Letting Go With Creativity

In a time where we are constantly being bombarded with imagery and information there are times when it seem as though are brains are not given permission to relax and disengage. While I am grateful that the information revolution has opened up options to creatives, at the same time I find the path absolutely overwhelming. And while “education” has become so free to access, there are only so many hours in the day to tack the endless task list. Don’t get me wrong, I love learning and evolving as a photographer, but anyone who is a working photographer knows that a large majority time spent is tending to all that need attention instead of actually being behind the camera. Then there is the ever present fear of “keeping up” with social media, changes in the market…the list is endless. At the end of the day this can easily become static in our minds and creative hearts. It’s so easy to get caught up in worrying about what everyone else is doing and losing sight of our own goals. Sure a little bit of “friendly competition” can be a positive driving force, but what if it isn’t? What do you do then to silence the inner critic for 10 minutes? For me, I have found tremendous value in stepping back, unplugging from work, social media and letting my brain wander and be…even just for a day or few hours. In the process of letting go of all of the things mentioned above, my brain and creative soul is able to open up and see things that I may otherwise miss. It is in these moments I feel most centered, at peace and feel like I am pursuing one of my many purposes in life. The images I am about to share came about from two different days when I “let go” and “opened up” to whatever was there to reveal itself to me. You may look at these images and think they are really interesting or you may think you are looking at a bunch of crap you and you could do better. Regardless of the case, that is not the point. What really matters is that all creatives, artists, visual communicators…whatever the case…must find a process that works for him or her. There is value in the process even when we aren’t creating our best work. If there is no process, this means we aren’t creating anything…be it our best work or our worst. It is only when we give ourselves permission to explore, make mistakes and fail do we find our true voice in our work. Sometimes we just need to let go…