Friday’s blog post on mistakes generated more conversation than I expected. It made me think about the things we’ve been told that slowly killed the natural tendency we have to express ourselves creatively. As children, some of our most endearing behaviour that gave adults such pleasure was eventually discouraged as we grew older. Like when we were five years old and danced around a room full of strangers to the beat of the music. People laughed and marveled at how we had rhythm and swore they were witnessing the next Isadora Duncan. At some point we were told to stop moving around, to sit down and behave.
There are plenty of examples of this. Like when we would sit in a classroom looking out the window and the teacher would rap on the desk and tell us to stop daydreaming. Daydreaming is actually a very good conduit to developing our Mind’s Eye or what some photographers call pre-visualization. I believe going back to these first inclinations and nurturing them is important to uncovering our vision–the way we see the world. So I’ve decided to hold a contest with 10 chances to win an eBook from Craft and Vision. Here’s how you can win:
- Enter an image that reflects something we’ve been told to do that actually stifles our creativity.
- Your image must be titled with the idea that killed creativity for example “Stop Daydreaming”.
- The longest side of your image should be at least 740 pixels.
- Upload your images to the Flickr Group I’ve set up for the contest located here.
- You can enter as many times as you wish before 11:59 PM Friday August 6, 2010.
- The 10 winning images will be announced on Monday August 9, 2010. (Yes you can win more than once!)
I asked two of my good friends to help me judge the winning entries. Ray Ketcham is a sculptor and photographer. He has the kind of creative mind that ties televisions to trees. I’ve had many conversations with Ray and have come to appreciate how he sees the world. We’ve discussed art and creativity until my brain hurts but at the end of the conversation, I always want to go out and make photographs. Mark Olwick is a fine art photographer. He works primarily with film and has had his Holga images accepted to juried competitions. With his vision of serenity, simplicity and emotion, Mark is able to express himself not only with his images but also very effectively in words on his popular blog. He’s been a steadfast supporter of my learning journey and I’m the better for it.
Time is ticking away so go out and starting making images 
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Olwick, M Contests. M Contests said: ✁ @sabrinahenry is having a cool new photography contest about creativity. http://bit.ly/b4lQdF Please RT http://bit.ly/aCBiH1 [...]
I tend to do a lot of “pre-visualization” in my life
And have you pre-visualized a new eBook or two? You’d best get on that, Chris
Oh boy….
I’m hoping to see something noir-ish from you, Mark!!!
Did you read this week’s Newsweek? Good cover story on creativity.
Yes, Ray forwarded the link to me. There were some excellent points in that article. In case others haven’t seen it yet, you can find it here
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html
I own all the Craft and Vision eBooks already but this is definitely an interesting challenge. So far, though, everything I have thought of has required props that are back home in Tennessee.
This is a great idea, Sabrina. I often think back to all the creative things I did when I was a child: from all the drawings, to writing stories, to the elaborate cities and stories I made up in the sandbox, to the days spent roaming the fields and woods with the dogs, imagining that we were discovering some new land, and even just the stories that went along with playing with toy cars. My childhood was a continuous time of imagination, invention, and creation.
Where did that all go?
Sorry I was a bit unclear Tommy…the prize is for any eBook–past or future. It is basically a $5 coupon you can use towards the purchase price of an eBook and the code has no expiry date.
Having said that, I just love your comment. The post was meant to provoke just the kind of thinking you are doing. Even if you don’t enter the contest, you are already a winner! (But please enter otherwise Ray and Mark and I will have to take extreme measures…LOL)
So incredibly true. We need to unearth our 5 year old selves and give in to them every once in a while!
Did any of the rest of you get in trouble for reading under the covers with a flashlight?
Tommy borrow props! or better yet make something else work for the idea.:)