Eight ways to break the barrier of Creativity in Photography
Creativity in Photography Artists sometimes face a lack of interest in their work, but what do you need to do to get a new passion?
Christine Wingel is a street photographer from Luxembourg. The tips in this article are based solely on the photographer’s personal experiences. You can see Wingle’s work on his website and Twitter account.
In such circumstances the author is unable to write anything. This does not make any logical sense; how can a writer who has written hundreds of pages suddenly be able to write even one sentence? This has nothing to do with the nature of writing; it can happen in any other art, especially photography, and is called the “barrier to creativity.
“ Patricia Houston MD recently wrote a research article on the barrier to writing and how to fix this problem. Wingel extends his understanding of the barriers of writing to photography, and in this article has suggested solutions to the problem.
1. Lower expectations
One of the discouraging reasons for photographers is unrealistic expectations. For example, they overestimate photos, but not all photos are a good option to share with others. Take photos for fun and set your expectations. Take pictures of subjects you don’t usually care about, such as the sky, trees, mannequins, houses, street signs. Just click the shutter.
Soon you will pass this moment and you will get the extract of creativity .
Above all, allow yourself the error because it is impossible to perform in any case. If you are working on a project and you feel discouraged, try thinking like a sculptor. Usually the sculptor does not shave his head first and then go to other parts; he first uses a basic idea for sculpture and then adds details to his work.
The same should be true for photography. Draft first and then upgrade the various parts. Do not place too much emphasis on being perfect. Achieving the desired outcome is more important than spending too much time promoting something that may never achieve the desired outcome.
The more time you spend working on it, the harder it will be to get the desired result. Under such circumstances, the human mind begins to make excuses, such as not being ready for work or needing further reform.
2. Appreciate your success
Try to give yourself positive feedback even for the smallest of tasks. In other words, reward yourself if you succeed or have some small success. Some people run away from emphasizing or appreciating their success, no matter how successful they are. This is harmful to the health of the mind and is rooted in insecurity. For example, some believe that they do not deserve success. The main author of the article, Kristen Wingel, says:
When I got my LLM degree, I hung my diploma on the wall like a morning newspaper. I didn’t share this success with anyone. I didn’t even have a party.
If you do not always appreciate your successes because you are looking for your next goal, you will lose motivation at some point and may even be completely silenced. This mentality is also called “pretense syndrome”. In such situations, the person feels fake or jealous or feels that he is not a real artist as other people call him. “You can pretend to be someone else or make sure you are an artist by making a unique statement,” Houston says to people like this. Step aside and start thinking more productively.
3. Give yourself a break
Sometimes just a short break is enough to get an idea. Try not to do anything else for a few days or even a week or do something else; or take a break from your camera and shoot with a cellphone for only a week. Wingel says:
I remember the time I first started photography. I was photographing with my cellphone every day because I had not been able to get a camera yet. Those days were one of the best times of my life.
Remember this: Walk a lot to save your mind from the chaos. According to Soren Kirkgard:
Try not to lose your desire for walking. I walk every day for health and to avoid any illness. I direct myself to the best of thoughts, and I know that there is no annoying thought that cannot be eliminated;
According to celebrity director and author Ingmar Bergman : “The devils hate the fresh air.” Many artists have been used to regular walks throughout history. For example, police arrested Bob Dylan, a singer and poet, while wandering around New Jersey. Especially in today’s world where people are heavily dependent on their cell phones, walking is not only useful for restoring creativity and maintaining physical health but also for overall mental health.
4. Read a photography book
Always bring a photography book with you. Look at the book carefully and let the images digest in your brain. You see a lot of room for improvement when you see the pictures of the masters of photography. Wingel says:
When I first saw Robert Frank’s book The Americans, I was reluctant to do so. I didn’t think it was bad, but this book didn’t have any special features for me. I felt too exaggerated about it. I recently saw the book again and looked at the pictures from a completely different angle. This time the images had a different meaning for me.
This look is partly dependent on your information. When you are a freshman you have a little bit of theoretical information. At one point, however, you do not get a good output from theory or merely information. Here’s where more information only makes your job worse; it’s just like you haven’t unlocked the new stage to access the next information and need to advance to a certain level.
When you refer back to the same theoretical information as you gain practical experience, you will look at it differently.
5. Sign out of social networks
Sign out of Facebook and Instagram . You don’t need to delete your account, but just try to stay away from the hustle and bustle of social media. One of the worst things anyone can do is check out notifications and social media news immediately after waking up. If you start your day with this, you’ll be in control of the news and updates yourself. Much of your creativity comes when you don’t need cognitive and conscious thinking, but what do you usually do when you’re tired? You check your cellphone.
Unfortunately, this eliminates the possibility of subconscious activity, as you constantly push yourself. If you release your mind you allow your subconscious (which is often necessary for creative work) to think. Linda Barry says:
Mobile provides a lot of information, but it has three key elements to discover: loneliness, uncertainty, and insecurity. Creative ideas come from exactly these three elements.
The creativity of the photographer does not increase with the browsing of Instagram
Photographers usually don’t get the idea through Instagram. In fact, Instagram makes things worse. Bulk browsing of images will give the audience a sense of guilt. “After leaving Instagram, my enthusiasm for getting out and doing things increased, and I shifted toward production rather than consumerism,” says Wingel. I also have all the comments on my blog. ”You can also share content on your blog or site instead of posting content directly on Facebook and then synchronize it with your own. This way you build your own platform instead of someone else’s platform.
6. Don’t make photography your job
If possible, don’t turn your hobby into a job. If you work as a photographer and have to capture the same images every day, it will be difficult to come up with a creative idea. Many full-time photographers usually do not have enough energy for post-work projects. That’s why chefs don’t tend to cook at home. According to Austin Clive:
One of the simplest ways to hate a job is to turn it into a job that transforms your soul into work that lifts your body.
That’s why you have to fear the materialization of your interests.
7. Travel and purchase new equipment
Traveling to new places seems like a surefire way to get an idea, but it will have many side effects on innovation. Since everything is new to you, you will be more inclined to photograph and record images while walking. However, when novelty disappears, so does passion.
The same thing happens when you buy new equipment: At first you have a great desire but after a few weeks you will be back to the starting point. Don’t buy new equipment ideas! This is the wrong choice. A few weeks later you lose your passion and you only get a few thousand dollars poorer.
It is recommended that you travel not because of the creativity barrier, but because of the increased visibility and investment in experiences and expanding your creativity library. Just be careful; you have to keep your passion wherever you are. If you can’t come up with an idea for a small town old camera, you’re failing to solve your main problem.
8. Be professional
Professionalization is a term that is widely used by author Steven Presfield. The term is not used in its usual sense, but rather means to take artwork seriously; what professionals do and not necessarily to make art work a job; you should not just be lazy about your art. If you do street photography, take it seriously. If you are writing an essay, take it seriously – and try to do things you love on a regular basis and even daily – that is the true meaning of being a professional. Whether you love your job or not, you will be at work; try to do the same with your art. Wingel says:
Sometimes I have no idea about writing before sitting down at the computer. Sometimes I may write a thousand-word article at a time. Othertimes I force myself to go out and do street photography even if I don’t want to. In such a situation, I just take photos without regard to anything until I find the passion again.
Passion comes to you after you get started, not before
The urge to work comes after you, not before; and if you do something every day, you create a compelling force that makes it easier for you the next day. For Wingel, writing a daily paper is easier than writing two or three times a week. The same is true for photography; if you don’t go out for a few days, it’s hard to get out. That’s why it is harder for people to get to work early in the week.
Under Newton’s first law of inertia, an object will continue to move unless force is forced to stop. If you continue to sit, you will continue to sit. If you work five days in a row and then stop working, it will be more difficult for you to get started and you need to apply more energy. If you are moving you will need a little energy to keep moving.
Conclusion
All artists occasionally experience discouragement and a lack of passion for the work. Although this tendency is natural, it is treatable. The following is a brief summary of the tips:
