August 1, 2023

Announcing the Final eMusings Newsletter

With the essay: Rise of the Machines (Volume 16 • Number 1) the eMusings Newsletter is being officially discontinued as a regularly scheduled feature on this website.

While it has been a rewarding experience over the past fifteen years, utilizing the eMusings Newsletter to broadcast a variety of observations and opinions related to my ongoing creative journey, the time has come for me to stop pretending that I will post a fresh installment of this publication every three months — particularly given the fact that (as of this writing) it has been nearly a year-and-a-half since the previous issue was officially posted.

There were of course a number of reasons leading to the above determination, but near the top of the list was the fact that multiple prior years of on-again-off-again pandemic related mandates and restrictions did little to encourage much in the way of sustained creative momentum and/or quantifiably prolific results — at least by comparison to my own pre-pandemic levels of photography work output. A downturn in productivity, coupled with a significant curtailment of travel opportunities and other photo-related activities (workshops, for example) each contributed to a decline in more contemporary circumstances from which to draw necessary inspiration and conclusions required to serve as ongoing subject matter content for the newsletter, itself. As a result, a compounding dearth of fresh ideas and perspectives needed to form the basis of an ongoing written dialog appears to have caused the newsletter to become a nagging source of personal guilt and embarrassment resulting from my own deferral and neglect. Or, as someone far more sensible (and concise) than myself might put it… it appears that I’ve run out of things to say!

I am of course entirely grateful to those of you who have remained regular readers of this periodical since it was first introduced, in 2008. Your valued allegiance over the past fifteen years has provided the necessary motivation for me to maintain as close to a quarterly schedule as I have (admittedly) no more than sporadically managed to muster. And, for those among you who have continued to stay in touch (on a more-or-less regular basis) through your emails, letters, and other various communications prompted by the postings, themselves, I remain most appreciative not only for your encouraging comments over the years, but also, in some cases, your well-deserved criticisms. Needless to say, I thank you, one and all, for your ongoing interest and engagement. It means a great deal to me. Thank you!

And, hopefully, there will be no misunderstanding. The conclusion of this newsletter should by no means be taken to indicate that any other part of my photography journey is being, in any way, similarly discontinued and/or abandoned. I fully intend to proceed apace with the remainder of my ongoing photography pursuits. Heck, I might even decide to post a fresh essay in this space at some point in the future. It’s just that, at this point, I’ve decided to dispense with the scheduled newsletter pretense so as to eliminate a periodic deadline which has gradually become a recurring source of unnecessary anxiety.

Thank you for your attention and understanding. Click either of the following links to be returned to the current essay.