Through the Lookinglasself
by Aaron H
"As someone who buys a lot of music, goes to a lot of shows, and just all around loves music, I think I could really enjoy writing for you guys! I also don't have a lot going on right now..."
At a time when I felt directionless, depressed, and dormant, Scene Point Blank gave me some kind of purpose and home. My father had just passed away. I'd spent the past few years caring for him while he'd been sick and in and out of hospitals. I was looking for a job but received no callbacks. All I had was a love for music and a community that I could come back to. This community was the Despair Faction/AFI Messageboard. It was this messageboard that this webzine was born out of, and in a way, It was this messageboard that I would find who I am now, to be born out of. Every road I've ever taken stemmed from that community. When I saw Matt had posted that SPB had been looking for writers, I nervously typed up the request to join their roster on October 7th, 2010.
I had come in with my first album review already done before being officially brought on 10 days later. It was for Iron Chic's debut full-length, Not Like This, and to this day I still stand by every word. Since then, I've done several reviews, blog posts, and features. Although they've become more infrequent as I've got older. Time slips away and I find myself more busy and/or more burnt out from my day job to give albums the attention they deserve to write a proper assessment of someone's art -- which is something I've come to wrestle with more and more. I came to find that I was usually more interested in reviewing and pushing albums that I felt deserved to be heard rather than those that should be picked apart and criticized.
Over those 14 years, a new fervor made itself known. I found myself more and more enthused with photography -- something I've always been interested in and dabbled in while in school. Early on with SPB, I did a couple of concert reviews and a funny thing, I'd show up and would sometimes have a photo pass waiting for me, even though I didn't have a camera. There were a few instances where I had a simple digital camera because I had interviewed the band earlier and used it to record the interview. I had decided it was time to put those photo passes to use, so I got a DSLR. One of the first shows I shot was fun. back in 2012. I remember getting home, combing through the photos, and discovering I had taken some shots that I was proud of. All of a sudden, I was discovering a new wealth of creativity and means of expression. And in the process, something new that I could offer SPB other than album reviews.
For the next couple of years, I continued to cover shows, but it wasn't until after the pandemic that I decided to delve deeper. As much as I love music, I love live music more, and being able to combine these two passions seemed like a no-brainer. I learned more and more about how to control and use my camera. I learned more about editing raw images. I've gone on to take photos of artists that I never thought I'd be able to cover. I've met other like-minded photographers -- some intimidating and some inspiring. I've seen my work grow and change and (hopefully clearly) improve. I don't know how others feel about my photography. Whether they like it, whether they think it's good or bad. All I know is, that I've been proud of some of the work I've put out there (most of which can be viewed right here on SPB), and I'm going to continue to learn and grow. The hope is that others enjoy my photography. The goal is that I enjoy my photography. It's become a means of self-fulfillment and that's all I can really ask for. I couldn't be more grateful to SPB for granting me this creative outlet. Happy 21 Years ScenePointBlank. Thank you for letting me be a part of so many of them and thanks to anyone who's taken the time to look at my photos.
