"Surfing the Moonlight" is one of my most "viral" or "right click shared" images on Instagram, often by popular film photography accounts...Yet I didn't include this image in my genesis photography collection "Follow Your Daydreams."

Why? you may ask, well, popularity doesn't dictate value. Data & art shouldn't go together. And sales don't equal success. Don't get me wrong I love this photo...I wouldn't have released the shutter if I didn't see the potential of certain elements lining up. But for me this photo is pretty flat with mostly midtones... although nicely balanced with the whites of the wave, clouds, & moon. For me, "Follow Your Daydreams" was about pushing myself & what was possible to capture on film. This moment is part of that journey, as equally important as my other successes & failures.

As artists we are sometimes pushed into conforming to what is accepted, what will sell, what is popular, etc. Of course, we don't create art in a vacuum, we are all our influenced by our surroundings, other artists, society, etc. But I think to create something truly original, we must tune influence out and tune into our own creative voices, experiment, & risk failure.

Ok, so you read this and think, so Bart, (godaydream) you are conforming, minting work that was popular/isn't up to your "standard." To that I say, yes, this photo is just as important to me as every other photo that didn't achieve the same recognition. And, this project is called "A Look Into Follow Your Daydreams" - a behind the scenes look into my genesis collection. The body of work that became my philosophy of creating, seeing, and being.

It is all connected. We are all connected. Thank you for your support.