We all have dreams . . .
"Landscape Dreams, A New Mexico Portrait" – The Albuquerque Museum Presentation from Craig Varjabedian on Vimeo.
My recent book, Landscape Dreams, A New Mexico Portrait, was launched in Albuquerque last Christmas at the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History. It was a big event made possible by the generous support of the Albuquerque Museum and its Foundation. A lot of people attended the event that day, fueled by the promotional efforts of the museum’s foundation and by a wonderful piece by arts/literary writer David Steinberg that appeared on the day of the event in the Albuquerque Journal.
The event was scheduled several months in advance as one is want to do with such things. My daughter, a budding film maker and possible candidate for pre-med in college, approached me and asked if she could make a short film that would include a selection of the images from the book set to music that she believed could really help celebrate the launch and our home New Mexico. I agreed.
She toiled away for months on her film project. She arranged and re-arranged images and sampled pieces of music from all over the web until she discovered just the right piece that harmonized with what she felt when she looked at the pictures she selected.
Unbeknownst to me she also prepared some remarks which she planned to share with the audience before the film was shown. With a lump in my throat like the one I had the day I first heard them, I share her words about the film with you here:
We all have dreams. Some are big, some are minuscule. While these dreams are something we strive for, they are not all easy. My grandparents wanted my father to be a doctor or a lawyer, a career that makes a strong foundation. Of course, this isn’t what my father wanted to do; he wanted to be a photographer. That is my father’s big dream.
His stories of his work always remind me that a dream is something you earn, something you work for. Throughout the many field trips I have taken with my father, the ones I can remember are the ones when we would stay countless hours waiting for the right picture to come rolling our way. During my last spring break, my father and I went to White Sands near Alamogordo. While on this trip, my father and I spent hours in the hot dunes, exploring the wonderland that lay before us. To achieve that perfect image, we had to wait, to almost earn that image.
Rebekkah+Craig-Acoma
Over the years, my parents have most likely thought that I should become a doctor or lawyer; but like my father I had artistic dreams. Through my father’s work and talent, I have witnessed in places far from home that dedication and persistence can take you places. The only problem with big dreams is you have to be willing to do the work needed. But, when you want something bad enough, you won’t stop till you reach it. My Dad’s advice? Always keep your eye on the ball. Don’t let it wander away from your goal. The goal of this movie was to present my father’s photographs in such a way that would reflect the beauty of the landscape.
I hope you agree that I have been successful.