No. 1 - Welcome

An introduction, the why & looking ahead

Hey, everybody. Thanks for checking out this first post on Ground(ed) Glass!

I’m going to avoid giving you my bio, but if you’re curious as to why you should take note of anything I’ve got to say, take a look at this About page. Some of you may know me, and some of you may not—but whatever the case, I’m stoked you’ve decided to check this out.

Me, Photo by Casey Dillon

What’s Ground(ed) Glass?

Other than one of the best plays on words I’ve ever come up with that is applicable to both motion and still photography, it’s a place to take a closer look at the work, discuss creative processes and approaches, the challenges we face, and the unique moments that make it all worthwhile. It’s about sharing insights into the worlds of directing and photography—both commercial and personal.

63 Raw Acres

Why Now?

I think it’s a lot of things. Different experiences, both personal and professional, have culminated in me wanting to try and build something like this. Not to be cliché, but looking back, I wish my future self could have written a letter to my past self about what I was about to go through. (Trust me, I made a short doc that revolves around this whole idea—I’m obsessed with it.)

And so maybe Ground(ed) Glass is a way for me to write a series of letters to my past self. Or to the past self I see reflected in others who are on similar journeys, if that makes sense. Letters that embrace and dissect the struggles and letters to show how amazing it can get—through the work and the people.

Social Media

I’d be lying if I didn’t also mention that a bit of this has to do with how wasteful sharing work on social media has started to feel. It’s lost some of its allure, and though I will continue to play the game, it’s started to feel like I’m just throwing work into a bottomless content canyon. Shit posting. And for what? To keep up?

Social media perpetuates this myth that every new job has to be bigger and better than the last. It’s a pleasant thought, and it’s nice when it works out that way, but a lot of jobs are not portfolio pieces. I don’t post most of the projects I’m working on. Then there are times I post projects I normally wouldn’t because it appeals to a certain type of work I’m trying to get more of…

Bottom line—very few people are out here making a living off their art. All of us are making a living off the technical prowess that’s associated with it, but not the art itself.

Bali, Photo by Jared Levy

Self Challenge

This new project is a way for me to challenge myself. As a freelance director and photographer, I feel like a lot of my career has become a series of short sprints (i.e. production), followed by “training” periods consisting of creating treatments and proposals, estimates, and back-and-forths with existing and potential clients. Lather, rinse, repeat.

My hope for Ground(ed) Glass is that it becomes a place for me to brake-check and take stock of it all while sharing some of the ups and downs. Writing, like photography, has always been a way for me to slow down and appreciate moments that I may have otherwise missed. Through this attempt at reflection and sharing, I figure some of the things I have to say may wind up being useful to someone for reasons more important than my own selfish ones.

Thanks For Being Here

Whether you’ve been following my work for a while or are just stumbling upon Ground(ed) Glass for the first time, I’m genuinely grateful for your time and interest. This space is as much for me as it is for anyone who finds value in it, and I’m excited to see where it goes. I hope you stick around, share your thoughts, and maybe even find something here that resonates with you. Thanks for being part of the journey.

I’m aiming to publish a few posts each month, but I don’t want to create a strict posting schedule for myself just yet—so stay tuned for more. In the next post, I’m looking forward to diving into some recent work.

Petaluma, Photo by Brandon Lavoie