Most of us learned early how to behave, how to blend in and do what we were told, but art-making and creativity is no place for obedience, most especially when the voices asking us to play nice are the ones on the inside, telling us to play nice and maintain the status quo. Rebellion for the sake of rebellion isn’t …
HUNGER > TALENT
It’s easy to look at the creative life and chalk it all up to a matter of talent, but the most wildly creative and productive people have something better: hunger. Let’s talk about it. Listen now by playing the video below, or keep reading for a downloadable audio file or a transcript. This episode just over 14 minutes. I’ve decided …
Mud-Wrestling the Muse
You are only as good as your camera, and your ability to use it. That’s the prevailing idea of the popular photography world. You see it in the ads, you see it on the discussions online, it’s implied in every camera review. But if that were true, wouldn’t we all be so much better now? Our cameras have never been …
The Fear and the Hunger
The life of the photographer, or any artist, really, can be an emotional ride. It should be. We’re emotional beings, and if the struggle doesn’t make you want to laugh or cry, or both, on any given day, you probably need to check your pulse. I wrote this for the latest episode of Vision is Better but I know many …
Courage & Gratitude
I woke up this morning, too early thanks to jet-lag, to find Victoria lying under a rare blanket of snow and silence. We got home about 36 hours ago, a day late thanks to fog in Lisbon where we spent a week in driving rain while I tried unsuccessfully to fight a cold. Yesterday I spent the day packing gear …
Stoke the Fire
Sometimes you lose the fire. Sometimes, after years of loving something, you can’t find the spark. I’ve had a couple photographers recently tell me they’ve lost it, that they awoke one morning to find their groove had become a rut and they felt trapped and directionless. It happens. And sometimes the answer is just pick up the camera, get out …
F/ The Rules
Several years ago, we were enjoying a lively dinner in Oaxaca, Mexico during the Day of the Dead festivals, a small group of us together on a workshop, when the table across from us got up, all of them photographers, all of them hung heavily with gear. They fumbled with their stuff, excited to get out to make photographs in …
Tell Me a Story
I just finished reading a book about the power of story. Another one. I keep coming back to this topic because I can’t escape the feeling that photographers are missing something. Sure, we acknowledge that some of the best photographs tell, or imply, a story. But it usually ends there. I think we can do better. The book, The Storytelling …
Now and Then
Tomorrow I’m speaking to a group of creative directors for one of Canada’s most recognized ad agencies. But as I write this I’m still going over my thoughts for the presentation. I don’t have much to contribute to a conversation about the How of creativity at this level, so I’m going to tell stories, and ask some questions. The stories …
On Wanting More.
Two thoughts came together in my head this morning. I talk a lot lately about living and telling a great story. But where do you begin to live a great story? I know how to answer that question for myself, but until this morning had no idea what to suggest as a starting point for others. That’s where the collision …