Raimond De Weerdt is a Lismore based photographer and artist. He uses photographic techniques to create cyanotypes and other light-based artforms. He also, in December, began documenting the artists in the northern rivers – offering a formal portrait sitting, not something we can do easily with what we have lying around the house, so to speak.
I plucked up the courage, applied more lippy than usual and went along. It felt a little weird fronting up for the photo shoot. There was part of me saying “I’m a visual artist… it’s about my paintings, not me”. But in the end this is me too, just as my paintings are me. And, I thought, I may as well put a little effort in and be done with. Raimond helped me see a different version of myself that wasn’t insta-frivolous, or facebook-fatuous. It was a great help.
We can all help other artists, no matter how we feel about where our practice, or skills, sits within some invisible hierarchy.
I wrote earlier about the importance of being part of an artistic community here, however I believe that the best way we can help other artists, is to be ourselves. There is strength in community, but a community is made up of individuals, and the more diverse those individual strengths, the stronger the community.
Like Raimond using his skills and talent to draw out the person behind whichever mask they’re putting on today, or a teacher finding the best way to pass on information, or a curator stepping up and creating something amazing, if we concentrate on being who we are, instead of who we think “they” want us to be, then that truth will make us all stronger – and we’ll be in a better position to be able to support others.
