Chronicling your Inspiration...
A question I was following in a message forum I follow asked what the appeal of landscape was to people.
It's a very subjective topic, but it took me down a path of questions to what my motivations were in taking these kinds of images.
My partial response to the question was the following:
Some followers of my work (even professionals who's work I highly admire) tell me they get inspired by what I do. Perhaps they don't need anything more than to admire it and be inspired by it but it's interesting to note that we inspire each other (and less so that we compete against each other).
But I wondered more about my own inspiration and for me it was more about sharing my own journey and inspiration. I explored this thought further and came up with an epiphany.
Over 20 years ago, I had made a personal manifesto for my artwork– one that I kind of forgotten. Ironically, in retrospect, it's something that has been a part of my work for the past 20 years. It's something that I subconsciously did in almost everything I did creatively. It also explains many reasons why I returned to teaching or love teaching.
My manifesto was very simple. My artwork was less about the end result and more about chronicling my journey that it took to get there. My followers appreciate my finished work, but they also follow me because I share my journey with them. Like this blog, the hundreds of visitors that read this blog on a daily basis, read about my process, my journey and the inevitable outcome of the work. It of course goes without saying that without your continued support and appreciation that I would not be doing this–so I thank-you all personally for that.
The other day I published the importance of patiences while today I share how I chronicled my journey. Whatever motivates you or inspires you is something I believe is important in understanding your own creative process. Whether this is in photography, art, your work life or your personal life, I think it's not only important to appreciate the journey but at least in my case, is also to record the story that goes along with it.
I've spent a lot of time trying to capture a moment like this again, but for me the end result hasn't mattered as much as making the effort.
I may never get this kind of photo again, but for me, it's the one photo that reminds me of why I do this, and it inspires me again and again to try. Whatever is your source of inspiration, enjoy it and take the time to write a story of why you love it so much. It's nice to stop and remind ourselves of our own personal journey to our successes that we are so proud of.
Thank-you again for taking the time to read my story...
It's a very subjective topic, but it took me down a path of questions to what my motivations were in taking these kinds of images.
My partial response to the question was the following:
I continued the remark with a posting of an image I took a couple of years ago (seen below). It's one of my personal favourites, which I used to outline a point of what is my own personal source of inspiration or motivation. But as I continued to follow the discussion, I also made some other discoveries along the way....years in television, marketing, advertising design, consultant, and just being a part of the noise of the world we live in. For me it's solitude or in someways meditation from all that noise.I really don't know why some people like my landscapes, but I have a small market that seems to enjoy it. Perhaps it is my quest to find that solitude that I am able to convey in my work...
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| "Waiting" Canon 50D, 55mm@F/16, Exp: 1/320s Click on the photo to read about the story behind this image. |
But I wondered more about my own inspiration and for me it was more about sharing my own journey and inspiration. I explored this thought further and came up with an epiphany.
Over 20 years ago, I had made a personal manifesto for my artwork– one that I kind of forgotten. Ironically, in retrospect, it's something that has been a part of my work for the past 20 years. It's something that I subconsciously did in almost everything I did creatively. It also explains many reasons why I returned to teaching or love teaching.
My manifesto was very simple. My artwork was less about the end result and more about chronicling my journey that it took to get there. My followers appreciate my finished work, but they also follow me because I share my journey with them. Like this blog, the hundreds of visitors that read this blog on a daily basis, read about my process, my journey and the inevitable outcome of the work. It of course goes without saying that without your continued support and appreciation that I would not be doing this–so I thank-you all personally for that.
The other day I published the importance of patiences while today I share how I chronicled my journey. Whatever motivates you or inspires you is something I believe is important in understanding your own creative process. Whether this is in photography, art, your work life or your personal life, I think it's not only important to appreciate the journey but at least in my case, is also to record the story that goes along with it.
I've spent a lot of time trying to capture a moment like this again, but for me the end result hasn't mattered as much as making the effort.
I may never get this kind of photo again, but for me, it's the one photo that reminds me of why I do this, and it inspires me again and again to try. Whatever is your source of inspiration, enjoy it and take the time to write a story of why you love it so much. It's nice to stop and remind ourselves of our own personal journey to our successes that we are so proud of.
Thank-you again for taking the time to read my story...
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