The A's of Art
When I first took up photography, my goal was to be as good as my photographic heroes and eventually surpass them in knowledge, skill, and inspiration. What would it mean to surpass my heroes? Where did my images, art, and creative pursuits fit into the mix? What would it mean to surpass myself?
At that point, I hadn’t given any thought to the aforementioned questions and when I did, I did not arrive at any singular/definitive answer. What I did come up with, however, was a few key observations about life and creativity that have not only shaped my development as an artist, but have had a profound impact on my experience on this planet and those around me. For those who are just entering a creative field, I hope that this post will be of some use, in finding your footing and developing your creative talents. For more established individuals already existing in a creative field, I'm sure you've also made these observations— thank you in joining me, in the recollection.
Actions Speak Longer Than Words
The ultimate approach to surpassing oneself in art is to take action. Too many times, I have seen creatives dwell on an idea to the point of it’s unnatural demise, without even having put pen to paper, or money in the bank. Contrary to more leisurely sentiments, ideas do in fact have an expiration date, no matter what price you put on them or who’s willing to pay. That expiration date is determined not only by the demand for an idea, but the desire to act on it. Cultivate the desire to act on your creative pursuits and strike while the iron is hot. Acting on an idea has (historically) been enough to kickstart the birth of empires, the downfall of civilizations, and a universal shift in thinking. Leave speculation and theory to academics, philosophers, poets, and twitter. Don’t procrastinate or make excuses, make progress with your ideas and get going.
Art Exists In A State of Flux
Life, art, and creativity are active in nature, shifting, bending, and conforming to the times in which we create. We are currently seeing a trend of what I can only describe as a lack of pure innovation in the arts and like many, I have had to adapt. Musicians [now] have at their disposal, a myriad of tools, videos, and applications that allow them to edit and remix works of the past, “sampling” down to the millisecond. Visual artists can use the works of other artists in the creation of their own, if they follow certain guidelines. Photographers can show up, shoot, and ask questions never. I cannot ignore that much art at the moment is the result of an abuse of technology, but I can choose to recognize that its presence is indicative of another wave of change, yet to come. I can recognize that the result will be a demand for what lies at the opposite end of the spectrum and be there to meet it— so can you. Times are changing— They have been and always will be, so get used to it and change with them, or be left behind.
Awareness is Direction
I've recently noted a demographic of individuals who simply grew, without having cultivated any kind of awareness of the self or others and not necessarily by choice. Amidst the people, places, and services currently vying for attention at the expense of personal development, I’m actually surprised that this lack of sensibility has not completely become the norm. I’m fortunate in that creative pursuits have somewhat shielded myself and others from becoming complacent, but as I have seen at the grocery store, some have not been as lucky.
Awareness is making an effort to observe and reflect. A keen perception of the world and changing times will always yield art with a longer lasting impact. Take for example, one of my favorite Photographers, Stephen Shore. I often marvel at his past works, due to his unparalleled use of color film and the easy acceptance of his name, when typed into a search engine. I find myself returning to his images years later, to recall an era of America that Americans forgot to see. Shore’s photographs depict content close to home, with what he refers to as “a heightened sense of awareness,” which is clearly evident in his images. Be in the moment, harness that awareness and create.
A**holes Are Everywhere
Get used to it. If I sound like someone who harkens back to the days of Andy Griffith, then so be it. Although not my style of entertainment, at least the guy could act. Even his sidekick Barney possessed a skill of keeping an extremely tipped hat from falling off his head, for a whopping 249 episodes.
Throughout my creative journey, I’ve grown to recognize and appreciate works of substance that symbolize a discrete moment or expression, in the totality of the human experience. Whether it be a car, a cup or a computer, everything we experience is the creation of something, created by someone. As the human race moves farther away from the source, raw creativity, wholeness, and inspiration, art suffers and in turn, humanity suffers as well. It falls to creatives, to balance the scales by being good creators and good people, so go out and create!
