How to be creative?

 

Every photographer/artist  have those days when there are no new ideas or simple there is no mood to "create", to pick the camera, the brush or pencil to take photos, to paint or draw.

If you are in those days, maybe you are waiting for the ideas to come to your mind, waiting for the magical spark that will bring you an original idea for a new series or project. You may be as well surfing the web looking at blogs, stories, others artist work in order to get inspired but is all this worthy?

No, you may get motivation but no inspiration. Inspiration comes from work and more work; not from magic.

You want ideas? Go and look for them. Make what you most like when you most dislike it. If you want to take photos but have no idea of what, the only way to find out is taking photos of everything (portraits, landscapes, still life, etc) only in that way you will discover what you don't like and what give you more pleasure or you are better. After that, you will have to narrow even more. Let's say you choose on work landscapes, now what kind? urban or nature? color or black and white? they will show loneliness or they will be cheerful? etc, etc. In this way after a while you find your theme for a project or series and only after a long period of time you will discover your style.

Creativity is spontaneous for many and for others no at all. Those who lack of it must cultivate it. There is no shortcut or easy way. They must push their selves to think out of the box and don't be afraid of failure. Failure and mistakes are sources for ideas. If something does not work, twist it and you will have a new concept, then keep working.

Extras 6 - Linda

After a while I come back with the "extras", the photographs that did not pass the final edition process for my project "Intimacy". This time my model is Linda, as well from Brno, Czech Republic.
Hope you like them, two different looks for the same person. 

 

The Bratislava portfolio review

Last weekend I attended the Bratislava portfolio review as part of the month of  photography. It were two fantastic days were I had the opportunity to show last work to a a series of gallery owners, curators,  art researches, art critics and photo editors.

This was my first time in this kind of events and it couldn't be better. The chance to hear what other "specialized" people think about your work is invaluable. Obviously, you must be prepared to hear from: "I don't see coherence in what you say and your photos show", "something is missing here,"  "looks commercial" to "I think your work is good". You cannot make everybody happy and to some you will make concessions and to others you will only remember theirs words as wise advices but you won't apply them in to your work because as many of them said carefully before criticize your work: "this is just my opinion". And portfolio reviews are for that, to hear opinions from "experts in the field", make contacts and to tell to a little part of the art world that you exist.

This event take place in the faculty of film and television, a nice place but not the best. The rooms are OK, but it will be better if for next years a place with bigger rooms can be used.

About the reviewers, they a have a good selection: Regina Maria Anzenberger from Anzenberger Agency, Daniela Billner, editor of Camera Austria, Joanne Junga Yang, director of Y&G Art Global Contemporary Project, Horst Kloever, curator and writer from photeurblog.de between others. There were around 25 reviewers and I personally could show my work to 17 of them and the feedback is invaluable.

The cost of this portfolio review is very affordable, only 49 euros for two days. Compared with others that usually goes at least 200 euros is a great deal.

So I hope to see you next year there.

A portrait from the series I presented at the review and I was going to make public this week, but after all the feedback I will "reorganize it" to make it more consistent, stronger and solid. So be patient if you want to see more here soon. :-)