I was looking through my gallery, at the older stuff in particular, and I was very struck by some of the things I saw. There were technical aspects that I was just dying to fix. Something held me back, though, and I soon realized that it was what I saw in my older pieces beyond just the simple over-use of actions and color filters. It was the content. I made manips because I loved them, because they meant something. I could write pages in the descriptions, going on about why this was here and what this meant, and the symbolism beyond this little detail.

Then things started to change. My photomanipulations matured and I started doing more photography. I liked where things were going, and then my inspiration just.. vanished. The photography was still doing fine, but the photomanipulations were just dry. Whenever I did get around to posting one, all I could say about it was, "I dunno. I wanted to make something." There was no meaning behind it anymore. I didn't really enjoy making them, with a few notable exceptions.

I miss making art for me. I miss making it when it really meant something, when I loved it regardless of how it turned out. So here it is, a return to my roots. I miss art like nothing else, and in times like this, I think it matters most.

For the longest time, I didn't make things or put them in my gallery because I didn't want people to think of me as one way or another because of what I made. I censored my photomanipulations, and almost never touched anything horse-related, even though I hoarded the stock like crazy. No more.

So like the title says, we're starting this as the Era of Art for Me. I think it's been a long time coming.

So there.