Journal of a Melancholic
As a child my delight was to sit on the roof top
As a child my delight was to sit on the roof top
As an adult my neighbors thought me weird, sitting on my roof
- so I took a camera with me
And they thought me a pervert on my roof with a camera
-so I went to the park with my camera
And they thought me to be a stalker
-so I only went out to photograph in the rain
And they assumed me to be challenged
-so I only went out when people paid me to use my camera
And they thought me too expensive and quit calling
-so now I go out disguised as an old man
with a little plastic camera wrapped in duct tape
And I no longer care what they think - I am alone again
with my thoughts, and the memory of that 10 year old
sitting on the roof top
-Michael Hartsock
On Finding Inspiration
Even though I don’t consider myself of a melancholic temperament, melancholy is what compels my response. I like to think of it as a tranquil loneliness or spiritual longing. At times it may even be a profound sadness but it is never a debilitating melancholy of depression or despair. I search for melancholy in poetry and music, in silence and solitude, in rainy days and the long shadows of evening. The quality of melancholy is what I would like to bring to my work regardless of the subject matter.
Process Information
My photography is realized with black & white film personally processed and printed in a traditional "wet" darkroom without digital manipulation. I experiment with various techniques including hand held and tripod time exposures, multiple in camera exposures and sandwich printing of negatives.