To sum up our experience in the USA, we must discern what is objective facts to what is personal experience and subjective impressions. As always, at the end of a trip to a foreign country, I come back home with the notion that it is so much better to experience first-hand a country than to stick to some knowledge that, even if accurate and reasonable, it is never more that a sum of preconceived ideas and made up narratives.
From the personal perspective I come back from the United States with a clearer idea in mind of what I admire about this country and its culture and what is probably only a reflection in my mind. The USA is a country full of wonderful landscapes, countless interesting places to visit and
talented people who are able to showcase such beauty with their work. I must admit that the vast majority of the athletes and the photographers who influenced my work are from the States! Nevertheless, I come back to Europe with the notion that I don’t have to stick necessarily to their canon, to their habits, to the established trends. Sometimes you have to set yourself aside to find your own way, to raise your own original voice. No true art has ever grown out of mere imitation. That’s what I learned from my experience in the USA. Maybe we’ll have to refrain ourselves a bit more often from taking just another hipster shot to post on our Instagram. Sometimes it’s just better to find your own path, the less travelled one and paddle your own canoe. Or in this case, paddle your own board. SUP
