Cosmetic Fragility

The carpenter that installed this deck took great care and should be justifiably proud of the work. The weakest part of the project is the raw material not the labor.

That means when it comes to the end of its useful life, it will be due to the failure of the wood.

There are certain artistic pursuits in my life in which I don’t do a cost/benefit analysis in time or money. At this point in my life, I’m lucky enough to have both in order to work this way.

Early on in my career, I felt the need to impress people and burnish what I thought was a reputation for excellence. More often than not, the extra things I was doing were just cosmetic.

Learning that the cosmetic things are the first to fade away is something that marks one as a mature artist.

These days I still obsess about details but that’s for my own benefit because doing a great job is simply its own reward.

About the author: I am Stephen Kennedy, an experienced photographer with more than 2500 completed sessions in all 50 US states.