About Mr. Craig
At 16, to say I was not a successful student would have been an understatement. I was on the edge of dropping out of school and headed down a very dark path. I remember vividly the day I picked up a camera with the intention of doing something artistic. From the moment I started looking through the viewfinder, I knew photography was something I could be great at. It was a very unfamiliar feeling. Truthfully, discovering photography in high school was nothing short of a revelation for me. My desire to further my artistic abilities easily spilled over into all of my academics. Suddenly chemistry mattered: I wanted to understand what was happening when developing film. Suddenly English mattered: I wanted to be able to write intelligently about my work. It is that experience that would lead me to teaching many years later.
After graduating from RISD with a BFA in Photography in 93’ I spent 12 years working as a freelance photographer, first in Chicago, then later in Boston. It is gratifying work but it can be feast or famine- exciting when I was younger, but less than ideal after having a family. In 2005 I started thinking in terms of a career change to education. I began by teaching a summer photography program and was hooked. In addition to teaching at Cohasset Middle High School, I continue to work as a professional photographer. This way I stay current on the state of the industry and can give students working knowledge (not theoretical) about the realities of succeeding in the visual arts. For example, I recently had a number of images publish by the Harvard Peabody Museum Press for a book on Berber Art. I find my bliss in my son, watching students explore the creative process, balancing rocks, foraging wild mushrooms, keeping bees, and photography. -Mr. Craig |