SUMMERANA MAGAZINE |October 2018 |The "Fall" Issue

SUMMERANA
MAGAZINE
HOW TO ENCOURAGE YOUR
CREATIVE SIDE
As a photographer, we need to tap in to our creative side time and time again. It’s an important part of our work, and it’s easy to struggle with
creative block. You can also end up feeling like you have run out of ideas at some points. So how can you encourage your creative side to boost
you at all times? These tips should help you out.
Get a Hobby
For many of us, photography is a hobby. When this makes
the transition into being full-time work, you can end up in
a position where you have no hobbies left! Even though
photography is a fun job and does have many creative elements,
it’s still work. It’s important to have another
outlet which challenges your creative mind in different
ways.
So, what kind of hobbies could you take up? They could
even be things that go well with your photographic business.
For example, you could start making props, or creating
jewellery for your models to wear. You could take
up sewing, whether creating clothing or making artistic
embroidery. You could start to paint or draw. Even making
elaborately decorated cakes would fit! There are so many
creative disciplines out there, and adding another string
to your bow is never a bad thing.
Your hobby can be something that you eventually start to
make money from, or an artistic project that you want to
display in galleries. It could even be something just for
yourself. Whatever it is, just make sure that it’s creative!
Seek Inspiration – Everywhere
Getting into a creative frame of mind means looking out for inspiration
wherever you are. You can find a jolt of creative energy
from seeing autumnal leaves on trees, or from hearing a radio
DJ talk to a guest about their daily habits. It could be from reading
a book, or watching a film.
The important thing is to open yourself up to inspiration. Don’t
just wait for it to strike – get out there! Consume cultural matter
like books, films, television shows, and music. Go to museums
and local art galleries, and browse their collections online.
Spend time on social media sites like Instagram and Pinterest
where there is a big art community.
You should also actively try to use the inspiration you find as
jumping-off points for new work. For example, if you love a particular
show on Netflix, try capturing a portrait that looks like it
was a screenshot from the last episode. If you have been inspired
by a poem, try to capture that feeling in a photograph. It
doesn’t have to work, and you don’t have to show it to anyone.
The point is that you are out there making art! Creativity is the
kind of thing that grows the more you put into it.
Something Old, Something New
One of the best ways to get creative when you are stuck in a rut
is to take something old, and do something new with it. Bring
up an old photograph that you took years ago, or even a piece of
inspiration that you have used before. Now treat it as if you are
seeing it for the first time. Make a new edit, or take a new photograph
matching that inspiration. See where it takes you years
after the first contact.
This is also a really great way to show potential clients how
much your style has grown and changed. Post up a comparison
of your original edit and the new one side by side to show the
difference. Now you have not only encouraged your creative
side, but also found something new to post for your social
media fans. Two birds with one stone!
Set an Appointment
As creatives, we often think that we have to wait until inspiration
strikes. We will be there, ready and waiting, when it does,
but we don’t go after it ourselves. This kind of thinking isn’t the
best for encouraging yourself to be creative all the time. Instead,
what you should do is set an appointment with yourself
to be creative.
If photography is your side-gig or hobby, then make sure that
you are working on it once a week (or however often you can fit
in reliably). If it is your full-time thing, then try setting appointments
for your creative hobby. You should have a set time every
week – or every day if you can manage it – which is just for
being creative.
Make sure that you use this time every week, without fail. If you
miss an appointment due to a conflicting schedule, you will
have to book it in for a different day so that you don’t miss out.
Don’t wait for the creativity to come to you. Get out there and
capture it for yourself.
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