“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”
-Georgia O’Keefe
"When I create a photograph, I'm not thinking about what the final result will be or how others will interpret the image. I'm searching for a composition, subject, or perspective that resonates with me. When a viewer sees something in my image beyond their reality, I feel like I've opened a door for them to make it their own. Maybe they're seeing something mundane in a new way, or finding beauty in an object or landscape that wouldn't normally be considered beautiful. When that happens, and our reactions lead others to see something new - even if it's not in exactly the same way we see it - a connection is formed. It doesn't always happen, but I feel a greater sense of purpose to my work when it does."
"While channeling Degas, O'Keefe exclaimed, 'Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.' This statement gets me wondering about the open-endedness'of its terms. She seems to refer to perception, rather than sight. To make others see is a moment of perceptual shift that happens when three conditions - time, place, and audience - come together. At the right time, in the right place, and to the right audience there is potential for an object or an action to change what others see. A painter does not hold any advantage over a basketball player, nor does clay or marble over AstroTurf or Jell-O. It is all about placing the right elements in a context that offers a new perspective to its audience... what you make others see."