Ms Price

Let me tell you about an in interesting experience I once had. I went to a place where a lady called Ms Price was giving a series of interesting 'art' lessons, well she called them art anyway.

I remember on the first one she gave each of us a camera and took us out for the day. We went to a beach and made sand sculptures, then we went to the beautiful old part of the city and then at the end of the day we went up a mountain to watch a truly amazing sunset. Everyone was a passionate art student and most used two or three rolls of film, some even more. 

When we came back to her studio Ms Price asked the students to hand over their cameras and film. The first student came forward with his camera and Ms Price took the rolls of film, threw them in a bucket of water destroying all the photos and put the camera away. Then she asked him if he had enjoyed the day and the stunned student asked her why she had destroyed all his beautiful photos and left the room shaking his head.

She asked for the next student, nervously a girl came forward with her camera and Ms Price destroyed all her photos as well and the upset girl left the room before Ms Price could ask her if she liked the day. After this no other student wanted to hand over their cameras so Ms Price reminded them they were her cameras and film, so one by one each student came forward angrily handing over their cameras and stormed out of the room. 

Ms Price calmly destroyed all the rolls of film until she came to the last camera and looked up frowning for no pictures had been taken. She looked at student and asked him to explain. 'I didn't take any photos' he told her. Ms Price smile, 'did you enjoy today?' she asked him. 'Oh yes it was lovely' he replied. 'That's good, you did well on today's lesson. Tomorrow we might do Chinese watercolour'

There's nothing deep or meaningful in what she did, she's quite mad really. It's not so much about enjoying the moment as you might think because some people enjoy the moment just as much when they're snapping photos. No it's something else quite different I mean it's not just art it's a philosophy, but maybe I'll tell you about it another time.