The Passion of Alexander Acosta

For the longest, I equated passion with its sexual definition. It was not until my final semester of college that I truly came to understand what passion means.

Passion is not something that can be understood from a definition. As a matter of fact, the definition is quite ambiguous. As defined by The American Heritage Dictionary, Passion is:

A powerful emotion, such as love, joy, hatred, or anger.
1. Ardent love.
2. Strong sexual desire; lust.
3. The object of such love or desire.
4. Boundless enthusiasm: His skills as a player don't quite match his passion for the game.
5. The object of such enthusiasm: Soccer is her passion.
6. The sufferings of Jesus in the period following the Last Supper and including the Crucifixion, as related in the New Testament.

It is my believe that passion is something that can only be understood through experience. My experiences with photography have lead me to understand the meaning of passion.

From my associations with various artists, I have acknowledged a common trait that fuels the ambition for self-expression. This trait, which is a gift and a curse, centers on what I like to call fleeting gratification. In other words, the reason an artist’s work continues to progress is because of the artistic trait of never being satisfied. I will be the first to admit to having this trait. I will like my work long enough to edit and produce it, but once I am done I began to dislike my work. I have come to the realization that If I did not feel discontent for my work of the past, there would be not ambition for me to create new work. In essence, I am my photography. I am an ever changing individual. My photography, like myself, should be ever changing.

On any given day, my feelings for photography can range from sheer admiration to utter disdain. I go through moments of absolute confidence and moments of self-doubt. Sometimes I cannot sleep at night because I feel I have not lived up to my fullest potential. Honestly, I would go as far as to equate my relationship to photography as a roller coaster ride. This roller coaster ride is called passion. I was once afraid of heights but I have learned to embrace the experience and enjoy the ride.