Gordon McGinn
Who is that?
.
To paraphrase Newton, an object at rest tends to remain at rest unless acted upon by an external force – a principle I have found equally applicable to my own academic and creative trajectories.
My early studies in Human Kinetics and Neuroscience thrusted me into the layered complexities of the natural world. I became deeply interested in understanding how complex systems respond to stress, and adapt to their environments, even persisting through the most adverse conditions.
Over time, these curiosities began extending beyond the organic and biological systems surrounding us, to the engineered systems and structures we surround ourselves with. Thus began my journey towards becoming an engineer.
Engineering, as I see it, seeks to replicate the world in more rigid, precise terms. It is a discipline concerned with uncovering the untold patterns, connections, energies, strengths, and weaknesses. It is a mode of thinking that requires the deconstruction of a scene into its functional elements. It demands intent, analysis and discipline.
This way of thinking is not much different from photography for me, rather it is its foundation. Just as a beam is analyzed – “broken down” if you will – and rebuilt to resist bend and shear, once an image is deconstructed, the fundamental elements of light, composition, and form may be discerned and rearranged at will – to suit the better purpose. Photography to me, is a discipline also demanding intent, analysis and discipline.
In pursuing these paths – scientific, technical, and artistic – I’ve come to recognize that the “external force” that Newton was talking about so often comes from within. It emerges from a curiosity whetted by discipline, from observation into a budding understanding, and from the desire to not only witness the world, but set foot into it.
And so I wish to live.
G.M
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December 2019
The Glossy Mage 