Stroke.
Stroke the dark.
Pet it, like the ocean does the shore.
Lick its wounds, as you would for your father. Your brother. Your mother. Your lover.
He walks. Gently. Carefully.
Twigs snapping under his paws. Leaves brushing against his pelt.
Howl. His howl. It roars like thunder and it covers a great distance.
I felt it. Became it. I am it.
And now I’m always looking up at the moon. Wanting to get back.
Back to your lungs.
My beautiful beast. Howl. Look up. Howl.
Cry out.
Cry out for the downtrodden. Cry out for hope. Cry out for grace. Cry out for mercy. Cry out for you. Cry out for me. Cry out for us. Cry out to a stranger. Cry out to a mother. Cry out to a God you don’t know is listening. Cry out to the trees. Cry out to the greedy. Cry out to the poor. Cry out to the terrible. Cry out to the horrible. Cry out to the dead. Cry out and don’t let it die out. Howl.
Howl.
Voyeuristic eyes. Curious. Peer out into the dead of night.
It sees everything.
And it’s ugly. And it’s gorgeous. It’s overwhelming. His chest implodes.
His mouth open.
Howl.
He’s on the prowl.
Howl.
You’re gone too soon and you’re skating on the moon. For you, I howl.
You’re crying and blackbirds are dying. For you, I howl.
My bed’s on fire, and I’m burning in it. For me, you howl.
He howl’s and I travel. Over the winds, I travel. Under wings, I travel.
Howl.
The night is the knife and I am the blade.
The wind is my partner and Howl is my trade.
Siren in the distance with a bluesy twang. Not an ambulance. Not justice.
Howl.
The beast that stalks, the beast that walks, with eyes that pierce and venom in his bite.
He looks up. Howls. I am born again tonight.
An expressionless facade, I’m the expression of something beautiful.
A gesture of something graceful.
A bow, from a performer to an adoring public.
Curtains.
Howl.
RobertVolkerts
My blog
Stroke the dark.
Pet it, like the ocean does the shore.
Lick its wounds, as you would for your father. Your brother. Your mother. Your lover.
He walks. Gently. Carefully.
Twigs snapping under his paws. Leaves brushing against his pelt.
Howl. His howl. It roars like thunder and it covers a great distance.
I felt it. Became it. I am it.
And now I’m always looking up at the moon. Wanting to get back.
Back to your lungs.
My beautiful beast. Howl. Look up. Howl.
Cry out.
Cry out for the downtrodden. Cry out for hope. Cry out for grace. Cry out for mercy. Cry out for you. Cry out for me. Cry out for us. Cry out to a stranger. Cry out to a mother. Cry out to a God you don’t know is listening. Cry out to the trees. Cry out to the greedy. Cry out to the poor. Cry out to the terrible. Cry out to the horrible. Cry out to the dead. Cry out and don’t let it die out. Howl.
Howl.
Voyeuristic eyes. Curious. Peer out into the dead of night.
It sees everything.
And it’s ugly. And it’s gorgeous. It’s overwhelming. His chest implodes.
His mouth open.
Howl.
He’s on the prowl.
Howl.
You’re gone too soon and you’re skating on the moon. For you, I howl.
You’re crying and blackbirds are dying. For you, I howl.
My bed’s on fire, and I’m burning in it. For me, you howl.
He howl’s and I travel. Over the winds, I travel. Under wings, I travel.
Howl.
The night is the knife and I am the blade.
The wind is my partner and Howl is my trade.
Siren in the distance with a bluesy twang. Not an ambulance. Not justice.
Howl.
The beast that stalks, the beast that walks, with eyes that pierce and venom in his bite.
He looks up. Howls. I am born again tonight.
An expressionless facade, I’m the expression of something beautiful.
A gesture of something graceful.
A bow, from a performer to an adoring public.
Curtains.
Howl.
RobertVolkerts
My blog
So I'm selling some official Robert Volkerts Photography t-shirts. Please check them out, and order if you like what you see.
Much love,
Rob.
Robert Volkerts Photography
Much love,
Rob.
Robert Volkerts Photography
Another graveyard shift.
*sigh*
When you get older days sort of blend together I feel. I almost never know what day it is or what the date is. All I know is deadlines, big projects, little projects, and prospects. It's so crazy, and so easy to get lost in the every day hustle and bustle of it all. Seldom a clear and coherent thought in this madness.
Usually I'm so caught up in this numb, bland, curious like a child, from the outside looking in state that I forget what enjoyment feels like, or pain, or fear, or anything at all for that matter. Just pretty pictures and sounds whizzing by, studying a situation or an object like a child would, and I could observe its every shape and color, and feel every emotion it might convey without even understanding its purpose, or without ever asking myself what it is or how it works.
And then *boom* in an instant and only for a limited time, I am completely aware of my life. My failures, oh how they pile up, my fears, my worries, all this anger and frustration, and it feels as I would imagine, a fisherman would feel, in his tiny wooden boat, right after a mammoth of a whale pops out of the water around him, in all her majesty and grace. Feeling so small and helpless, and in awe of something he has no control over. Just letting go..and going along for the ride. And before you know it..the numbness is back, and I have missed it oh so much.
I ramble.
So I'm selling shirts, and well it seems to be going okay. But then again I haven't delivered all too many just yet. I'll be making my first few tomorrow, so let's hope. I have learned all too well, that people can place an order, people can be excited, people cannot wait for something, only to turn around and walk the other way when the time comes.
I wouldn't be surprised if I don't sell a single shirt tomorrow. Oh well, time will tell.
I am almost ready to be able to ship internationally, I have found my payment method, which is going to be paypal. And now all i have to do is to figure out shipping costs, and I am ready to sell to everyone and anyone interested. Anywhere. Ever.
So I'm pretty excited about that. SG's take note, you can buy my shirts
(Doubt that anyone will even read this, and if so, care to buy any shirt I'm selling, but hey I tried)
I ended up watching Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland tonight. And you know what, it wasn't all too bad.
When I first hear the news that Tim would be doing this, I was pretty happy to hear this. Eversince I was a kid I remember thinking to myself that this guy should do this movie, I want to see his take on it, because I think he would be able to breathe some seriously wicked air into this story. But this was back when Edward Scissor hands came out. And back then, Tim was awesome as fuck.
Nowadays, most of what I see Tim do, is sort of this silly, funny, sort of dark, quirky version of what he used to do. A mere shadow of what the man used to produce. I don't know why he does all of this cutesy stuff nowadays, it's almost apologetic. Sort of to say "I'm sorry I'm such a morbid Goth, but hey see? I still made you giggle!"
The man has true vision, and there's not allot of people that do fantasy and especially dark fantasy like him, but for a while now, he hasn't brought his A game, I think personally. He uses CG too much nowadays I think, when he used to build these massive set pieces, and do more animatronics and the costumes and the make up, and all of this, wow, it was magic. I personally prefer a mix of animatronics and CG. A mix of the old and the new. With most projects that is. With something like Avatar, that would never work obviously, but for Alice, I think it would have made the movie even better.
But all in all, I thought it was alright, I give it a fine 3.5 out of 5 stars. Depp was cool. I know people have been complaining about his dance at the end, but I thought that was cool. All in all, not bad Tim, not your best, but also definitely not your worst.
Next movie on the docket would be "Shutter Island" I don't expect to be blown away by it, just mildly entertained at least. I didn't like "Cape Fear" all that much, so I don't see why this one should blow me away. But let's see. I always walk into the theater with an open mind, a clean slate, and have them take me along for the ride.
I'm thinking that is my approach towards everything; Life, Movies, Music, all of it.
"Move like a jellyfish, rhythm don't be nuthin', you go with the flow, you don't stop"
*sigh*
When you get older days sort of blend together I feel. I almost never know what day it is or what the date is. All I know is deadlines, big projects, little projects, and prospects. It's so crazy, and so easy to get lost in the every day hustle and bustle of it all. Seldom a clear and coherent thought in this madness.
Usually I'm so caught up in this numb, bland, curious like a child, from the outside looking in state that I forget what enjoyment feels like, or pain, or fear, or anything at all for that matter. Just pretty pictures and sounds whizzing by, studying a situation or an object like a child would, and I could observe its every shape and color, and feel every emotion it might convey without even understanding its purpose, or without ever asking myself what it is or how it works.
And then *boom* in an instant and only for a limited time, I am completely aware of my life. My failures, oh how they pile up, my fears, my worries, all this anger and frustration, and it feels as I would imagine, a fisherman would feel, in his tiny wooden boat, right after a mammoth of a whale pops out of the water around him, in all her majesty and grace. Feeling so small and helpless, and in awe of something he has no control over. Just letting go..and going along for the ride. And before you know it..the numbness is back, and I have missed it oh so much.
I ramble.
So I'm selling shirts, and well it seems to be going okay. But then again I haven't delivered all too many just yet. I'll be making my first few tomorrow, so let's hope. I have learned all too well, that people can place an order, people can be excited, people cannot wait for something, only to turn around and walk the other way when the time comes.
I wouldn't be surprised if I don't sell a single shirt tomorrow. Oh well, time will tell.
I am almost ready to be able to ship internationally, I have found my payment method, which is going to be paypal. And now all i have to do is to figure out shipping costs, and I am ready to sell to everyone and anyone interested. Anywhere. Ever.
So I'm pretty excited about that. SG's take note, you can buy my shirts
(Doubt that anyone will even read this, and if so, care to buy any shirt I'm selling, but hey I tried)I ended up watching Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland tonight. And you know what, it wasn't all too bad.
When I first hear the news that Tim would be doing this, I was pretty happy to hear this. Eversince I was a kid I remember thinking to myself that this guy should do this movie, I want to see his take on it, because I think he would be able to breathe some seriously wicked air into this story. But this was back when Edward Scissor hands came out. And back then, Tim was awesome as fuck.
Nowadays, most of what I see Tim do, is sort of this silly, funny, sort of dark, quirky version of what he used to do. A mere shadow of what the man used to produce. I don't know why he does all of this cutesy stuff nowadays, it's almost apologetic. Sort of to say "I'm sorry I'm such a morbid Goth, but hey see? I still made you giggle!"
The man has true vision, and there's not allot of people that do fantasy and especially dark fantasy like him, but for a while now, he hasn't brought his A game, I think personally. He uses CG too much nowadays I think, when he used to build these massive set pieces, and do more animatronics and the costumes and the make up, and all of this, wow, it was magic. I personally prefer a mix of animatronics and CG. A mix of the old and the new. With most projects that is. With something like Avatar, that would never work obviously, but for Alice, I think it would have made the movie even better.
But all in all, I thought it was alright, I give it a fine 3.5 out of 5 stars. Depp was cool. I know people have been complaining about his dance at the end, but I thought that was cool. All in all, not bad Tim, not your best, but also definitely not your worst.
Next movie on the docket would be "Shutter Island" I don't expect to be blown away by it, just mildly entertained at least. I didn't like "Cape Fear" all that much, so I don't see why this one should blow me away. But let's see. I always walk into the theater with an open mind, a clean slate, and have them take me along for the ride.
I'm thinking that is my approach towards everything; Life, Movies, Music, all of it.
"Move like a jellyfish, rhythm don't be nuthin', you go with the flow, you don't stop"
So, it's a new week.
Again I find myself sitting in the small, shitty, redundantly lit office doing the same old job.
But, something's changed.
I have new shirts out, and orders are coming in. Awesome!
I personally love my new shirts, and I hope they sellout quick. I'm selling them in Curacao, which is the island where I live, in the second week of March they will be available in Aruba, a neighboring island and I'm currently trying to find a way to sell them in Europe as well, specifically in Holland, so let's hope I can figure that one out.
There's a big shot dirty house Deejay from Europe who wants to shoot with me in April, so let's see what that turns into, he's coming down for a big concert and wants to take the opportunity to shoot with me. I'll see if he wants to wear my new shirt for his show, that would rock, I don't think it'll be a prob though, he seems to be a fan and he seems fairly excited and enthusiastic about the shoot.
So one of my lenses died on me the other say, the AF feature is dead, i hear it humming trying to focus, but it can't, or doesn't. And when I switch to MF, the focus ring doesn't do anything, no matter how much I twist and turn. So now I have to pack and ship my cam and lenses to NY for service and repairs, as there is nowhere on the island that repairs or services camera equipment, which is the same reason I never serviced any of my stuff since I got them, so I had this coming. So let's hope they can fix my stuff, so I can get back to work, there is much to be done, and this is a year of excitement for your little island photographer. Big things around the bend.
So as promised here are the new shirts. Enjoy. And heck give me some feedback on 'em, I'd love to hear them. Much love SG. <3.
Here we have colors.
Again I find myself sitting in the small, shitty, redundantly lit office doing the same old job.
But, something's changed.
I have new shirts out, and orders are coming in. Awesome!
I personally love my new shirts, and I hope they sellout quick. I'm selling them in Curacao, which is the island where I live, in the second week of March they will be available in Aruba, a neighboring island and I'm currently trying to find a way to sell them in Europe as well, specifically in Holland, so let's hope I can figure that one out.
There's a big shot dirty house Deejay from Europe who wants to shoot with me in April, so let's see what that turns into, he's coming down for a big concert and wants to take the opportunity to shoot with me. I'll see if he wants to wear my new shirt for his show, that would rock, I don't think it'll be a prob though, he seems to be a fan and he seems fairly excited and enthusiastic about the shoot.
So one of my lenses died on me the other say, the AF feature is dead, i hear it humming trying to focus, but it can't, or doesn't. And when I switch to MF, the focus ring doesn't do anything, no matter how much I twist and turn. So now I have to pack and ship my cam and lenses to NY for service and repairs, as there is nowhere on the island that repairs or services camera equipment, which is the same reason I never serviced any of my stuff since I got them, so I had this coming. So let's hope they can fix my stuff, so I can get back to work, there is much to be done, and this is a year of excitement for your little island photographer. Big things around the bend.
So as promised here are the new shirts. Enjoy. And heck give me some feedback on 'em, I'd love to hear them. Much love SG. <3.
Here we have colors.
Here we have the old shirt design and the new one side by side.
Until next time Boys and Ghouls. 
It's 4.00 am on Sunday.
Young couples are falling apart, and others are falling love.
Nights out turn into grand adventures of self discovery and enlightenment.
Laughter among friends, mystery and innocence. Curiosity. Changes. All the world in a to and fro motion, rocking itself, calming itself. As we speak things are shifting, changes, be they microscopic or monumental, taking place, everywhere.
I sit in a shitty little office doing customer service to gamblers across the globe. And to make matters worse, I have the sniffles. Static as a statue.
The living on a graveyard shift from 1am to 9am. After I get off work, I have a small shoot in town. A promotional shoot for the new Robert Volkerts Photography t-shirts.
As families wake up on this tiny island, ready to hit the beach, children waking up with smiles on their faces and excitement fueling their adrenaline, I retreat from my clammy little office, beady little eyes, face flush pink from an unwanted guest; Mr.Sniffles. The little energy i can muster up fueled solely by caffeine. Energy deprived artist too weak to spring into action. Have no fear. Instant coffee to the rescue.
Recently, as I speak of my second wave of shirts to hit planet Earth, people often ask me if it's charity, or maybe to help fund my little dream of being a full time artist. And well..I guess I could find a million reasons to do it, but in the end I always go "Why do you buy a Bob Marley shirt"...
"Because I'm a fan, and I think it's dope to wear his shit"
I say; "Voila! Couldn't have said better myself"
If you like something, wear it. Embody it. I know I do.
So I guess that's why I do it, because I know that if I loved something a whole lot, the day would come where I go "Shit, I want to wear this shit" So that is why.
So first thing's first...Promotional little shoot. Nothing fancy, just so people could see what the merch is like, and maybe, just maybe, they would wanna rock it.
So that is the first order of business, and then sell sell sell.
I cross fingers, will you do the same? The more the marrier.
I will post the pictures up once they are done.
In the meantime, enjoy my first shirt I had printed out. They are sold out.
I still feel like I post these things up for shits n giggles. But hey maybe just maybe, some people are watching, and to those that are; Thank you.
Young couples are falling apart, and others are falling love.
Nights out turn into grand adventures of self discovery and enlightenment.
Laughter among friends, mystery and innocence. Curiosity. Changes. All the world in a to and fro motion, rocking itself, calming itself. As we speak things are shifting, changes, be they microscopic or monumental, taking place, everywhere.
I sit in a shitty little office doing customer service to gamblers across the globe. And to make matters worse, I have the sniffles. Static as a statue.
The living on a graveyard shift from 1am to 9am. After I get off work, I have a small shoot in town. A promotional shoot for the new Robert Volkerts Photography t-shirts.
As families wake up on this tiny island, ready to hit the beach, children waking up with smiles on their faces and excitement fueling their adrenaline, I retreat from my clammy little office, beady little eyes, face flush pink from an unwanted guest; Mr.Sniffles. The little energy i can muster up fueled solely by caffeine. Energy deprived artist too weak to spring into action. Have no fear. Instant coffee to the rescue.
Recently, as I speak of my second wave of shirts to hit planet Earth, people often ask me if it's charity, or maybe to help fund my little dream of being a full time artist. And well..I guess I could find a million reasons to do it, but in the end I always go "Why do you buy a Bob Marley shirt"...
"Because I'm a fan, and I think it's dope to wear his shit"
I say; "Voila! Couldn't have said better myself"
If you like something, wear it. Embody it. I know I do.
So I guess that's why I do it, because I know that if I loved something a whole lot, the day would come where I go "Shit, I want to wear this shit" So that is why.
So first thing's first...Promotional little shoot. Nothing fancy, just so people could see what the merch is like, and maybe, just maybe, they would wanna rock it.
So that is the first order of business, and then sell sell sell.
I cross fingers, will you do the same? The more the marrier.
I will post the pictures up once they are done.
In the meantime, enjoy my first shirt I had printed out. They are sold out.
I still feel like I post these things up for shits n giggles. But hey maybe just maybe, some people are watching, and to those that are; Thank you.
Another day, another dollar as they say.
Another nine to five day. I'm having some really artsy fartsy days where my mind races at a million miles an hour with ideas and inspiration for new projects. So that's great. I guess my plan is working.
"What plan!?" you might ask.
Well I've been doing this "Photographer" thing for a little over a year now, and it's been a crazy ride. There's been backstabbing, leeches, assholes, prom queens, snitches and bloated egos.
You see where I come from there aren't all that many photographers, even less of the artistic kind. Down here photography is synonymous with wedding photography and events such as parties and marathons or something. Photoshoots rarely happen, and when they do happen, they are super cheesy and not so creative.
So once my website went online, and the buzz started spreading over this little rock and trickling out onto the other islands in the sunny Caribe, you immediately had business owners, wannabe models, and money hungry "photographers" all ready to cash in and utilize yours truly like a monkey wrench.
So when my website when on it was all with personal work, which wasn't all that much to be honest with you, little voyeuristic views at life around me, some wildlife, and well my "vague" attempt at telling a tiny story through pictures, which much like on here, is called "sets" on my website.
The islanders here, are not really familiar with this concept so i thought i would put something really simple up, and see how they react. Suffice it to say they were crazy about it all.
E-mails were coming and calls from everywhere and everyone. I had a warm reception. Before you know it I was on tv on the neighboring island of Aruba, and in magazines, and in the papers.
But working with people, it's hard. They have deadlines, they want more for less, they want to squeeze you and drain you, and castrate your creativity, leaving you nothing but a young man with a piece of equipment in your hand with the knowledge on how to use it, and a suit standing there barking orders at you to get what they want out of you. This, boys and girls, was artistic lynching.
So it got to a point where I couldn't shit one tiny creative spark out of me anymore, I was drained, I was tired, I was saturated. I felt cheap. A whore. A cog in the big machine. My art, my expression, my feral fire, extinguished to puffy white clouds dissipating into thin air.
So I have decided to take along break from commercial work, a long long long break. I think I'll get back to it perhaps early next year or towards the end of this year. I understand that this is a bold move, as one of my competitors might catch up and leave me in the dust in the meantime, and taking away my crumbs.
But it's a risk I'm willing to take. I have to get back on track, I want to fall in love with this artform again, and I want to create.
So right now I'm in the process of tying up loose ends, doing my part in the projects I have already signed on to, and finishing those up. And it's been getting quieter, and voila! The fire burns again! A tiny little fellow but it's better than black smoke.
I will be doing small little shindigs here and there, maybe a small wedding here, a tiny shoot there, I mean hey at least that way I can make a l little money to fund my ideas and projects.
I have an exposition next year which has already been announced that I haven't done anything with so I'll be working on that this year. And a bunch of really really intense sets, telling stories that deal with taboos. Very subversive of me, if I do say so myself. So it should be an interesting time. I'll be selling "Robert Volkerts Photography" t-shirts too, I'll post pics on here soon. I have received them 2 days ago, but I have yet to do my promotional shoot for 'em but you'll see em. I had a batch come out but they were sold out, and this is my second shirt design which I love very very much. So let's see if they'll be a hit. Cross fingers for me, my trip to Europe this summer, and all the ink I'll get there depends on those sales.
Oh well, that has been my rambling for today, that's what's up with me. I'm probably writing this for nothing, as I don't think no one reads my stuff haha, but hey...who ever said venting was a bad thing?
I leave you with a war cry: "Fuck the man, and fuck the suits!!"
Another nine to five day. I'm having some really artsy fartsy days where my mind races at a million miles an hour with ideas and inspiration for new projects. So that's great. I guess my plan is working.
"What plan!?" you might ask.
Well I've been doing this "Photographer" thing for a little over a year now, and it's been a crazy ride. There's been backstabbing, leeches, assholes, prom queens, snitches and bloated egos.
You see where I come from there aren't all that many photographers, even less of the artistic kind. Down here photography is synonymous with wedding photography and events such as parties and marathons or something. Photoshoots rarely happen, and when they do happen, they are super cheesy and not so creative.
So once my website went online, and the buzz started spreading over this little rock and trickling out onto the other islands in the sunny Caribe, you immediately had business owners, wannabe models, and money hungry "photographers" all ready to cash in and utilize yours truly like a monkey wrench.
So when my website when on it was all with personal work, which wasn't all that much to be honest with you, little voyeuristic views at life around me, some wildlife, and well my "vague" attempt at telling a tiny story through pictures, which much like on here, is called "sets" on my website.
The islanders here, are not really familiar with this concept so i thought i would put something really simple up, and see how they react. Suffice it to say they were crazy about it all.
E-mails were coming and calls from everywhere and everyone. I had a warm reception. Before you know it I was on tv on the neighboring island of Aruba, and in magazines, and in the papers.
But working with people, it's hard. They have deadlines, they want more for less, they want to squeeze you and drain you, and castrate your creativity, leaving you nothing but a young man with a piece of equipment in your hand with the knowledge on how to use it, and a suit standing there barking orders at you to get what they want out of you. This, boys and girls, was artistic lynching.
So it got to a point where I couldn't shit one tiny creative spark out of me anymore, I was drained, I was tired, I was saturated. I felt cheap. A whore. A cog in the big machine. My art, my expression, my feral fire, extinguished to puffy white clouds dissipating into thin air.
So I have decided to take along break from commercial work, a long long long break. I think I'll get back to it perhaps early next year or towards the end of this year. I understand that this is a bold move, as one of my competitors might catch up and leave me in the dust in the meantime, and taking away my crumbs.
But it's a risk I'm willing to take. I have to get back on track, I want to fall in love with this artform again, and I want to create.
So right now I'm in the process of tying up loose ends, doing my part in the projects I have already signed on to, and finishing those up. And it's been getting quieter, and voila! The fire burns again! A tiny little fellow but it's better than black smoke.
I will be doing small little shindigs here and there, maybe a small wedding here, a tiny shoot there, I mean hey at least that way I can make a l little money to fund my ideas and projects.
I have an exposition next year which has already been announced that I haven't done anything with so I'll be working on that this year. And a bunch of really really intense sets, telling stories that deal with taboos. Very subversive of me, if I do say so myself. So it should be an interesting time. I'll be selling "Robert Volkerts Photography" t-shirts too, I'll post pics on here soon. I have received them 2 days ago, but I have yet to do my promotional shoot for 'em but you'll see em. I had a batch come out but they were sold out, and this is my second shirt design which I love very very much. So let's see if they'll be a hit. Cross fingers for me, my trip to Europe this summer, and all the ink I'll get there depends on those sales.
Oh well, that has been my rambling for today, that's what's up with me. I'm probably writing this for nothing, as I don't think no one reads my stuff haha, but hey...who ever said venting was a bad thing?
I leave you with a war cry: "Fuck the man, and fuck the suits!!"
Another day, another dollar as they say.
Another nine to five day. I'm having some really artsy fartsy days where my mind races at a million miles an hour with ideas and inspiration for new projects. So that's great. I guess my plan is working.
"What plan!?" you might ask.
Well I've been doing this "Photographer" thing for a little over a year now, and it's been a crazy ride. There's been backstabbing, leeches, assholes, prom queens, snitches and bloated egos.
You see where I come from there aren't all that many photographers, even less of the artistic kind. Down here photography is synonymous with wedding photography and events such as parties and marathons or something. Photoshoots rarely happen, and when they do happen, they are super cheesy and not so creative.
So once my website went online, and the buzz started spreading over this little rock and trickling out onto the other islands in the sunny Caribe, you immediately had business owners, wannabe models, and money hungry "photographers" all ready to cash in and utilize yours truly like a monkey wrench.
So when my website when on it was all with personal work, which wasn't all that much to be honest with you, little voyeuristic views at life around me, some wildlife, and well my "vague" attempt at telling a tiny story through pictures, which much like on here, is called "sets" on my website.
The islanders here, are not really familiar with this concept so i thought i would put something really simple up, and see how they react. Suffice it to say they were crazy about it all.
E-mails were coming and calls from everywhere and everyone. I had a warm reception. Before you know it I was on tv on the neighboring island of Aruba, and in magazines, and in the papers.
But working with people, it's hard. They have deadlines, they want more for less, they want to squeeze you and drain you, and castrate your creativity, leaving you nothing but a young man with a piece of equipment in your hand with the knowledge on how to use it, and a suit standing there barking orders at you to get what they want out of you. This, boys and girls, was artistic lynching.
So it got to a point where I couldn't shit one tiny creative spark out of me anymore, I was drained, I was tired, I was saturated. I felt cheap. A whore. A cog in the big machine. My art, my expression, my feral fire, extinguished to puffy white clouds dissipating into thin air.
So I have decided to take along break from commercial work, a long long long break. I think I'll get back to it perhaps early next year or towards the end of this year. I understand that this is a bold move, as one of my competitors might catch up and leave me in the dust in the meantime, and taking away my crumbs.
But it's a risk I'm willing to take. I have to get back on track, I want to fall in love with this artform again, and I want to create.
So right now I'm in the process of tying up loose ends, doing my part in the projects I have already signed on to, and finishing those up. And it's been getting quieter, and voila! The fire burns again! A tiny little fellow but it's better than black smoke.
I will be doing small little shindigs here and there, maybe a small wedding here, a tiny shoot there, I mean hey at least that way I can make a l little money to fund my ideas and projects.
I have an exposition next year which has already been announced that I haven't done anything with so I'll be working on that this year. And a bunch of really really intense sets, telling stories that deal with taboos. Very subversive of me, if I do say so myself. So it should be an interesting time. I'll be selling "Robert Volkerts Photography" t-shirts too, I'll post pics on here soon. I have received them 2 days ago, but I have yet to do my promotional shoot for 'em but you'll see em. I had a batch come out but they were sold out, and this is my second shirt design which I love very very much. So let's see if they'll be a hit. Cross fingers for me, my trip to Europe this summer, and all the ink I'll get there depends on those sales.
Oh well, that has been my rambling for today, that's what's up with me. I'm probably writing this for nothing, as I don't think no one reads my stuff haha, but hey...who ever said venting was a bad thing?
I leave you with a war cry: "Fuck the man, and fuck the suits!!"
Another nine to five day. I'm having some really artsy fartsy days where my mind races at a million miles an hour with ideas and inspiration for new projects. So that's great. I guess my plan is working.
"What plan!?" you might ask.
Well I've been doing this "Photographer" thing for a little over a year now, and it's been a crazy ride. There's been backstabbing, leeches, assholes, prom queens, snitches and bloated egos.
You see where I come from there aren't all that many photographers, even less of the artistic kind. Down here photography is synonymous with wedding photography and events such as parties and marathons or something. Photoshoots rarely happen, and when they do happen, they are super cheesy and not so creative.
So once my website went online, and the buzz started spreading over this little rock and trickling out onto the other islands in the sunny Caribe, you immediately had business owners, wannabe models, and money hungry "photographers" all ready to cash in and utilize yours truly like a monkey wrench.
So when my website when on it was all with personal work, which wasn't all that much to be honest with you, little voyeuristic views at life around me, some wildlife, and well my "vague" attempt at telling a tiny story through pictures, which much like on here, is called "sets" on my website.
The islanders here, are not really familiar with this concept so i thought i would put something really simple up, and see how they react. Suffice it to say they were crazy about it all.
E-mails were coming and calls from everywhere and everyone. I had a warm reception. Before you know it I was on tv on the neighboring island of Aruba, and in magazines, and in the papers.
But working with people, it's hard. They have deadlines, they want more for less, they want to squeeze you and drain you, and castrate your creativity, leaving you nothing but a young man with a piece of equipment in your hand with the knowledge on how to use it, and a suit standing there barking orders at you to get what they want out of you. This, boys and girls, was artistic lynching.
So it got to a point where I couldn't shit one tiny creative spark out of me anymore, I was drained, I was tired, I was saturated. I felt cheap. A whore. A cog in the big machine. My art, my expression, my feral fire, extinguished to puffy white clouds dissipating into thin air.
So I have decided to take along break from commercial work, a long long long break. I think I'll get back to it perhaps early next year or towards the end of this year. I understand that this is a bold move, as one of my competitors might catch up and leave me in the dust in the meantime, and taking away my crumbs.
But it's a risk I'm willing to take. I have to get back on track, I want to fall in love with this artform again, and I want to create.
So right now I'm in the process of tying up loose ends, doing my part in the projects I have already signed on to, and finishing those up. And it's been getting quieter, and voila! The fire burns again! A tiny little fellow but it's better than black smoke.
I will be doing small little shindigs here and there, maybe a small wedding here, a tiny shoot there, I mean hey at least that way I can make a l little money to fund my ideas and projects.
I have an exposition next year which has already been announced that I haven't done anything with so I'll be working on that this year. And a bunch of really really intense sets, telling stories that deal with taboos. Very subversive of me, if I do say so myself. So it should be an interesting time. I'll be selling "Robert Volkerts Photography" t-shirts too, I'll post pics on here soon. I have received them 2 days ago, but I have yet to do my promotional shoot for 'em but you'll see em. I had a batch come out but they were sold out, and this is my second shirt design which I love very very much. So let's see if they'll be a hit. Cross fingers for me, my trip to Europe this summer, and all the ink I'll get there depends on those sales.
Oh well, that has been my rambling for today, that's what's up with me. I'm probably writing this for nothing, as I don't think no one reads my stuff haha, but hey...who ever said venting was a bad thing?
I leave you with a war cry: "Fuck the man, and fuck the suits!!"
It's been years I know. But I figured I would start adding little tidbits of my life into these blogs. After years of being a member of this site, I've decided I want to get more involved, and this is my first tiny step. I have decided to post this piece on here that I have written recently. I guess I'll have to set it up though.
I'm a photographer, and I live on a tiny island off the coast of South America named Curacao. Art and expression is my great passion, and I hope to one day go places with it. I paint, write and do photography. Photography is the art form that I make money with.
Oh well, I decided to put some thoughts to blog about what this means to me. My thoughts on what photography is once you read between the lines, and once you get to its core. I have no doubts in my mind that what's in this article is most probably yesterdays news to allot of you, but perhaps, it might inspire and enlighten others on here.
Oh well. Enjoy.
..........................................
Pictures. Photographs. Pics.
Whatever you want to call them, we are all familiar with them in some shape or another. They are everywhere nowadays. Now more than ever actually.
But pictures, much like us human beings, are more than meets the eye. They have a personality of their own, and they have as much depth and influence as any great person in history or even more so perhaps.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Whoever said that, thinks very highly of words in my opinion. I would have said it quite differently, I would have simply said; "A picture is priceless. And mean it in the literal sense.
If you think about it, pictures are very important. I honestly don't think that people actually think about the power a photograph possesses. With people snapping away with everything from homemade pinhole cameras to cellular phones nowadays, I can imagine that it's kind of hard to have a second to think about what you're actually doing and what you are creating.
On a personal level, I can tell you that pictures have always held sway over me, either emotionally or as a source of entertainment.
I remember as a child I would look at pictures of wildlife from around the globe, and it would inspire my mind to go all sorts of places, from the savannas of Africa to the dense forests of South America, the Gobi dessert and beyond, or to the deep oceans of the world with my friend Jacques Cousteau.
I remember admiring the plethora of species we share this planet with, I would study resemblances in their design and see similarities between us and them. I remember developing a great deal of respect for them watching those pictures, and and so began a fond love for them, and for creation in itself. It is marvelous in every sense of the word.
At some point, in all my curious adventures flipping through pages of nature magazines and books. Eager fingers hungry for information fed to me visually. Photos taken by capable men, pioneers of the visual revolution.In the midst of my rigid search, I found pictures of animals being poached and killed. I remember asking my parents why this happened. The gist of it was, we do it. People do it. That stirred me, and it still does. I remember feeling anger towards our species, and I remember being ashamed of being one of us, and saying to myself that that would never be me. All of this from looking at pictures through my second to maybe fifth year, and of course from there on out I was exposed to many more images. Everything from promotional ones to raw, uncut photojournalism pictures from the other half of the world.
A few years back I started my very own non profit organization, largely due to my sense of responsibility I felt to the animals, and those less fortunate. I also turned to vegetarianism for quite a while, I am ashamed to say I reverted back to my savage meat eating ways since, but I sincerely plan on going back to that, once the world makes it easier and more economic to do the veggie thing.
Now, I have been rambling I know. But follow me here. This all stemmed from..a little boy watching pictures in books and magazines before he could read or write a single word.
The power of photographs.
You look at pictures of good times, you get nostalgic, you play music that goes with that, your entire demeanor changes to fit that state of being. You become an ode to nostalgia because of a picture of a time gone by. Good times. Often the best of times.
Photos of loved ones who have passed on. Let's not even talk about that. Those pictures will become an important part of your well being, I can assure you of that. They will become of the utmost importance.
Photos of your wedding day; immortal testaments to your love. That one special day, when you stood on top of the tallest mountain you could find and shouted to the world: "This is who I love, and I vow to be with this person for as long as I still have breath!"
Photos of your children; The first step, the first day of school, the first date, the graduation. Grandchildren.
Okay so let's step outside the "personal" pictures for a second..
Promotional pictures for products, so striking that you just had to get one for your own. Billboards, magazine pictures, brochures, flyers and the list goes on. Photos of your favorite celebs sporting items of clothing, the latest fads and fashion styles. Defining an era, and maybe even an entire generation. You go out and you buy them, in turn changing your image and how you will be remembered someday. And when people just need to remember exactly what you looked like 20 years ago, they open up a dusty old box, in a dusty old drawer, and there you are..on a photo. Sporting sunglasses you bought because you in turn saw them..on a photo. Subsequently dusting off old memories to relive old friends, stirring and swelling your emotions, a breath of fresh air, you remember your youth and the good times.
Generations later children can see Hitler, the Berlin Wall coming down, Einstein, Stalin, Che Guevara, Mother Teresa, Ghandi. They can see them in history books...on photos.
I can write this essay forever. The butterfly effect of pictures, how one picture could lead to anything, literally anything. People falling in love, countries going to war, changing lives, saving lives, inspiration, new aspirations, turning a small business into an empire, sex change, turning a hippie to a soldier, a soldier to priest. Anything.
I have seen pictures that make me laugh out loud, pictures that make my cry, pictures that give me strength, pictures that put me in my place, pictures that humble me, pictures that hit me like a cannonball, pictures that have literally changed my life.
Now as some of you may or may not know, in my "about" section on my website [www.robertvolkerts.com], I refer to myself as being a curator of memories, a thief of these special moments, and well some of you might think I was being mellow dramatic or trying to sound poetic, but the honest truth is that I mean it. I do see myself as all those things, because I realize the importance of what I do, what I am creating, and its sentimental value to those I am doing this for. I am repeatedly humbled by what I do. And I give it my best shot. What I do is important, and it is significant. What i do changes things in some way, shape or form for someone. Anyone. I regard that as cold hard fact. And I am honored. It gives purpose to my life.
I am sure some of you may read this and think that I am way off here, or that I am reading too much into this, but I just thought I should let you know how I feel about my craft, and what it is I think I am doing here. Maybe you don't feel this way about pictures, but then change it up, switch things around; Instead oh photos, think music, cinema, literature. Art.
Art has purpose. It is an integral part of the fabric of society, and you can trace its thread all the way back in our history, and as you trace, you will find that it twists and turns and is evident and prominent in more places than you gave it credit for. It's big and it's in your face.
I am honored to do what I do, and I take it seriously. And to those of you who support me, and who goes as far as to take the initiative to work with me. I am forever grateful, and thankful.
My little piece of the thread has weaved itself into your lives, and I am humbled.
if you take anything from this essay, anything at all. Take this:
If you take the time to observe the world around you, the big things, and the little things you may take for granted, you will find that every single one of them is more than meets the eye.
Thank you for your time.
-Robert Volkerts.
Below you will find some of my pictures for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.
I'm a photographer, and I live on a tiny island off the coast of South America named Curacao. Art and expression is my great passion, and I hope to one day go places with it. I paint, write and do photography. Photography is the art form that I make money with.
Oh well, I decided to put some thoughts to blog about what this means to me. My thoughts on what photography is once you read between the lines, and once you get to its core. I have no doubts in my mind that what's in this article is most probably yesterdays news to allot of you, but perhaps, it might inspire and enlighten others on here.
Oh well. Enjoy.
..........................................
Pictures. Photographs. Pics.
Whatever you want to call them, we are all familiar with them in some shape or another. They are everywhere nowadays. Now more than ever actually.
But pictures, much like us human beings, are more than meets the eye. They have a personality of their own, and they have as much depth and influence as any great person in history or even more so perhaps.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Whoever said that, thinks very highly of words in my opinion. I would have said it quite differently, I would have simply said; "A picture is priceless. And mean it in the literal sense.
If you think about it, pictures are very important. I honestly don't think that people actually think about the power a photograph possesses. With people snapping away with everything from homemade pinhole cameras to cellular phones nowadays, I can imagine that it's kind of hard to have a second to think about what you're actually doing and what you are creating.
On a personal level, I can tell you that pictures have always held sway over me, either emotionally or as a source of entertainment.
I remember as a child I would look at pictures of wildlife from around the globe, and it would inspire my mind to go all sorts of places, from the savannas of Africa to the dense forests of South America, the Gobi dessert and beyond, or to the deep oceans of the world with my friend Jacques Cousteau.
I remember admiring the plethora of species we share this planet with, I would study resemblances in their design and see similarities between us and them. I remember developing a great deal of respect for them watching those pictures, and and so began a fond love for them, and for creation in itself. It is marvelous in every sense of the word.
At some point, in all my curious adventures flipping through pages of nature magazines and books. Eager fingers hungry for information fed to me visually. Photos taken by capable men, pioneers of the visual revolution.In the midst of my rigid search, I found pictures of animals being poached and killed. I remember asking my parents why this happened. The gist of it was, we do it. People do it. That stirred me, and it still does. I remember feeling anger towards our species, and I remember being ashamed of being one of us, and saying to myself that that would never be me. All of this from looking at pictures through my second to maybe fifth year, and of course from there on out I was exposed to many more images. Everything from promotional ones to raw, uncut photojournalism pictures from the other half of the world.
A few years back I started my very own non profit organization, largely due to my sense of responsibility I felt to the animals, and those less fortunate. I also turned to vegetarianism for quite a while, I am ashamed to say I reverted back to my savage meat eating ways since, but I sincerely plan on going back to that, once the world makes it easier and more economic to do the veggie thing.
Now, I have been rambling I know. But follow me here. This all stemmed from..a little boy watching pictures in books and magazines before he could read or write a single word.
The power of photographs.
You look at pictures of good times, you get nostalgic, you play music that goes with that, your entire demeanor changes to fit that state of being. You become an ode to nostalgia because of a picture of a time gone by. Good times. Often the best of times.
Photos of loved ones who have passed on. Let's not even talk about that. Those pictures will become an important part of your well being, I can assure you of that. They will become of the utmost importance.
Photos of your wedding day; immortal testaments to your love. That one special day, when you stood on top of the tallest mountain you could find and shouted to the world: "This is who I love, and I vow to be with this person for as long as I still have breath!"
Photos of your children; The first step, the first day of school, the first date, the graduation. Grandchildren.
Okay so let's step outside the "personal" pictures for a second..
Promotional pictures for products, so striking that you just had to get one for your own. Billboards, magazine pictures, brochures, flyers and the list goes on. Photos of your favorite celebs sporting items of clothing, the latest fads and fashion styles. Defining an era, and maybe even an entire generation. You go out and you buy them, in turn changing your image and how you will be remembered someday. And when people just need to remember exactly what you looked like 20 years ago, they open up a dusty old box, in a dusty old drawer, and there you are..on a photo. Sporting sunglasses you bought because you in turn saw them..on a photo. Subsequently dusting off old memories to relive old friends, stirring and swelling your emotions, a breath of fresh air, you remember your youth and the good times.
Generations later children can see Hitler, the Berlin Wall coming down, Einstein, Stalin, Che Guevara, Mother Teresa, Ghandi. They can see them in history books...on photos.
I can write this essay forever. The butterfly effect of pictures, how one picture could lead to anything, literally anything. People falling in love, countries going to war, changing lives, saving lives, inspiration, new aspirations, turning a small business into an empire, sex change, turning a hippie to a soldier, a soldier to priest. Anything.
I have seen pictures that make me laugh out loud, pictures that make my cry, pictures that give me strength, pictures that put me in my place, pictures that humble me, pictures that hit me like a cannonball, pictures that have literally changed my life.
Now as some of you may or may not know, in my "about" section on my website [www.robertvolkerts.com], I refer to myself as being a curator of memories, a thief of these special moments, and well some of you might think I was being mellow dramatic or trying to sound poetic, but the honest truth is that I mean it. I do see myself as all those things, because I realize the importance of what I do, what I am creating, and its sentimental value to those I am doing this for. I am repeatedly humbled by what I do. And I give it my best shot. What I do is important, and it is significant. What i do changes things in some way, shape or form for someone. Anyone. I regard that as cold hard fact. And I am honored. It gives purpose to my life.
I am sure some of you may read this and think that I am way off here, or that I am reading too much into this, but I just thought I should let you know how I feel about my craft, and what it is I think I am doing here. Maybe you don't feel this way about pictures, but then change it up, switch things around; Instead oh photos, think music, cinema, literature. Art.
Art has purpose. It is an integral part of the fabric of society, and you can trace its thread all the way back in our history, and as you trace, you will find that it twists and turns and is evident and prominent in more places than you gave it credit for. It's big and it's in your face.
I am honored to do what I do, and I take it seriously. And to those of you who support me, and who goes as far as to take the initiative to work with me. I am forever grateful, and thankful.
My little piece of the thread has weaved itself into your lives, and I am humbled.
if you take anything from this essay, anything at all. Take this:
If you take the time to observe the world around you, the big things, and the little things you may take for granted, you will find that every single one of them is more than meets the eye.
Thank you for your time.
-Robert Volkerts.
Below you will find some of my pictures for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.
Hey SG, i'm very openminded and ready to meet anyone so, feel free to contact me. I got MSN, Yahoo, AIM! So just ask and you shall receive.
JUNE 2011
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
MAY 2011
APRIL 2011
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
MARCH 2011
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31