Portrait of US issue #30: Joseph - Savannah, GA
"I didn't call her for a couple weeks, and then the next time I did, my mom didn't exist anymore."
Before we talk about this week's portrait and interview we want to share an update on us, the ARK and the project. A few weeks ago when we wrapped up in Massillon, Ohio we pointed our convoy to the West Coast landing in Seattle. We plan on being here and stationary for around a year and we have a lot of really amazing things lined up during that time, with the first one happening this next week when we participate in Review Santa Fe, a portfolio review hosted by Center in Santa Fe, NM.
Even with everything that we have planned over the next year, it’s daunting to stop rolling from place to place. For the last 2.5 years, our life has been this project and everything that goes with it. While we pause, it’s important that we stay connected to the people we have met and the work we have made. We have close to 500 portraits and stories to digest and look through - a lot of which we haven’t had the opportunity to just sit with. Part of that process will be this newsletter, which is still our favorite way to share the stories that we have gathered. We will also be editing the stories into zines, so keep your eyes peeled for the next one, featuring stories and portraits from our time in Cleveland.
This week we hear from Joseph who we spoke with in Savannah, Ga in the spring of 2022 and we ended up taking a little bit of time before editing the interview. This happens often. One of the best parts of this project is going back into the “vault” and finding a story that needs to be shared. Time often makes things sound and look different. For Joseph we published the audio later that year and ended up ultimately including it in our Zine from that trip to Savannah.
Listen to his interview below, and read the transcript after the break.
Portrait of US is a reader/viewer/listener supported publication and project.
We love what we are doing, and this project is important. Here are a few ways to help us out financially:
Patreon Subscribers have access to a lot of behind the scenes photos and weekly updates. Our Patreon community is close knit and one of our favorite places to share our day to day experiences, it also offers the most flexibility in terms of how much support to give.
Paid Subscribers here on Substack have a few benefits including downloadable print ready zines, and our entire archive of Issues going back to the end of 2022.
Our Store has a number of postcards and prints available for purchase.
A huge thank you to everyone who purchased a Zine, we sold out a few weeks ago!
In my early to mid 30s, I was a high school dropout who had his GED and had attempted college a few times but it had never really fully worked out. I had an okay job, but I wasn't really happy anymore. I was talking to my mom on the phone one day and she told me that her biggest regret in life was never being able to go to art school. She was almost 70 at this time, and I thought to myself, I do not want to have that regret.
I decided to quit my job, sell the majority of my possessions, and just move to Savannah, Georgia to go to art school.
That didn't work out.
I did all those things except move to Savannah.
I ended up meeting this guy at a bar who had just moved there and we spent my last week in Wisconsin together.
While he was driving me to pick up my U Haul he said, “Why don't you just move in with me?”
We've been together for almost 11 years now.
I ended up going to MICA in Baltimore and majoring in fiber. Which is just a weird coincidence because my mom was a big crafter and she always sewed and made clothing and made quilts. I feel there's this strange circular thing happening there.
Unfortunately, my mom… she has the beginning stages of dementia now.
I don't know if you've experienced any loss in a major way, but I haven't, so it's really tough for me. The one person I don't want to lose in the world, might be the first person that I've ever lost.
I didn't call her for a couple weeks, and then the next time I did, my mom didn't exist anymore.
I'm healthy and I'm fine and I can go through the motions of living my life, I guess, but if something on TV reminds me of the unconditional love of your mother and the loss of that I can start bawling.
I already have, in a way, lost the one person in this world that will ever unconditionally love me, and I will probably only ever unconditionally love her.
Wow, wow. This is wonderful. Very glad I stumbled on this Substack and looking forward to diving into more portraits.