I believe everyone is creative. It may be hard for some of us to think of ourselves as creative if we don’t have a specific artistic talent, but I believe that creativity goes well beyond just that. Humans are inherently creative and we are all born with a brain capable of great creativity.
When we experience a creative moment, it activates our brain’s reward centre. The more we experience creativity, the more our brain is rewarded. Some people are more in tune with this reward centre and in turn pursue creativity more actively in their lives. For these people, it can result in the development of more artistic skills.
However, this doesn’t mean that those are the only people who are capable of great creativity. We all have that potential, and we uncover our creative abilities by being curious and open to it.
Everyone is creative, but we all experience it in different ways.
I’m really passionate about sharing my love of a creative life with others and encouraging those who feel less “creative” to uncover their inner artistic self. Photography, I believe, is one of the best mediums with which to pursue our creative abilities because it’s so accessible, easy and convenient. You don’t need a fancy DSLR camera or expensive lenses to create an artistic image. Your phone camera is all that’s needed!
In fact, people who uncover their creativity the most are those who are constrained by their equipment. Being limited to a point-and-shoot camera with little to no manual control is a good thing. It means that we are forced to use creative solutions and innovative ideas to capture a good photo. We can’t rely on a fancy camera to do all the work for us, so we resort to the basics of good image creation:
☀️ lighting
🖼️ composition
🌈 colour
🥲 heart & emotion.
It’s not all about the gear.
As a professional photographer, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had someone come up to me at a shoot and ask me what kind of camera I have. When they see how big and expensive my camera and lens are they immediately say: “Oh wow, your photos must be so good!”. They automatically assume that my photos will be better because of my gear.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
If you see a pro basketball player with incredible talent, you wouldn’t go up to them and ask if their fancy shoes are what makes them so great at the game.
It’s the same with photographers – the best images are created because of a person’s attention to light, composition and emotion. Only about 2% can be credited to the fancy camera.
One of my favourite photographers said it best:
“To photograph: it is to put on the same line of sight the head, the eye and the heart.”
– Henri Cartier-Bresson
He said this almost 100 years ago. And it still holds true today.
Good photography – good image creation – is all about using the head, the eye and the heart. If you have all three of those plus a phone camera, you have everything you would ever need. Don’t focus entirely on your gear or the technical skills.
Now that you’re inspired, here are your next actionable steps towards pursuing a more creative way of life and enhancing your creative expression:
- Engage with art and media that resonate with you. Take time to engage in activities that inspire you and spark your imagination. This will help expand your visual vocabulary and inspire new ideas.
- Link what you see with how you feel. When taking photos, pay attention to your emotions and connect them to the visual elements you are working with. This will add more depth and feeling to your images.
- Practice mindfulness: before taking photos, take a moment to centre yourself and focus on the present. This will help you create images with intention and purpose, which is crucial.
- Trust that you are creative, regardless of how you feel about that. Don’t be afraid to follow your intuition and trust your instincts. By doing this, you will develop your unique style as an artist, and this is what will set you apart from other creators.
By following these steps, you’ll be able to enhance your creativity and emotional connectivity in every photo you take. Always nurture your creativity, connect what you see with what you feel, stay present in the moment and trust your intuition. The rest will flow naturally!
