A dream | 943

Lukasz Laniecki
Aug 23, 2017 · 5 min read

My Author Journey, Tuesday, August 22, 2017

# 943 (countdown)

Had the chance to see the exhibition of Alex Webb’s photos. Not my favorite photographer after this first encounter with his form of art, he has the ability to see and capture in his photos the play of different colors and I think that’s what he is good at. Last day (luck). Also visited the Gallery Shop (many very expensive books on photography and with photographs in them) and Leica Store (floored by the prices of Leica cameras and lenses) in Mysia3 concept store.

Found and added a few new people on Instagram. Street photographers. There is this guy Dan Wagner (Dan Wagner Photography). I saw his photos and instantly fell in love with his art. His photos are much like Vivian Maier’s. I think. Hope he wouldn’t mind the comparison. It’s almost like his work is a continuation of her work. Like she said to him Now it’s your turn. Like Maier he also shoots with a Rolleiflex camera. And he writes (maybe that’s why I like him even more).

It’s sad that both companies which produced Rolleiflex cameras (the original one founded in 1920 called Werkstatt für Feinmechanik und Optik, Franke & Heidecke and the one which bought its bankruptcy assets back in 2009 with a view to partially resuming production called DHW Fototechnik GmbH) went bankrupt and the Rolleiflex cameras are history right now. Or maybe that’s exactly why some people will love them even more. The legendary brand. An icon. When icons are gone people don’t stop loving them, they love them even more. And new disciples emerge.

My dream: Dan Wagner becomes my teacher of street photography. I don’t know him, he doesn’t know me (probably he doesn’t even know I exist somewhere across the ocean). Maybe that’s precisely why it’s a dream right now, not a plan one will execute on. If I can plan it and it’s obviously doable (I can make it happen, I think it will happen, it’s just a matter of time) it’s not exactly a dream. It seems that the only thing that can prevent something which is clearly doable from happening are the events and forces beyond our control (like death of a person, some natural disaster, weather, etc.). Does the fact that you can’t be 100% sure if what you planned will actually happen make it a dream? I guess so. Or it’s close to being a dream. Both a plan and a dream ?

Are all plans thus dreams too (one of many kinds)? Which would mean that even meeting with your grandpa who lives nearby can be a dream. You don’t know if it’s 100% possible. Grandpa is old and might have had some health problem this morning and been taken to the hospital. If your plan failed it means you couldn’t have done something you could otherwise do (should have been able to do). Those are not the same dreams.

The kind of dream I have in mind (a dream of one day being taught by Dan Wagner) isn’t a plan. For it to be a plan Dan would have to know about it and OK it.

A dream I’m talking about is something you can’t just plan in your head and be rather certain that it will happen (because you factor in possible cancelation of your flight due to bad weather for example). Today I can only dream of Dan Wagner one day becoming my teacher because I only saw his photos on Instagram today and don’t know who this guy is (if he’s a real person — I only saw a profile on Instagram, if he’ll answer my e-mail, if he’ll want to be my teacher, if such a deal is possible, if both he and I will be equally excited to do that). Today it is a crazy idea, a fantasy. Unless I write him about this idea it will always be a dream of mine. An unfulfilled dream. An idea. Only an idea, nothing more. Can’t even tell if it’s possible. And unless I take action toward this goal I will never be able to tell.

Reading.

In the Shadow of the American Dream: The Diaries of David Wojnarowicz (20 min; on scribd app).

Listening to audio.

The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future by Kevin Kelly (25 min, on my scribd app).

Movies

Harry Benson: Shoot First (on Netflix).

YouTube videos:

Man On Wire: Philippe Petit (interview)

Meditating: 10 minutes (before falling asleep, on Headspace). Fourth day in a row now.

My today’s answers on Quora:

Answer to Should students major in dream jobs or a practical career choice?

Answer to How can I figure out my passion from multiple options?

Music for this writing session: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Alexandre Desplat (on spotify, selected tracks, not very dark ones). Glass Essentials: An 80th Anniversary Tribute by Philip Glass (on spotify). Glass Piano by Philip Glass (on spotify).

My today’s route.

My today’s favorite.

My today’s photos on flickr Warsaw, August 22, 2017

Diary of an artist

Documenting my creative process

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Lukasz Laniecki

Written by

Thinker | Writer | Artist | 100% Positivity | Zero Excuses My books 📚 http://amzn.to/2qdiu6c

Diary of an artist

Documenting my creative process

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