Nov 18, 2016 |
Nothing is so intimidating as a blank page, an empty wall, a new project… the idea of making something out of nothing can be paralyzing. I’ve struggled with this my entire life.
Teenager me would carry around piles of paper in a 3-ring binder, I was always prepared – just waiting for inspiration. The lightning bolts I imagined must strike other writers and artists never struck me, though, so the pages remained mostly blank, aside from some roughness around the edges from my devoted carrying.
Yet, when I was a little kid, I created an entire book out of index cards, without hesitation, and laminated it with strips of scotch tape!
I don’t know what taught me to overthink creativity, or wait around for lightning strikes… but eventually I realized that inspiration is hardly ever convenient. Staring at a blank page never invokes inspiration for me. Making mistakes on a blank page does, though. Taking chances does too. Just making anything, even if it’s horrible, is the best way to find the little lightning bolts that will spark you to keep going.
My point is that inspiration will never be looking for you, you have to go find it.
P.S. Nobody taught me that lesson more than Melissa Dinwiddie, and if you’ve ever struggled to create anything, she has a new book that could change your life the way her concepts have changed mine.
You can even download the first 50 pages for free to see if it resonates with you. AND if you buy her book before 11/21 you get all kinds of launch week bonuses, so don’t wait!
Nov 16, 2016 |
Ever walk around your entire house looking for your car keys, only to realize you’re holding them? Me too, and that’s how I felt the first time I photographed a reflection and discovered it was only an illusion.
I mean, duh, reflections aren’t real, but I always assumed they existed on the surface of whatever shiny object made them.
While testing my gear before a pet session one day, I took a snapshot of a reflection bouncing off my phone. The resulting photo resembled a puddle; the reflection was sharp, but the phone, and the table below it, were totally blurred. Even more intriguing, in one corner of the image, several feet away, Gracie’s food bowl was in focus.
The reflection was of our backyard, streaming through sliding glass doors, and Gracie’s bowl was up against those doors. Since focus is determined by distance, it seems reflections are at the same distance as whatever they’re mimicing, but on the other side of the reflective surface.
Crazy, right? I’ve been obsessed ever since.
You don’t need a camera to see this, find a reflection in your screen and these words will blur. The keys were in my hand all along.
This is the silly snapshot that inspired the reflection series!
P.S. Do you have any title ideas for this photo? I’m not totally in love with the one I chose.
May 15, 2015 |
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It was only a few years ago that my camera spent more time in the corner of my closet than in my hands… but spring always inspired me to dig it out again.
I’d go out for a walk, always intrigued by the first daffodil of the season. The burst of yellow like a beam of hope, cutting through the chilly air, and warming up my mood in an instant.
The resulting photos are just snapshots, though – beautiful to the sentimental me, but ugly to the critic I’ve turned into. So many snapshots with busy green backgrounds and unflattering midday sunlight.
My photos never stood out back then… back then I took photos, but now I make them. I used to go searching for pre-made scenes, but now I only search for the ingredients to cook up my own.
Spring still inspires me, but I no longer let my level of inspiration determine whether or not I will work. After 68 weeks of photos, and a bit of retrospect, I can see that my inspired work is never as good, nor as satisfying, as the work I have to push myself through. Inspiration is for lazy artists.
What are these numbered posts all about? Read the introduction to my Photo & 100 Words project and find out!
Feb 20, 2015 |
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“Where do you want your paintings?” The bitch in me is usually quick to correct, but the artist in me liked the sound of that.
“Paintings.” I repeated, just to hear it again. Yes, I did like the sound of that.
They were 20×30 photographs, printed on canvas, and Nick was helping me set up the display in my event booth at a local pet parade.
To my delight, Nick was not the last person to make this mistake about my work. If people thought my pet portraits were like paintings, what would they think about my artsy work?
The progression to more painting-like photography is another motivation behind my decision to continue this series. I know it’s a cliché for any photographer to say that they paint with light, but now I’m painting with movement too.
Each bit of motion is another brush stroke. Each brush stroke is unique; even in attempts to repeat my movements, I never get the same result twice.
What do you think? Could this photo pass for a painting?
(There is also a wide photo very similar to this one in my shop here: Wide Daisy Tie Dye)
What are these numbered posts all about? Read the introduction to my Photo & 100 Words project and find out!
Jul 4, 2014
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Everything is brighter when you look up. It’s both a psychological and literal truth and it’s the first time I’m fully aware of it.
It’s so obvious to me now. Expressions like ‘chin up’ and ‘down in the dumps’ actually describe physical characteristics of human emotion and they directly correlate to whether or not you are ‘seeing the light.’ The logic that fueled ideas like heaven and hell suddenly make more sense to me.
I’m not at all religious, but I am spiritual. I believe that we are constantly exchanging energy with the universe. Every thought that crosses your mind is a spark. Every ray of sunshine is a comforting touch.
Feeling down? Take a lesson from flowers: they look up, lean towards the light, and grow. Look up and, at the very least, you’ll instantly brighten your world.
What are these numbered posts all about? Read the introduction to my Photo & 100 Words project and find out!
