The creative heart still beats, restless, restless and eager. I grew up in the school of photography where if I could see it, I could photograph it, but also if I could dream it, I could photograph it. I am excited to join in a discussion about creativity and talk more about this topic in an upcoming webcast with Brookdale Senior Housing on September 17 at 2:00 pm CT called “Creativity: Fuel for Life.” Follow here: https://www.brookdale.com/en/webcast.html
Imagination is the widescreen display of life, full color, full speed. It is not a dimly flickering light bulb in the basement. Imagination opens a path, not just to achievement, but to excitement, a faster heartbeat. Even when the creative journey leads to failure, as it sometimes must. Like a muscle, imagination must be exercised, toned, and sharpened over the years on this earth. Left alone, unused, it will grow weak and flaccid, and eventually leave a person’s life. Nor is it instantaneous. Some imaginations must be marinated. We have all heard the Hollywood stories of how a beautiful work of art now on screen has meandered through years of disappointment, heartache, and economic decline only to finally come alive like a garden, untended and ragged with time, but now in full bloom. Imagination can be a lightning bolt, but more often it’s a path that’s riddled with seemingly endless storms and valleys. But that spark, that “what if” that accompanies creative vitality, is the fuel that gets us out of bed in the morning. Keep moving. It’s part of what I truly, deeply love about being a photographer (which translates to being a writer, a painter, a sculptor, a dancer, a blogger, a podcaster, a teacher).
You can turn a dream, a vision that floats through the halls of your brain into something real and tangible. Something that will impact and influence others, simply by looking at it. And that simple look draws the eye, and turns into a deeper, reflective look, leading to emotional connection and understanding. A reciprocity, born of shared creativity. Curiosity. Problem solving. Getting the synapses in your brain to fire to solve a creative challenge. Creative thinking is bold and is what sets you apart from others. The simple fact that you stop and look at the light streaming in the window of the coffee shop where you go to get your morning fix means you see the world from a certain angle. Your entire personality can thrive on this difference and these instincts. The need to express yourself creatively feeds your curiosity about the world. And, it doesn’t have to be a distant world. There are people and places in your everyday life that you can reach with your camera.
There are scenes in your hometown worth painting. There is a longtime owner of the local stationery store worth interviewing and writing about. One expression leads to another and another. Strength in numbers. One local interview can seem lonely and powerless. Five or ten interviews become a bit of a diary. The more persistent and tenacious you are in pursuing what you find interesting, the more it actually means you are interesting and therefore worth listening to. A photograph taken from a scenic location is just that. A photograph. But return to that location and frame it properly, at different times of day, in different weather and light, and it becomes a project worth pursuing. And therefore self-sustaining. There are interesting, living threads of life that are always within your grasp.
Cultivating ongoing creativity requires patience and sustained effort. It’s work! It’s much easier to do nothing. Sit on the sidelines. Instead of endlessly waiting on the street for the right graphic combination of passing pedestrians, the coffee shop across the street looks inviting. A cappuccino and a chocolate croissant? No! Go for it! The rewards are great. It may take a lifetime to find your voice, but never stop looking for it. That unique voice, once found, will enrich the arc of your life, no matter how long or short that arc may be. Creativity is an important topic for all of us. Make sure you follow it. broadcast online on September 17!
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