Last week I read a really thought-provoking blog by Lauren Henkin called "The Creativity Drought". I really recommend reading it. It really made me think about the times in which I too suffer a 'creativity drought' and how I handle it. I remember when I was at university we had to be thinking conceptually about everything we did, sometimes projects were on a weekly basis. We were under a lot of pressure. I remember working on my street photography project and having to think about the next project 'The Institution'. Although it was a great way to discipline yourself, it was also, for me a very unnatural way of working. I am a good self motivator and love to learn new things and challenge myself, but I cannot perform for others, I cannot churn out work just because I have too. For me, it has to come naturally. When I left university I didn't really produce very much for months, I took time out. I then started my 'memory' project and I started writing about my work. I did it for myself and no one else, it was really liberating. I then moved onto to working with large format cameras and hence my "September" project evolved.
Evolving, that is the key word. That is what helps me through times when I am not feeling inspired. Photography is a wonderful gift. It allows us to explore, learn and create on so many levels. If I had to think conceptually, all the time, as I did at university, I think I would inevitable dry up. If I look at photography in a more rounded way then I allow myself time to breathe.
So how am I doing this? Well, this is what I have done this week. I am still working on my "September" project (this is very long term). The above picture is on Fleur's 6th birthday, this after the party, the unwrapping of presents, the family and friends have gone home and the anti-climax setting in. I have also made a few wet plates of my children. I am practicing like mad to get better and better with the process for my next project and I am picking up glass later today to make ambrotypes as well as tintypes. All this is a learning process. I have also had someone over to my studio for a couple of days to watch and learn the magic of Wet Plate Collodion. I am also assisting Carl Radford with his wet plate workshops, which is great experience (that was two weeks ago but I am doing another one in July). And today, I am tackling my book (again). For me photography isn't just about creating images, it is about presenting them as a body of work, as a story. Finding ways that best tell this story, whether it is choosing frames for an exhibition or making books.
So, for me, once I got off the production line, I felt liberated. For me, my work, my photography needed to feel more organic. But more importantly it has to be something I love.
I would love to hear about what motivates you and how you handle those days, months when you are feeling uninspired.
Thanks for this Deborah, it's always nice to know what is going through the mind of an artist you admire....
ReplyDeleteDefinitely I am in a period of drought, a combination of potential life changes (for the better, but scary) and, I think, being quite intimidated by my new studio space and the expectation that comes along with it (something I didn't expect) have left me feeling impotent. But it's as you say, I hope to work and evolve my way out of it. Pushing it, in my experience, does not help.
Thanks, as always, for sharing x
Thanks so much Sara for your thoughtful and honest comment. If it makes you feel any better, I totally understand what you mean about feeling intimidated on getting a studio. I felt the same. I think that is why it is good to work with what you have .. like I say, ways of presenting or learn a new skill, or refine a craft .. that is what I have used my studio for .. it's a place of experimentation, a thinking space as much as a creative space. My creativity sort of comes when I am not looking for it.
ReplyDeleteTake my "September" project I never know when the next image will come from. I knew I needed a picture of Fleur on her birthday and I had settled on just taking one of her with her presents as I couldn't think what else I could do. Then I saw her laying there, watching the tv, looking completely flat .. I jumped up and grabbed my camera, said stay there .. It felt a really honest picture, one that you don't often see for a birthday picture but a reality for children .. when the party is over.
I hope you find some inspiration soon Sara and I hope all the changes you are going through work out brilliantly for you xx
Motivation and Inspiration? I know that whatever I do, whether it is photography, poetry, song-writing, is an emotional process; something has to touch me, in my soul, for me to want to pursue a particular direction. But sometimes there is simply nothing there, nothing touching your soul, nothing worth pursuing. But then, sometimes inspiration just surprises you.
ReplyDeleteOccasionally I dream songs, wake up and have to grab my laptop and record a rough audio, otherwise it goes, even at 2am. where does that come from? John Lennon used to say that songs came from 'above' and we merely channell them.
With photography, the subject has to inspire, otherwise it's just snapshots. You see something that touches you in some way, and you know you've got to digitally immortalise it.
On the other hand, Thomas Edison said, “Success is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.” There's a lot of truth in that as well!
It's very stimulating to read this. My processes are different, I think. I force myself to keep going, and although I'll chuck most of what I create in the droughts, I'll keep some of it to remind me of it, and to see the process of getting out of it.
ReplyDeletePerhaps this is because I think of these periods as deserts, not droughts. And how do you get out of a desert? You keep walking...
Thanks, Deborah... lovely thoughts here. I love that word, 'evolving' too. I think you are right, it accurately describes the process of moving from one thing to the next, and that, we must evolve simultaneously as artists and people. Maybe those periods of drought are when the two aren't in alignment.
ReplyDeleteThanks again,
Lauren
Love what you're saying here Deb, I agree that it's very difficult to perform for others, and I've never found it easy to do. Hence I've opted to just keep evolving at my own pace. I'm enjoying my journey, as well as yours! An honour to be in such great company! :D
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Dave, it is really lovely to hear your thoughts. I love the question you pose about waking up at 2am with a song .. where does it come from? I suppose that is the beautiful side of being creative, it can just happen from seemingly nowhere. I would also agree with the last point about putting in the work .. when people say nice things to me about being talented, I always add that I work really hard at it .. (not saying myself that I am talented of course, that would be bigheaded) .. but you know what I mean :) Thanks again Dave.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Michael for sharing your thoughts. It's great to hear how others work .. I do agree with you about having to walk out of the desert. I suppose for me my walking is learning as opposed to creating .. but then again, I suppose I am creating when I am learning (hadn't thought of it that way before) .. and like you most of this will go in the bin .. thanks again Michael :)
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren, thanks so much for stopping by and commenting and thank you too for being the inspiration behind this blog. I really agree that the evolving part has to be as a person as well as an artist. If I had been given a camera 20 years ago I would have been a totally different photographer to what I am now. I have evolved slowly without realising the change both as a person and as an artist .. which is a good thing :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Mel for your lovely comment .. I just replied and blogger crashed on me, so I apologize if you get two comments. I just wanted to say how much I love watching your photographic journey and how you constantly evolve as a photographer. Although I can't imagine you ever having a drought period ;)
ReplyDeleteHello Deborah! This is another lovely, thoughtful post.
ReplyDeleteI get stuck for inspiration too! Sometimes I wonder if it's not inspiration I'm lacking, though, so much as the confidence to begin a new piece of work, especially if I was pleased with the last piece I wrote. It's almost as if I feel I won't be happy with the next one so it's not worth trying. But apparently that's quite a common thing amongst creative types, so I don't worry about it too much!
I find music a wonderful inspiration for my writing - it can suggest setting, character, atmosphere... I'm not sure if this would help a photographer or not, because you are probably more excited by visual stimuli than anything else. I suppose the main thing is always to be open to everything the world has to offer, and therefore to the inspiration which might be waiting for you.
For what it's worth, Stephen King's attitude is that you should just get on with it, and don't worry if you don't feel inspiration is going to strike on a particular day! That attitude does, I suppose, help us to battle through the more difficult times, and carry on exercising our creativity regardless. Something often comes of that eventually. But it CAN be a battle, and if it's not necessary for you to battle, and you prefer things to happen more organically, that's obviously fine too!
What's important, I think, is that you're comfortable with what you're doing and how you're going about it. Part of the beauty of your own work is how natural and candid it is. These are not images which could be forced, simply by a perceived need to 'create something'.
You are getting it right. If you feel you're lacking inspiration one day, have no fear that it will be back soon! x
Deb, as always a pleasure to read your sincere thoughts here. Well, my take on this is that I am always shooting only when I feel the desire, the need to (maybe I've already told you this and if it's good or not I don't know), sometimes there are weeks, even months when I don't even touch the camera and suddenly it comes a moment when I just have to do it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Deborah! All the best to you!
I did grab a cuppa and read Lauren's blog. And now I have read your response to it as well. Thank you both for your honesty and thoughtfulness. I think that it is important to recognise the dry periods and to talk about them because they can be most down-making, for me anyway. I find that because I don't have a studio and two small kiddies, i often don't get much quiet space in my head to think and form ideas. This makes me frustrated sometimes. Lack of inspiration and not feeling creative can put me in a darkish place but what seems to work to pull me out is experimenting. I try to find something new - either a new tool to use or a new way of doing something. I am not very technical and not very good at handyman stuff so I often resort to gaffer-taping strange things together, Holga lenses onto SLRs and that kind of stuff. If I see a result which looks promising then it spurs me on to do more and suddenly, voila, I find I am creating again :-) Thanks again for provoking the thought and the discussion. Hope all is good with you and the family.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Sophie for your really thoughtful comment, I am so sorry for taking so long to reply. I think music is a wonderful way to be inspired .. I often hear music that really moves me and say that I would love my work to move someone in the same way .. it must be even more potent for you being a cellist. I sort of agree to a point with Stephen King, when I am not 'inspired' with ideas then I think it is great to learn or refine your skills. Such as today I am at my studio and playing with my 8x10 camera, doing some still life wet plates and cleaning out the silver bath .. nothing that really inspires me but it's a great way of working and refining your skills. Thanks again Sophie, always lovely to hear from you :)
ReplyDeleteSorry again Codrin for the delay in responding to your thoughtful comment. I do remember us having this conversation a while back and I think it's great how we all behave differently with our creativity and similarly of course. For me, you have a wonderful creative output and each piece of work you do is really strong and emotional .. maybe this is because you only work when the time is right, it is better to do this than just churn out work for the sake of it. Thanks again Codrin, always lovely to hear from you :)
ReplyDeleteHi Lucy, again, I am so sorry for the delay in responding .. life as manic as ever here .. but you know how that feels :) I think we are very similar about feeling frustrated when we are not in that 'creative' space. I also know how you feel as you have children that are a bit younger than mine so you have even less time. However saying that, it doesn't stop you/me .. we find our inspiration and we keep learning new things and that keeps us going. Talking of which, how is the wet plate going. Don't panic if it is going slowly, took me ages :) I am sure you are more disciplined than me. Hope all is well with you and hopefully we get to meet again in August. I am off to Ulverston this weekend to help Carl with another wet plate workshop .. the downside, we are camping haha!! Can't wait though.
ReplyDelete