We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tim Smith a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tim, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I learned photography from trial and error; like all creative people starting with an idea and working with a craft until you get it to a point where you want show it.

I would have opened myself up to trying new view points and new ways of seeing familiar things. I would also be less afraid to experiment in my work and get myself out of the “I can only do one thing” in this space mindset.

Myself. I stood in my way sometimes from learning new things or trying new techniques. When I allow myself to learn from someone I always appreciate the opportunity and when I get out of the ‘I know everything’ mindset I am always surprised at what I don’t know!

Tim, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I choose TSmitty2001 as my artist name as a tribute to my dad who went by Smitty his adult life, like my father before me I am a Smitty ( I hope you get that reference!). The movie 2001: A Space Odyssey is an all time favorite and got me started on my love of science fiction

I used art as a child to escape an unstable and violent childhood. Through drawing spaceships and superheroes or making art I could escape my world and make worlds that were safe for me to inhabit. At that time in my life making something beautiful was both an act of creation and an act of rebellion.

When low pixel digital cameras came on the market I purchased and practiced. I met someone who was interested in photography and we would feed and practice off of one another and my skills improved as well as the things I liked to shoot and my style. The relationship with him ended, but not my love for photography.

Around 2008 I purchased my first DSLR and started to practice all over again, learning new skills and honing in on subjects and styles that weren’t available to me before. Along with that came better lenses and more precise editing of the images. In the process of time the ability to edit the photos became more sophisticated and I could finally create the perfect worlds I dreamed of as a child.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

This one is tough. And in a way it’s easy.

My personal view is that it feels illegitimate to me in a way. I had an artist describe it as Nothing *ucking There (NFT) and in part I agree. But then again I’m a photographer and I sell online images to people but the difference is you get something tangible from me. It’s too easy to grab a screenshot or a copy and paste of the image, I’ve seen it done in post NFT post before

I think with art and photography when true collectors want something they like something they can see in the physical world with depth and dimensions. An object or print that you can show off and admire. Something you can hold or hang on your wall. I am also aware of the changing world we live in and what people value is always evolving whether it’s currency or art so it’s possible these perceptions can change over time

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In general I believe life is about pivoting and being grounded but flowing. The one constant to life is change, yet we are always surprised when something changes, myself included.

I am not a trained or degreed artist. I was kicked out of my home my senior year in high school because I was gay. My day job is in finance. I am also a photographer. Life is a series of pivots and changing circumstances The human experience is trying to enjoy the flow of things and know that the flow is constant movement. Sometimes that flow takes us to places we like to linger in and sometimes to places we can’t wait to leave. It’s a kind of a shared collective experience to change gears sometimes quickly with no warning and you have to figure out the next step or the next place.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.TSmitty2001.com
• Instagram: TSmitty2001

Image Credits
N/A for these images.