Oculus by Ben Skaar
A Boy’s Quest
CHAPTER 2
The sun passes below the horizon. Footprints in the sand are whisked away by the wind. Ephemeral.
Even at the low points of life, you must seek out the beauty. for without it, you will not have the inspiration to continue forward.
A boy’s quest documents the lessons learned by a young artist, through art itself.
I spent the first few months of 2023 on crutches, recovering from a fractured ankle.
MY LIMITED physical ability sent me into a mental low, unable to do many of activities which brought me joy.
It was the end of March when I finally began to walk again.
I was visiting my family back in Massachusetts and I decided I wanted to make a piece capturing my feelings over the previous months.
My long-time friend, Jamie, was headed out to the coast for some milky way photography. I decided to join him for the trip.
I Forgot how good it felt to be under the stars. The wind whipped sand against every inch of exposed skin, but nothing diminished the sky’s glimmer.
my footsteps left at sunset led me back to the dune I had decided to execute my vision within. I was ready to attempt my first full-length Milky Way panorama.
By 4 AM I had gotten all the images of the stars I could ask for. I curled up on the sand with my head on my backpack, trying to squeeze in a nap before Blue Hour arrived.
The wind picked up, and despite my many layers, went right to the bone. I closed my eyes and reminded myself why I put myself in these sorts of situations, for the awareness provoked by the extremes.
As the sun returned to the sky, it dawned on me how those freezing night hours echoed the helplessness I felt throughout my months of recovery.
However, it was not just the grief of which I was reminded, but the hope; The relentless optimism. I never doubted that things would get better, because I knew I wouldn’t STOP until they did.
OCULUS IS A STORY OF PERCEPTION. IT’S ABOUT seeking out beauty and light even when it seems there is no point. Don’t just sink into the sand, look toward whatever you can find inspiration in and climb toward that horizon.
For me, I find that inspiration in the stars. The endless wonders of the night sky fascinate me, and I know the best view is not from the bottom of the pit, so why would I stop there?
To see the full process of Oculus, I filmed an on-location video which you can watch here.
