Pull by Patti Hallock

Issue 77

These photographs utilize the landscape to address the nature of change, the frustration of not being able to see a clear path forward, glimpsing possibilities and finding hope.

I have a recurring dream. In this dream I’m driving my car at night and I have no headlights. There are no streetlamps to guide my path; I’m driving blind. When difficult, life-altering decisions need to be made and the path forward isn’t clear, the emotional torrent that ebbs and flows can be difficult to navigate. There are feelings of being held back, or blocked from something desired. Those obstructions, frustrations, and aspirations are also pulling you forward.

Somewhere along the way, the pull is slowed down and a vision of what lies on the other side is glimpsed. It grows bigger, sometimes disappearing and other times opening up to a wide-open vista where anything is possible.

These photographs are the most personal images I have made in my career, but at the same time they apply to our collective experience as much as every other project. These images represent a progression, where the story I tell myself about the work isn’t the same as the story I’m telling you.

Patti Hallock lives and works in Denver, Colorado.
To view more of Patti's work, please visit her website.