Vivian Maier, One of the Best Photographers of the 20th Century

If you’ve never heard of Vivian Maier, she took hundreds and hundreds of photographs. Although unknown during her life many in the “Art World” today believe she was one of the best, most prolific photographers of the 20^th century. I came across a photo book of Vivian Maier’s in a used book store many years ago.   Many of Maier’s photos never saw the light of day, sitting undeveloped until a John Maloff in 2007 bought a box of Vivian Maier’s photos of Chicago in the 60’s for a history project. Maier’s photos are now world renown. Several years after I saw that first photo book of hers in that used bookstore, I stumbled on a photo exhibit of hers in Rome and bought the book, it was in Italian.

What’s been discovered about Maier was that she was a nanny, sometimes a maid.  Of all the stories people tell about Maier no one had any idea of Maier’s real self.  All the people that they found who Maier worked for or knew said the same thing when they heard about her photos, “She was only a maid, who would have thought she took pictures like this.”  “Only a maid.”  I just want you to know I was a live-in maid in NYC.  I’ve had menial jobs most of my life and this doesn’t define me or Maier, or our intellect, or what’s in our hearts, or even what we are capable of and after her death it’s been proven Maier’s jobs didn’t define her.

The lesson from Maier’s assumed uneventful life that for Maier was full of events, never assume that a person’s station or job in life sums up who they are and what they are capable of.  Don’t stereo type someone with little means as little people.  People of all means have dreams, ambitions and are capable of realizing those dreams and ambitions.  Ambitions don’t have to be money motivated. They can include all kinds of passions for life, these passions bring happiness.  Poverty only has to do with money, not with fulfillment, happiness, or what makes a person who they are.

Maier’s family was completely out of the picture very early on in her life, forcing her to become singular, as she would remain for the rest of her life. She never married, had no children, nor any very close friends that could say they “knew” her on a personal level.  On top of being a maid Vivian was a spinster.  When I look at this, then look at her photographs, I can understand who she is.  The camera built her world.  Looking at Maier’s photographs, they expose some very personal moments of many people on the street.  The camera brought Maier into the world and in turn the camera bought the world into her life.  That life was rich with images.  When Maier asked people to poise for her it brought her into personal moments of people’s lives and in return these people’s images became a permanent part of Maier’s life.   

Maier’s self-portraits bring us into moments of her life.   Many of these self portraits show Maier in reflection of a window, a mirror, as a shadow or one of my favorites shows Maier in a small mirror in the middle of her shadow towering over her image in the mirror.  This self-portrait tells us Maier understands the complexities of composition.  She understands how to build on images in a frame to create an interesting, complex story.  We see this in a lot of her images of the people she took pictures of on the street as well.  Through her photography Maier depends her understand of humanity and I am sure and deeper understanding of her life and how she fits into the world. 

The photographs give us a glimpse into a rich, focused life, well hidden from public view, protecting an individual.  From what? We can only speculate.  During Maier’s life women were not acknowledged as doing extraordinary things, and single women were vulnerable particularly if they didn’t have money.  So many unanswered questions.  What if Maier had submitted her photos to museum, or tried to get help to exhibit them, would she have been welcomed in the art world?  I am moved that she has been discovered.  I hold her up as a great woman of her time and can’t help but wonder how many more Vivian Maier’s there are out there waiting to be discovered.

Progressive Action

The Democratic Party leaders are not happy with new progressives. Finally, politicians at the national and local level address human rights concerns, I let out a sigh of relief. Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took unpopular stands challenging the status quo of even the most open-minded democrat, who responded to both of these women with harsh criticism.  The field of Democratic presidential candidates get more crowded every day, there may be a more progressive Democratic party in the future. It’s important we support both of these women and the new members of the Progressive Caucus. 

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota questioned Elliot Abrams about his past record on foreign policy in Central America. In this examination of Abrams, Congresswoman Omar questioned the age-old United States foreign policy that democracy at any price is a win.  During Abrams testimony before the House Foreign Affairs committee protesters on the floor of congress yelled, “Don’t listen to this war criminal!” Congresswoman Omar went down the list of Abram’s crimes in her opening comment.  Crimes Abrams committed in his role in Central America; supporting the Guatemalan Dictator General Efraín Ríos Montt who ordered mass murder and torture of indigenous people in the 1980s; Ríos Montt was later convicted of genocide; in 1991 Abrams pleaded guilty to two counts of withholding information about his role in the Iran Contra Deal; Abrams can also be linked to the 2002 coup in Venezuela that attempted to topple Hugo Chávez.  I doubt these accomplishments of Abrams were on his resume.

Congresswomen Omar questioned Abrams not only on his record but on his assessment of his Latin American policies that he called “Fabulous.”  Abrams policy was to turn a blind eye on acts genocide declaring these policies accomplished their goals of getting countries in Central America to transition into democracies.  I find it rare that in these kinds of hearings for a federal appointed position that they never have to answer questions on their work history, the mistakes they’ve made or the laws they’ve broken. 

The US’s policy on promoting democracy is inundated with human rights violations the world over.  Congresswoman Ilhan Omar questioning of Abrams brought Abrams credibility into question. Abrams responded to these statements saying this is an attack on me and I’m not going to answer.  Congresswoman Omar kept telling him “It’s not a question.”  So, if someone asks in a hearing for an appointee of the President of the United States one can’t question their credibility because it’s considered an attack?  Abrams is not the first-person Trump has appointed to office that has a shady past, there was Kavanaugh who also took questions about his character as an attack when questioned about his shady past.

Abrams hearing was for his appointment as the US’s Special Envoy to Venezuela as the U.S. is starting to place sanctions on the state-run oil company. Abrams is known for his right-wing hawk policies. Think back on your job interviews, doesn’t the protentional employer have the right to ask you anything they want about your past work experience and doesn’t mass murder under your watch something an employer might want to know about.  Something your responsible for particularly if you never addressed the mass murders as a human rights violation.

The other progressive move came from Ocasio-Cortez’s participation in ousting Amazon from Long Island City.  Morning Joe, and his guests blasted Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez accusing her of not understanding basic economics. There was near unanimity in the Democratic Party that Ocasio-Cortez did not understand the broader situation and was unfamiliar with basic economics.  The democratic centralist spoke angerly about Ocasio-Cortez support for the community that didn’t want Amazon to move in.  After seeing what Amazon has done to Seattle, I say hurray for Long Island City.   Amazon has taken over Seattle desecrating communities in the “CD” that for decades produced famous musicians like Jimmy Hendrix, Ray Charles, and Quincy Jones and others.  Here in Seattle local residents have not only been pushed out of these neighborhoods, but many have become homeless because of the impact on the cost of housing.  It has changed local diversity and communities where people in the past moved to for affordable rents.  What transpired is the importation of workers from all over the world who have no ties to Seattle and the diverse community residents who were promised jobs and improved economics never benefited.

I hear a lot about what Amazon is doing for the homeless population around what I call Bezos’ empire of South Lake Union.  The fact is, with all the tax breaks given to Amazon social services suffer, Amazon just doesn’t make up the disparity that their tax breaks have created.  The basic understanding of community development has changed over the years from community grass roots development to “Move in big business to create jobs in exchange of a tax breaks.  This new development strategy doesn’t develop the resources of the existing community and the people who live there.  I remember job training opportunities to aid local residents and industry that need new skill sets, or help to build small businesses, all of which develop local resources making existing communities stronger and build local economies. 

It’s time that people in high positions in our government, both local and national, are accountable for their actions past and present.  That economic development focus on developing the resources already in a community and include specific economic gain for current residents. Governments at all levels should take on a human rights approach at all cost. It's time that the United States on the federal level on down to the municipal level start uphold human rights not just when it's beneficial or as propaganda but from a caring thoughtful place of sincerity.  All of this will contribute to a more human community development strategy world wide.

Readying for the Camino de Santiago

Looking at the distances on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage is daunting.  Who do I think I am, at 69 years old taking on the task of walking 11-18 miles day after day with a 20lb pack.? The miles are just as incredulous as the milky way from where I sit on my comfortable couch looking at the stats of the Camino.  The internet is a wealth of information.  Stories of people in their eighties who have taken on the whole Camino inspires me and ease my doubts. 

Preparing for the Camino at least the outward part, I go through the list of material things to take, weighing my backpack over and over again assessing the physical burden.  Walking every day on my hilly island in the middle of Puget Sound to prepare.  Swimming, and bicycling too and somehow, I don’t think it’s enough. I don’t think it represents the physical demands of walking day after day. And what about the inner struggles which some may call the spiritual purpose of the pilgrimage.

Even though I think the physical preparation isn’t enough, it’s the inner part that I toil over the most. That makes me question if I can make it.  I totally grasp how important the psychic is in any journey.  As a cyclist who has cycled all over the world, I’ve learned the benefit of a “One Day at A Time,” philosophy. It’s this cycling that has given me a glimpse of into what my inner struggles will be.  I know from my past there will be days I will not only question if I can do it, but this doubt will overflow into questioning if I’m good enough in my life in general not just good enough to walk the Camino.

The inner turmoil even now whether I can do this or not, already tells me I’ve started the inner preparation.  This preparation covers my questioning self-esteem wondering how this connects with the spiritual part of my journey. Changing on the inside comes more slowly than the muscle strengthening of the external.  At times the inner changes don’t show up until months after the journey when you take a different path to an idea or project and realize how you’ve changed.   Spiritual seeking prompted the Camino pilgrimage in the beginning and still does for many today but not me.  On second thought maybe I should start or end the day with Buddhist meditation. I’m sure not going to convert to Catholicism.

What I look forward to is getting away from commercialism, immersing myself into the simplicity of day to day living, writing a lot and meeting people. We all have journeys not just physical ones; these journeys change who we are.  As for the 69 years that I have lived, there are times I see this as an advantage, and the walk an opportunity.   Today I’m writing my memoir the stage is already set to take inventory of the self to review my life and how I got where I am today.  There I’ve laid out the quest.

Revisiting some of the history of areas along the walk sounds enlightening and there is so much history there. This history sets the stage to see me in the a bigger story, a story that has influenced the world for centuries putting me and my world into perspective.  I can only do my part, to make the world a better place.  Some days all I will be able to do is put one foot in front of the other.  These days maybe plentiful on the Camino preparing for those kinds of days is not as easy as it sounds.  Other days so much comes back in return and I may feel like I’ve touched other lives in way that improves them.

In all my travels what stays with me are the people I meet.  These interactions of kindness with strangers mine and the people I meet are precious.  The Camino is an opportunity to renew my faith in humanity in these times of turmoil.  Yes I can’t totally look away from politics, but walking the Camino is about the people I meet and the reflections that come to me about my life.