Thirty years ago, my friend, Paul Grecian, wanted to be a photographer. He pored over photography magazines, spent hours in the dark room and gave photographs as gifts.
Today, I'm proud to say my friend Paul IS a full-time photographer. He creates amazing images and sells them at art shows and festivals, galleries and to a variety of publications.
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| Paul Grecian, Photographer |
Today, Paul shares 6-1/2 tips about how to stay creative, PLUS 6-1/2 images he created that go with each tip, PLUS the biggest prize I've given away on the blog. And you, dear reader, get to choose which prize you'd like if you win! (Scroll to the end for giveaway details.)
You can find Paul Grecian online at
his blog and can view and purchase his images at
his site.
6-1/2 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE
I don’t always have the luxury to be creative when the mood
strikes. As a full-time artist, I have to prepare for shows, gallery exhibits, fulfill
phone and email orders, attend meetings and a litany of other obligations that
keep me away from my camera. So when time permits, I need to be able to
facilitate the creative process. Here then are my 6-½ ways to keep the creative
process flowing.
1.
Do Something Comfortable: I often find that I am
at my most creative when I am comfortable. Oh yes, I do like my comfort! The advantage
of being comfortable is that my mind is on my work and not on how hungry I am,
how cold it is, how much this sweater itches! For this reason I often create my
best work when I am somewhere familiar, working when the weather is not too
hot, not too frigid, and with equipment that I know better than the back of my
hand (not that I’ve really studied the back of my hand so much). Being comfortable concentrates my
awareness on the elements within a scene that visually are exciting me most.
2.
Do Something Uncomfortable: Sometimes however,
being comfortable doesn’t stir the creativity pot. When this happens, I reach
for a rarely used lens, apply a new method to my image making, place myself in
a new environment, or try working with a new subject. Exploring new terrain
literally or figuratively means experiencing new feelings and allowing responses
to them to come through in the work I create. Being too uncomfortable can be
inhibiting to creativity, so a balance is needed. I do find though that being cold when working on a winter
scene focuses my mind on how to convey a sense of cold in an image. The uncertainty
of exploring a new location often generates in me a sense of wonder that can be
missing in locations I know too well. Working with a subject or in a style that
feels awkward can generate new ideas even if not resulting in great new work.
3.
Read…….well, anything really: Other than
physically being in the field where my work is actually created, nothing
generates more creative fruit for me than a good read (along with a cup of
joe). Whether it’s the latest issue of a favorite magazine, a biographical sketch
of an artist, a blog entry, or something totally outside my normal reading fare
(there’s this girl named Olivia Bean I’m reading about….), the vicarious
experiences and pictures that author’s paint for me always make me reach for a
notepad (or my ipad these days).
4.
Explore something within: When I am at a loss
for where to go, creatively speaking, searching within can bring me to a place
that generates new ideas. What I especially like about generating new
directions this way is that it feels the most authentic to who I am. Recently,
I have begun to explore the “collector” side of my personality. For several
summers I worked at a museum in Philadelphia where I was exposed to awesome and
historically important natural history collections. When I was younger I
collected rocks, shells, and other items like acorns, and pine cones. I still
have a collection of such items and use them to spur on the making of new
images.
5.
Keep it simple, just create: Putting too much
pressure on creativity can act like a lead weight on the process. At such times
I feel it helps to just create. I allow myself to explore a subject without
thought to purpose or outcome. On a recent rainy day, I found myself fixated on
a leaf that had fallen on my car windshield (worry not, I wasn’t driving at the
time). From within the car I began to visualize an image of the leaf along with
the geometry of the raindrops and a diffused background. I attached an
appropriate lens to my camera and allowed myself to just be in the moment and
create for no reason other than to create.
6. Hang around creative people: I am very fortunate
to be involved with groups of people who are actively creating in a variety of
ways. These talented, sharing, artists, craftsmen, writers, and musicians find
unique ways to express themselves and always ignite my own creative fire. I
have found it inspiring to be around people who work with my chosen medium of
photography, but even moreso to be around those who work in mediums other than
my own. Regardless of medium, there are so many overlapping aspects to the
creative process. I can learn and be motivated by those who work with wood,
glass, clay, paint, words, musical notes or pixels.
6 ½. Mow the lawn: Okay, so this is a
bit of a metaphor for “whatever works for you.” There is however something
about the droning, white-noise, monotonous sound of my lawnmower that is
conducive to my thought process. Maybe it’s also the repetitive almost meditative
back and forth walking behind the machine that allows me to contemplate new
projects, the solution to a problem with a newly printed piece or deciding on
my next marketing move. Whatever it is, it works for me and makes the chore of
mowing the lawn (sneezing and all) more bearable.
THE BIG GIVEAWAY: One person will win a 7"x10" print (11"x14" final size after matting) of any of the images that appears on this blog post. (Value of giveaway: $47, plus shipping.)
To enter the giveaway . . .
1. Click the "follow" button at the right.
2. Leave a comment about how you stay creative.
A winner will be chosen at random and announced Tuesday, June 5th. (I want to win this one!)
Thanks so much, Paul!
