Engineer to Artist:
The Journey
From the age of about 15, my school, university and professional life was focussed on the sciences whilst photography was, at most, just a hobby; and art wasn't even on the horizon – not for the likes of us, was the message from childhood.
But cancer and aggressive chemotherapy knocked me off this very singular track and what followed is described by my friends as a 'journey'; they've supported, helped and encouraged me as photography took the place of engineering. A hobby became a passion, became an expressive part of my being.
What you'll read here is my description of this journey, thus far – 7 parts in all – possibly the last signs of my engineering persona, the part of me which loves things to make sense.
So start the journey alongside me, reading the first part below.
Paddy
Prelude
"Little do ye know your own blessedness; for to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour."
Robert Louis Stevenson
Perhaps it's Self-Belief
'Evening' by Alfred Drury,
assured and confident in City Square, Leeds
I think it’s easy to know who you are – or, at least, not question who you are – if you’re following the path set out for you at school (in my case over 50 years ago) and then you continue along it diligently, amassing qualifications from academia and professional bodies as evidence that it’s always been the right choice to make.
I think this creates a carapace – constructed steadily, over time (like guano deposits!) – which provide a buttress, supporting that fragile wall of self-confidence and self-belief.
Then the path is blocked – illness, perhaps, or retirement, maybe both – and another path is needed. And another journey begins.
But this time without the buttress, guano, the carapace – without the self-belief and confidence.
And setting out, I hope that Stevenson is right.
Paddy
January 2020