I Do Haiku You

Somehow and in some way of utter fortune, true things tend to fall in your lap if you wait. Well, the remarkable work of Sean Lotman is nothing short of mind-bending, oscillating discovery. The man is everything: writer, photographer, poet, tourist. Any form of art and this man drinks from its source.


I was introduced to Sean's work by an online publication called Marcopolo Magazine, which puts up exhibitions of various artists, poets, and essay writers. It was initially Sean's photography that I gravitated toward, because of it's precocious  timelessness. All are taken with a Diana F+, which Lotman describes as such:

"Like human beings, the Diana F+ is an unreliable machine. It will let you down half the time, blurring an image or misusing light among its more egregious flaws. But when the elements do come together the effect is magical and the resulting image can be uniquely special."

But what I appreciated more than the photography itself was the way he coupled it with his own story. His photography led me to his site, I Do Haiku You, where he attaches a simple haiku to many of his photos. Although each may have no connection to its counterpart, both haiku and photo make the degree of separation tangible. You feel for each experience, and reach into the artist's life instantaneously hoping for meaning. These didactic works teach of the human condition, much like the cover of your 5th grade binder. You dress yourself in such a way that others will know who you are.


My favorite haiku:

The Philosophy Behind Active Parenting

 teach your children this:

that they can do anything–

and then show them how