On 3/3/20 Tom Hunter came and gave a tutorial and lecture to us. Unfortunately this was quite a negative experience for me. Confidence is quite a difficult thing for me and I find it very hard to talk to people, especially other photographers, about my work. After struggling with my mental health my whole life and taking a turn at the start of university, I wanted to create a project about mental health, without the stereotypical negativity and taboo surrounding it. My main focus was to create stand alone images that would create a talking point. This resulted in my project called ‘Phantom Pain’ which happened to be the project I showed Hunter. Prior to this Hunter made some comments which I found very disagreeable and archaic so this kind of set the tone for the rest of the session. Unfortunately, Hunter found my work to be disrespectful and accused me of joking about mental health, which was obviously painful to hear given my past. I found this slightly ironic after him describing mental health issues as the same as ‘having a row with someone’ which I ultimately found to be a slight kick in the teeth because if I could trade years of mental pain for a row with someone, I think I would in a heart beat.
With that being said, I think it’s important to focus on the positives I could take from this experience. I feel as though this experience gave me an insight into the views of SOME of the white, male community within the photographic industry which I will no doubt encounter in the future. This experience will hopefully prepare me for this and enable me to dig deep and respond to these people in the accurate and professional manner I should as a young female creative. Furthermore, it has taught me that you are well within your right to defend your work and speak out when you feel it appropriate to do so. Unfortunately, we still live in a misogynistic world but as a woman it’s important to fight this at all costs and to remember you don’t owe anyone anything.