Making Time : Michael Vahrenwald

Do you have a day job? What is it?

I'm an adjunct college professor, I've been teaching at 3 different schools for about 5 years.

Do the people you work with know you are a photographer?

Yes but the funny thing is, as an adjunct, you hardly ever see the other people you work with.

Does the work you do during the day affect your personal work?

Often I'll use class as an excuse to research an artist more thoroughly than I would on my own, I often like to "theme" classes in the direction of what I'm interested in. However, Teaching art is not at all like making art.  A day of critiques can be draining, I'll often just go home and watch bad sci-fi movies.

When I was an artist assistant making architectural models, I would leave the studio dying to make something of my own... it was a perfect mix of precise, repetitive labor and viewing another persons success that made me want work. I'd say that teaching makes me more reflective as to what I make and why I make it.



If you could rearrange your time, what would be the ideal balance between your personal and professional work?

I love teaching, and I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to do it. A 50/50 split would be just about right.

Images: Michael Vahrenwald, from Plant Drawings (Methods and Receiver Part 2)