The Exploration on page 44 of The Creative Photographer suggests that you take your
camera on an Artist Date. I first learned of this idea from the book The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. Julia suggests that one should always go on
an artist's date alone. I like to think of my camera as an extension of
myself and an artist's date as a kind of play date with myself and my
camera.The photographer version of the Artist Date is an outing where you go not to take "good" photographs, but to just experience being in an interesting place where you can observe everything around you and become more aware and sensitive to your surroundings. Yes, you might go home with many new images, and perhaps these new images will serve as inspiration for you in some way, but the main objective of the outing is to experience time with yourself and become present to the moment and everything around you. By giving yourself permission to take these outings you will expand your creative horizons and you will begin to think of yourself as an artist. In addition you will come to understand that time alone with no expectations of yourself to achieve anything profound, is an extremely important part of the creative process.
You can also expand this idea into something a little different by asking a group of friends to bring their cameras and come along with you. Pack a picnic lunch and head off on a road trip, stopping whenever you see something you would like to photograph. It is my experience that when you are seeing the world through the lens of your camera you are in a world of your own and very often forget you are with other people. You can also plan a trip to a specific location and draw up a list of things you will all photograph. Each of you can then take time on your own exploring this location with your camera, re-grouping after a couple of hours to share photographs over a cup of tea or coffee. If you photographed from a list you will notice how everyone experienced seeing things in such different ways.
I have always loved taking pictures, lots & lots of random pictures that after awhile ended up in a box or album somewhere,forgotten.
ReplyDeleteSince I had the opportunity to be Catherine Anderson's student for a photography workshop, I feel like I am a photographer. Catherine has opened my eyes (spiritually & emontionally) to the power of images. I see everything differently now. I carry my camera with me almost everywhere I go and I am always able to find some little beautiful image to bring home with me.
In her book, The Creative Photographer, Catherine gives so many wonderful ideas on what to do with a beloved image. Certainly my beloved image deserves more than to just lie in a box or hid in an album. That image can become so many things: framed art, a beautiful greeting card, a lovely bookmark, a soul collage card.....so many ways to make it your own and/or share it with someone else.
Catherine offers creative and easy to understand ideas and instructions using everyday, easy to get and recyled materials for the projects in her book.
Catherine has inspired and guided me to see beauty in something everyday, to use and RE-use materials that I have around me.
Now I can see beauty, photograph it and work with it until it becomes expression of me.
Thank you Catherine Anderson, for inspiring me to become, The Creative Photographer.
Carol, I am grateful to have been able to inspire you to see your own creativity which was always there and just needed a little encouragement. The beautiful cards that you are making are sharing your creativity with the world and inspiring others. Thank you for taking time to share with me how your world has been expanded by photography. I so appreciate your comments.
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