People ask me: Are you mainly a writer? Or mainly a photographer? My answer is both. For the menu items on this website, I’ve separated the two strands of my life, but I am speaking to you now as someone who works in two disciplines with equal fervor and seriousness.

I’ve discovered that I confuse people, who by and large like to have an easy handle, a clear identity. I’ve discovered that it’s difficult to make a mark in two fields at once. I’ve discovered that often I just want to make the work: promoting it is much harder for me and besides, working as a writer (memoirs, plays, poetry, essays) and as a photographer, I’m often pulled in several directions, and need the time for the work. I also feel remarkably blessed to be able to generate bodies of work.

Sometimes I cannot see any connection between my writing and my images; at other times, they seem to be in conversation with one another.

I would like to continue this conversation with YOU – not about my work but about being a multi-disciplinary artist. It’s not as though I’m at all unique – many of us work in more than one art form. But it’s not much discussed. I don’t want to analyze or complain or vaunt or any such thing. I’m interested in what’s generative, what might come out of this conversation.

I had promised ‘my story.’ I think it’s a great idea but I’m a bit daunted as I start out.

I know I want to write about Mexico, about my dogs, about all the important things that are not obvious from a cv (note: please do go to mine on this site for basic info). I want to include more images. In other words, I would like MY STORY to be continuous and interactive, not a blog but a way for a reticent person (me!) to give a sense of texture and history and moment.

I can’t stand it when someone is standing in front of me at Starbuck’s talking on a cell phone and saying ‘I’m standing in line at Starbuck’s.’ There’s too much of that sort of clutter around. I have no urge to narrate my life. But I will be using this space to write my story as it comes to me.

And I hope to hear from you.

(A note on the photograph above, which seems to me to be an epitome of how I like to feel and work. I am standing in the Arts and Technology Building at the Seoul Institute of the Arts while people are installing a show of my work that is taking place throughout the building — photographs, writings, installations, video. I am drinking coffee that I bought when I took a walk down to the street below campus. I love to walk and explore. I love to be in the middle of people working. If you would like to know more about the show, please go to ‘Fertile Confusion’ on this site for links – videos, etc. Mainly, here, I wanted to begin MY STORY with an image of happiness.)

(And for more information on my past works, please go to CV)