What is creativity? Where it comes from? What do I need to do to become more creative? These questions are constantly asked. They are important and it is good that they are being discussed.
I think creativity is a product of intelligence. I do not think a creative act can be produced by mediocre people, with minor incidental exceptions. Creativity is a product of desire, thought, experience, experimentation and inner conviction. Taken together these five qualities involve intelligence and commitment.
We will take every one of them, although they are so closely related to each other, that it is often difficult to separate them in a satisfactory way.
- WISH
It is hard to imagine that creativity happens without a pre-existing desire. The person seeking creativity sees possibilities that others tend to miss. Desire must be an active one, accompanied by actions that accomplish the goal. I do not believe in the “bedtime” approach when you want to be creative. Creativity is something you have to follow, so it will not come to you.
Creativity implies to be original, to do something new, something that has not been done, therefore it involves difficulties. Few things can be done without an active desire to succeed. Creative photography can be made in advance with the subject in question that has been photographed by others, or a subject that has not been photographed, or at least not so. This may involve any aspect of field work, processing methods, presentation methods, and any other variables. Desire must be accompanied by the following element, namely thinking; without thinking and planning the desire is just as useless.
- THINKING
One of the biggest differences between creative photos and less creative, or occasional photos is thinking that accompanies all aspects of the photographic process.
Each of the many aspects of the photo can change the final image. By chance, a happy accident can produce unexpected results even for a fool, but the fool will not recognize the unexpected originality. Only intelligent individual thinking will do so.
Most often, creativity is based on thoughtful thinking, reasoning, planning and execution, unexpected happenings can be part of the process, but after the initial surprise the effect can be incorporated into future planning in a more controlled manner. This requires thinking, intelligence and understanding, as well as some background knowledge about photography. You do not have to be a good photohistorist, but you should know something about the history of photography. There are a few benefits in your work on the idea of ”original” just to discover that it has been done in the past, except to refine and improve the techniques and techniques used. Moreover, knowing the history of photography can be a ramp for launching new ideas and real creativity.
Thinking also implies the ability to distinguish real creativity from imaginary creativity. Meanwhile any instant you realize tomorrow has never existed and can therefore be considered as original in a deeper, artistic sense that certainly has existed many times before. To do this requires a verification that truly testifies that it has never been done before, and you also need a good personal perspective.
- EXPERIENCE
This may turn out to be a two-edged sword. Experience can and should free you from focusing on the trivial mechanical aspects of the photographic process and allows you to focus more on new concepts, techniques and approaches.
Experience will tell you what to expect from most of the things you have done in the past and free you from the concerns of the basics.
However, too often, the experience tends to block you in regularly proven habits and techniques that stifle your creative potential.
- EXPERIMENTATION
Except for a happy accident, the originality does not come without experimentation. Nothing new comes from standard viewing modes or standard ways to use familiar materials. Keep in mind that experimentation is at risk of failure and most experiments encounter a closed road. You have to be willing to try and fail, then try and fail again, and again, and again. This can be frustrating, time consuming and costly, but it can also be a very rewarding reward when the experiment yields positive results. Experimentation can be random or targeted. You can work to improve the weaknesses in existing work or to expand new horizons. It can take a variety of forms. Even if everything looks good, it’s important to test new concepts, new combinations and new approaches simply to avoid stagnation and recharge your own batteries.
- INNER CONVICTION
Inner conviction means how to express your opinion as you see it and how you want others to see it too. Many photographers take pictures of where others have done this before, but a new vision marks the attempt. Just as each of us has different opinions on any subject, we also see things differently in the photo.
If you feel that your vision even in the most ordinary things is unique, then express it by photographing. This also requires you to do what you want to do, even if the value of work is not immediately recognized by others. That does not mean to follow the trends of the moment, public demands or criticism. It means to be yourself and to follow your inner motives. That means having a sense of purpose and pursuing it with an honest approach. Creativity can be cultivated if it cannot be taught. You have to try to do new and different things, to force yourself, but without putting too much pressure on yourself. There is a difference, a huge difference. There are rare moments when someone can be creative when working under pressure.
Creative photography requires intelligence, flexibility, time and effort. Given these qualities, it can not only be achieved but also improved. Creativity is often the process of combining two variables in a way that has never been tried before, or even combining them with more success than ever before. Unique conditions can make a combination to be exceptional, although the same combination may prove to be useless under other conditions.
Cosmin STAN Photography 