Clay Maxwell Jordan
Can you introduce us to Nothing’s Coming Soon
"Nothing's Coming Soon" is my photo book that came out last year via Fall Line Press. It is comprised of 59 photos taken mostly from 2014-2018 in the American South and includes an essay by Alexander Nemerov. The book consists of both portraits and landscapes and is loosely based on the Buddhist notion that "life is suffering".
How has life is suffering been illustrated in your book? What draws you to this concept? Did it inspire how you viewed or created this series?
The "Life is Suffering" theme that perhaps unconsciously inspired the book was not something I explicitly thought about while making the images - it was more that I saw this as a theme that fit after I was able to look back thru the work and recognize this idea manifested itself in many of the photos.
The Buddhist notion that "Life is Suffering" does not mean we are always in pain or unhappy; rather it means that we rarely exist in the present, but are always in our mind regretting the past or worrying about the future. This inability to live in the now, coupled with our desire for attachment (to people, things, experiences, feelings, etc.) creates "suffering", because everything is ultimately ephemeral. These ideas were on my mind as I sequenced the book, but I leave this theme unstated and up for the viewer to ultimately discover (or not).
When you set out to make Nothing’s Coming Soon did you intend to publish it as a book? What about this format fits your series? Did you have a shot list in mind?
I feel that the book format is often the ideal way to view photographs; it is compact, portable, and one can sequence the experience to suggest specific themes to the viewer. I did not, however, shoot with the intention of making a book. I simply loved exploring my surroundings and documenting visually what I found intriguing or noteworthy. The whole process was exhilarating and organic - the book arose from my photographs, but was not planned on from the outset.
For someone who has never published a book, what advice would you give? How did you go about working with Fall Line Press?
I think the most important thing is to first create a body of work that you feel would work well as a book. You could have all the photo contacts in the world, but without a cohesive series of images to share and to pitch to editors, one's connections are irrelevant. Assembling a group of images that align can take years - so shoot prolifically and don't worry too much if the images work together. After amassing a significant number of pictures that one feels are strong, start sequencing them and see if themes emerge that could be edited into a book. Get feedback from a few people you trust and ask if the pictures you have selected complement one another.
Once you feel like you have a strong edit that works, approach publishing houses that you respect and see if they are interested. Many publishers (including Fall Line) have a "submissions" page. Attending photo fairs and critiques is also a good way to meet folks and get your work in front of the right editors. Above all: Be patient (!) and trust your vision: creating a body of work that ends up as a book can take many years and have many setbacks along the way. One must be tenacious and passionate.
I met, Bill Boling, the editor of Fall Line, through a workshop. He liked my images and we kept in touch for a few years before deciding to work together.
Can you share with us what your editing process was like, how did you go about sequencing the images to narrate Nothing’s Coming Soon?
After I knew the book was going to happen, the editor at Fall Line (Bill Boling) and I printed around 225 of my images to work with and edited this down to the 59 in the book. Tip: When sequencing, print out all your photos - it is much easier to see if pictures work together by placing them physically next to one another, rather than doing this digitally.This was a process of elimination, intuition, and time - we met eight or nine times over the course of 6 months to sequence.
It is invaluable to work with an editor who you feel understands your vision. Bill chose many photos I would not have considered because he brought a fresh sensibility and set of eyes to a group of images that I had perhaps spent too much time viewing. The sequence changed and morphed over the time we worked on it, but eventually we found an internal rhythm that brought continuity and clarity to the work.
You work as the Senior Editor at Fall Line Press, can you share what it is like to have this role?
As for being a Senior Editor at Fall Line Press, I help choose projects that we work on and aid in the editing and sequencing of some of the books. It is an enormously enjoyable job and allows me to keep up to date with current photographic work. Helping photographers that I love bring their work into the world is immensely satisfying and I learn something new every day.
To purchase Nothing’s Coming Soon visit here
