Being an artist can at times be a long road to walk. It twists sometimes, gets confusing or worse comfortable and before you know it you might find yourself, though maybe successful, a little lost. But every now and again you meet someone who's walked that same road and worked it out, who reminds you where true north is and tells you that you're on your way. This was Kurt Markus for me, a master of photography, writer, owner of extremely cool hats and a wonderfully forthright human being. He taught a workshop I attended last month in Santa Fe and asked me at the end if I enjoyed the class. My response was an emphatic yes and that I was holding onto to the lessons with both hands as best I could. His response classic and precise " well that's great" he said, "but don't choke it." Amen Kurt amen.