A memory came rushing back to me. I was in my freshman year of the photo program at BYU. Part of the requirements were to take some basic core level art classes. Several of which were drawing classes. I can sketch a bit and can do some line drawing illustrations, but have never really considered myself someone who could draw really well... which is silly when I think about all the years I wanted to be an "artist" before I discovered photography... not really sure how I was planing to do that or what I was planning to do in that role.. but I knew I loved to create things and could see things in my mind before they were realities.
Anyway these classes were sort of really hard for me. I did well, but didn't really excel. One class in particular I struggled with. Observational drawing. This class was brutal and the teacher was so exact in his execution. Sometimes I would wake up in the night in a cold sweat from dreaming of him standing behind me while I drew. He was the type of teacher who would say at the start of a semester "You all start out with a F and work your way up" not the other way around. I like to think I grew on him (but that might be my positive optimistic attitude taking lead of my memories).
Most of my classmates were so supportive. They would tell me that I was a photo major and to just get through the class and you will be fine. But I wanted to be so much more than fine. I wanted to do well, really really well. I worked so hard in that class. I drew and drew and drew... and the improvement was pretty minimal... but I kept drawing.
This teacher sometimes would come up to me and say, "These are terrible, you should scrap it and start again, you can't manage to salvage that, the proportions are all off" and so I would. I did everything he told me to, I wanted to get it all just right. My final project for the class was to draw anything I would like to.... But what?
I'm not sure why, but in the end I settled on my roommate Emily's hiking boots. I worked for days and days on that picture. and on the final day of the class I walked up to the teacher for my evaluation (bracing myself for the blow). After looking for a while at my work, he looked up at me and said... "A on shoes, B in class".
I almost yelled "WHAT!" at him, I was so suppressed.
He looked at me for a bit smiled and then said, "Now, you never have to draw again and can go and just take your pictures."
I must have been on a high from doing so well on the final assignment, so I was feeling confidant and said to him, "But I like drawing."
His response, "Well they are good shoes."
As I turned around to leave I looked back at him and said "Who knows maybe one day I will get paid to draw some shoes?"
And this teacher, true to his form, and attitude from the whole semester, stopped smiling and looked at me earnestly and said "Dear, how about you just focus on getting people to pay you to photograph some shoes."
I was too happy to have survived that class to be offended by his comment. In fact I had completely forgotten that story until the other day when I came across that sneaker image.. In which I combined shoes I photographed and yes I shoes I drew.... and I was paid to do both.
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