hopes and dreams
st. martins, new brunswick
All good things must come to an end. And so it was with our week long workshop with Freeman and Andre but not before the final lecture. As usual we crowded into the basement of the Inn but this time not really knowing what to expect since we had already gone through the aspects of visual design covered in his book Photographing the World Around You. What we got was the “B” ending on creativity.
In the world of photography there is a pre-occupation with how we do it and less often, we contemplate why we do it. The reality is it is the person who brings creativity to the technique. In the beginning we learn by copying, imitating the style of a photographer or photography we admire. Sometimes we hit a rut. Places where we take a formula and keeping shooting the formula. Sound familiar? Sometimes we reach a plateau. Shooting something over and over again because we are seeking to work through it. Our conscious and sub-conscious working together but never in the same place at the same time.
Freeman believes that because we ourselves are creations, it is in all of us to be creative. More importantly it is our fundamental responsibility. And although it is frequently uncomfortable, it is in fact very natural to be creative. You cannot find it in tools and contrary to what we might have been told, it can be fostered. So how does Freeman access his creativity? “By developing and nuturing a sense of awe and wonder“. One way to do this is through lateral thinking, the idea that we cannot solve a problem by thinking in the same way. He also spoke about working through your unconscious and letting it become conscious. How do we do this? Well the first stage is through logical, conscious work where we research to find a solution. Then we walk away and do something unrelated and let the subconscious do its work. We will have an a-ha moment which we test and share with others in order to verify our creativity.
If I am to be completely honest, I am still working my way through what Freeman shared. One thing is for certain, the ending to the “B” ending was inspirational. His final words to us will stay with me.
Creativity is our ultimate gift and we have an ultimate responsibility. Honour your creativity. Believe in yourself. And make images that matter to you.
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