, which heightened their perception of cultural differences as threats to their own sense of continuity. Through the lens of death anxiety, the white colonizers often responded with hostility, attempting to suppress the Ute's cultural practices and beliefs. By examining this historical context, we can gain a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics at play and strive for a more inclusive and empathetic society today.

“Find what you love and let it kill you.
Let it drain you of your all. Let it cling onto your back and weigh you down into eventual nothingness.
Let it kill you and let it devour your remains.
For all things will kill you, both slowly and fastly, but it’s much better to be killed by a lover.”

— Charles Bukowski

“Prickly Pear Cactus Flowering and Stones,” 10” x 10” (25,4 x 25,4 cm) RA-4 Reversal Color Print, July 1, 2023
Early historic observations and archeological data clearly indicate Native Americans relied on prickly pear for food, medicine, and as a source of needles, containers, and water. The prickly pear gets its name from the numerous sharp spines borne on the stems and the seasonal fruits known as pears or tunas. The prickly pear cactus is a symbol of hope and endurance in harsh conditions. To many Native Americans, the yellow cactus flowers are a “mother symbol,” representing a mother's unconditional love and her patience and selfless protection.

“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”

— Franz Kafka

The Tabeguache Band of Colorado: Known Today as The Uncompahgre Ute

The Ute, pronounced as "yoot," refer to themselves as the Noochew or Nuuchui, meaning "Ute People." The term "Utah," the name of the state, originates from the Spanish word "Yutah," which describes the Ute as the "high land" or "land of the sun."

Renowned for their courage, some historians believe the Ute possessed comparable skill and cunning to the Apaches. In the past, they occupied an expansive territory of approximately 79 million acres in the Great Basin region. Their extensive travels through the picturesque mountainous landscapes of the Western region led them to establish trails, the remnants of which proved invaluable to the white settlers who eventually displaced them.

Early observers noted the remarkable proficiency of Ute women in tanning hides, which served as valuable trade items and were used for clothing. They adeptly worked with buffalo, deer, elk, and mountain sheep hides. Ute women typically adorned themselves in long, belted dresses, leggings, and moccasins. Meanwhile, men wore shirts, leggings, and moccasins for their daily activities, reserving elaborate feathered headdresses for special occasions. During times of conflict, many men painted their bodies and faces using yellow and black pigments. Women occasionally painted their faces and adorned their hair partings. Some Ute individuals pierced their noses, inserting small, polished animal bones, while others tattooed their faces using cactus thorns dipped in ashes. Both men and women occasionally wore necklaces crafted from animal claws, bones, fish skeletons, and juniper seeds.

Early Ute ceremonies involved clothing embellishments such as paint, hair fringes, rows of elk teeth, or brightly dyed porcupine quills. Later, as the Ute acquired beads from European traders, their costumes incorporated intricate beadwork.

The Ute held two significant ceremonies—the Sun Dance and the Bear Dance—which continue to be performed annually.

The Sun Dance reflects a personal desire for spiritual power provided by the Great Spirit, but each dancer also represents their family and community, transforming the dance into a communal sharing experience. The Sun Dance is based on a fable about a man and a woman who left their tribe amid a severe famine. During their voyage, they discovered a deity who taught them the Sun Dance practices. When they returned to their tribe and performed the ceremony, a herd of buffalo appeared, putting an end to the hunger.

The Sun Dance ceremony encompasses several days of clandestine rituals followed by a public dance around a Sun Dance pole, symbolizing the connection to the Creator. These rituals involve fasting, prayer, smoking, and the preparation of ceremonial objects.

Describing a modern Sun Dance atop Sleeping Ute Mountain, journalist Jim Carrier recounted, "Night and day, for four days, the dancers charged the pole and retreated, back and forth in a personal gait. There were shuffles, hops, and a prancing kick. While they blew whistles made from eagle bones, their bare feet marked a 25-foot (7.5-kilometer) path in the dirt."

The Bear Dance, conducted annually in the spring, venerates the grizzly bear, revered by the Ute for imparting strength, wisdom, and survival skills. In earlier times, the Bear Dance coincided with the bears emerging from hibernation and aimed to awaken the bears to guide the Ute towards bountiful sources of nuts and berries. The dance served as a joyous social occasion after enduring a harsh winter.

The Bear Dance involves constructing a sizable circular enclosure made of sticks, representing a bear's den. Music played within the enclosure symbolizes the thunder that rouses the slumbering bears. The dance follows a "lady's choice" tradition, allowing Ute women to show their preference for a certain man. The Bear Dance ceremony traditionally lasted for four days and four nights. The dancers wore plumes that they would leave on a cedar tree at the east entrance of the corral. Leaving the feathers behind represented discarding past troubles and starting fresh.

MY PHOTOGRAPHS AS RESIDUE
My photographs for this project are what I consider residue. Residue is a small amount of something that remains after the main part has gone, been taken, or been used. It’s a lot like memory. The function of photography is to somehow "show" the memories and residue of a person, place, or thing.

I’m approaching these ideas indirectly. It’s a conscious choice to make the work somewhat abstract, like all memories are. This isn’t a documentary project, although it’s difficult to put anything in a box. There are elements that seem to fit, at least somewhat, into the documentary category. However, I would never consider this work documentary photography. The context and narrative provide the direction of the work. It’s my personal journey to discover answers to questions that I’ve wrestled with for decades. There’s no doubt it’s interdisciplinary work, combining art and several disciplines in the sciences and psychology. I think that’s what makes it interesting.

The book, in context, will give the reader and viewer an insight, not only about my journey but also about the human condition and what knowledge of our mortality does to us. I connect the events of the 19th century clearly to the theories of death anxiety and terror management theory. I show both the beauty of the land as well as inferring the loss. I show life as well as death through the flora and landscape photographs. My hope is that for those who read it, it will inspire and enlighten. That it will bring forward the beauty of life and appreciation of the awe that surrounds us, as well as an understanding of how evil is manifested in our human condition.

“Mountain Bell Cactus and White Granite,” 10” x 10” (25,4 x 24,4cm) RA-4 Reversal Direct Color Print, June 29, 2023 Pediocactus simpsonii, or Mountain Ball Cactus, is a species that grows at high altitudes in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

In the Shadow of Sun Mountain: The Psychology of Othering and the Origins of Evil

WHAT MY BOOK IS ABOUT
I’ve written a lot about the work I’m doing now. In fact, every essay (on this blog) has some connection to my work, either directly or indirectly. I’m incredibly fortunate to have the time and solitude to do the work, both writing and making photographs. I don’t have to think about anything else. I’ll write more about this later in the essay, but I wanted to share what my book is about. This is just a high-level, simple view of the content.

I’ve been studying and researching the theories of Ernest Becker for several years. His ground-breaking ideas about what drives human behavior got me deeply interested in death anxiety and terror management theory. The crux of my book is about the events of the 19th century and what the colonizers did to the indigenous people here. It’s not really about what they did, but why they did it. The acts of genocide and ethnocide and the psychology of “othering” have preoccupied my interests for decades. I’ve visited the death camps in Europe, and I’ve studied about slavery and atrocities throughout history, from Pol Pot to Darfur and Rawanda. I’ve always wondered why these things happened and where evil came from. I explain what Ernest Becker’s thoughts were and why I agree with them.

This is what my book is about. I unpack these theories in the context of what happened to the Tabegucahe Ute people, the Nuuchui people—the People of the Sun Mountain. I use my photographs to subtly speak to how they lived, the symbols they used, and the land they managed for time immemorial. I also tell my personal story about how a creative life has always been a priority. I explain how these theories have affected me and how this very project is an act to buffer my own existential terror.

They say “Hindsight is 20/20.” It’s true. When we look back at situations, we can see them clearly, unlike at the time they were happening. When I look back at how I spent my time, I realize that most people are preoccupied with making money and paying bills. I know I was, at least for the most part. I can say that I was aware of what was going on, but I couldn’t do much about it. So I made the best of it. I spent 20 years working as a photographer for the American Federal Government and six years serving in the United States Army, three of those years as a photographer.

“The mission of every man is to fulfill the lie he incarnates, to succeed in being no more than an exhausted illusion.”

— Emil Cioran

Our culture is set up as a psychological coping mechanism. In other words, it’s designed to keep you busy and only allow a small amount of “down time” or “thinking time.” Some people get no “down time” or “thinking time.” Their days are full from sunup to sundown. Busy, busy, busy. That’s our motto. It means you’re “doing something.” And “doing something” is preferred over not doing something. Why is that? Well, if you weren’t “doing something,” you would have time to think. Thinking can be dangerous for people. Thinking leads to awareness, or even an awakening. If you are aware or awake, you can see the world for what it is or, more importantly, for what it isn’t. And with that awareness, or awakening, you discover your place in life. You discover the reality of life—what’s important and what’s not. The things I thought were important 20 years ago are meaningless to me today. Some might call that wisdom, but I’m not sure that it’s wisdom. I think there’s a large part of it that is revealed to you as you step away from the cultural constructs. Think about how many Americans are going to wave flags, watch parades and fireworks, eat hot dogs and hamburgers, and drink beer next week. They will do it almost as a reflex, as a “we’re supposed to do this” kind of thing. It’s a cultural construct that millions of Americans lean on to bolster their self-esteem. It buffers death anxiety. This is what Becker lays out so clearly in The Denial of Death. This is what his theories are based on. Understanding the cultural constructs in which we live and the reasoning behind them—once you understand these theories, you can not only live a more full life, rich in awe, gratitude, and humility—awe, humility, and gratitude effectively mitigate death anxiety—but a more authentic life.

Bottom line: You can reduce the anxiety and the neurosis that accompany the existential dread that we all face. I’m addressing these ideas in my book. I’m also showing how a creative life deals with death anxiety and what it means to create.

IN THE SHADOW OF SUN MOUNTAIN: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF OTHERING AND THE ORIGINS OF EVIL
My book has two main goals. Firstly, it aims to shed light on the significant impact of theories concerning the fear of mortality on human behavior. Effectively illustrating how a particular historical event serves as an illustration of death anxiety and terror management theory achieves this. The central focus of this work is the genocide and ethnocide of the Tabeguache Ute Native American tribe, who once flourished on the land I currently reside on in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. By examining these psychological frameworks, the underlying causes and inevitability of such atrocities become apparent. Secondly, this book seeks to outline how my own creative pursuits have reflected these theories.

I’ve written a biography of my creative life. In that, I’ve included events in my life that served as death reminders and how I became aware of my own mortality at eight years old. I’ve included how these questions have been a central theme in my photographic work for over 30 years. As I’ve written this out, I've connected the dots about how I’ve mitigated my own death anxiety using art.

Challenges Making Art Today

I don’t know if you’ve ever considered what the challenges are in today’s world when making art. I know I have. In reality, there are too many to write about, but I will tackle a couple of them that seem to plague most artists today.

INSPIRATION
The first one is a heavy one. Inspiration is finding an idea worth working on. So many people seem to make an image here or there, all unrelated or disjointed. One thing that technology (mostly social media) has done is demand immense amounts of “eye candy” for the viewer. I see photographers today “feeding the monster” with all kinds of random, chocolate box photos they have nothing to say about. All trying to get the dopamine hit from the “likes” and “hearts” on the posts.

“Sage and Antlers,” 10” x 10” (25,4 x 25,4 cm) RA-4 Reversal Direct Color Print June 27, 2023, matted with a whole plate opening—I was inspired by shapes again and wanted to create more of a “mood—warm colors and mysterious. These prints are gorgeous in your hands. These are iPhone snaps of them, but you can get the idea.

Many times before, I’ve said that we might need a moratorium on image-making. Slow down. Take a break, maybe step back, and reevaluate everything. Spend some time with self-examination. Like life, making photographs today can seem like a frenzied activity with no particular narrative in mind. It's so easy and quick to press the button and post. Images that are empty of anything of value are viewed for milliseconds and swiped away like toilet paper, never to be seen again. It’s sad, really. We need to think about what we’re doing and why.

“Fern, Antlers, Daisies, and Rocky Mountain Purple Geranium” 10” x 10” (25,4 x 25,4 cm) RA-4 Reversal Direct Color print June 26, 2023, matted with a whole plate opening

I love the way the prints look like something you’d see in a frame from an old 8mm color home movie from the 1960s or 1970s. I’ve always leaned into the word “memory,” since it plays such a big role in our lives. The work I’m doing now leans heavily on that idea. The color vibrates; it’s alive, but it’s “off.” A lot like us as human beings. The old optics that I’m using also lend a signature to these prints. It feels old, but at the same time, we know it’s modern. A beautiful way to engage the viewer.

Where do you get inspiration? You can find meaning in most anything you deeply care about or are very interested in. There’s nothing off-limits or “wrong” to make art about. But it’s got to be about something! Something that you are connected to in some way. And something that you can articulate your passion about. There are so many people emulating or copying photographic work today. It’s derivative to me. Far worse than bad “original” work. It is extremely difficult to do anything new. And that’s okay. Everything is built on the previous thing. The trick is to make it yours. The only way you can do that is to be so ensconced in the idea or ideas that the work shows your connection. That’s what makes art powerful and moving—the personal connection.

ARTICULATION
Maybe you have something that inspires you. The second challenge is to articulate that passion to the viewers. This seems to be an even bigger challenge than finding ideas to work with. I think the problems come when the ideas aren’t really a passion or the artist doesn’t really have the commitment they need to have. In other words, it’s not authentic inspiration. There’s no way for a person to articulate anything deep or meaningful about something they really don’t care about. Maybe the idea sounded great on paper but didn’t materialize like they thought. Or maybe they were chasing it because they prioritized how it would be seen—going after the “likes” and the “hearts.” The inability to articulate why you're doing what you’re doing is a death knell for the work.

“The artist does not create, in the first place, for fame or immortality; his production is to be a means to achieve actual life, since it helps him to overcome fear.”

— Otto Rank, Art and Artist

OTTO RANK: ART AND ARTIST
I’ve been studying the writing of Otto Rank. His book, “Art and Artist,” was published in 1932. It’s not an easy read, but I’m figuring it out. I’m interested in him because Ernest Becker wrote a lot about him in his 1973 book, “The Denial of Death.” I think what Rank was implying was that the artist both rebels against his or her culture and, at the same time, feels guilty for it. Kind of a cognitive dissonance thing. Rank also tackles the difficult issue of artistic creativity. On the one hand, Rank says, the artist has a particularly strong tendency towards the glorification of his own will. Unlike the rest of people (non-artists), he or she feels compelled to remake reality in his or her own image. And yet a true artist also needs immortality, which he can only achieve by identifying himself or herself with the collective will of his or her culture and religion. Good art could be understood as a joining of the material and the spiritual, the specific and the universal, or the individual and humanity.

Another interesting idea Rank introduced was the contest between life and death. He felt we have a "life instinct" that pushes us to become “individuals,” competent, and independent, and a "death instinct" that pushes us to be part of a family, community, or humanity. We also feel a certain fear of these two. The "fear of life" is the fear of separation, loneliness, and alienation; the "fear of death" is the fear of getting lost in the whole, stagnating, and being no one.

Otto Rank believed that art and creativity were essential for human psychological health and development. He argued that art serves as a way for individuals to express their innermost desires, fears, and conflicts. According to Rank, the artist is a heroic figure who confronts and transcends the existential anxieties and limitations of human existence through the act of creation.

“Rank asked why the artist so often avoids clinical neurosis when he is so much a candidate for it because of his vivid imagination, his openness to the finest and broadest aspects of experience, his isolation from the cultural world-view that satisfies everyone else. The answer is that he takes in the world, but instead of being oppressed by it he reworks it in his own personality and recreates it in the work of art. The neurotic is precisely the one who cannot create—the “artiste-manque,” as Rank so aptly called him. We might say that both the artist and the neurotic bite off more than they can chew, but the artist spews it back out again and chews it over in an objectified way, as an ex­ternal, active, work project. The neurotic can’t marshal this creative response embodied in a specific work, and so he chokes on his in­troversions. The artist has similar large-scale introversions, but he uses them as material.”

— Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

Becker, who was deeply interested in understanding the human quest for meaning and the ways in which individuals cope with the awareness of their own mortality, found resonance in Rank's ideas. Becker expanded on Rank's theories and developed the concept of "symbolic immortality." He proposed that individuals seek to overcome the fear of death by creating enduring symbolic systems, such as religious beliefs, cultural traditions, and artistic expressions, that outlive their physical existence.

Becker considered the artist a central figure in the creation of these symbolic systems. In his view, artists use their creative endeavors to create works that transcend mortality, capturing timeless truths and universal human experiences. The artist, like a hero, confronts the reality of death and the limitations of human existence and attempts to transcend them through their art.

Otto Rank's assessment of the artist had an impact on Ernest Becker, who used Rank's ideas to inform his own theories about the human condition and the role of creativity and art in overcoming existential anxieties. Becker saw the artist as a heroic figure who uses their creative endeavors to confront and transcend the fear of death, contributing to the creation of enduring symbolic systems that provide individuals with a sense of meaning and immortality.

“Daisies, and Rocky Mountain Purple Geranium” 10” x 10” (25,4 x 25,4 cm) RA-4 Reversal Direct Color print June 26, 2023, matted with a whole plate opening