Exploring Other Art Forms

It’s interesting thinking about the ways in which I explore my own creativity. As a child, I was a dancer and thought that would be my career. I never made my way to New York and I find myself searching for other mediums to express myself. B.P. (before photography), my mode of expression was through physical activity. That makes sense given my main art form was using my body as an instrument. Ego got in the way and I became too easily attached to performance and results. A.P. (after photography), I found other ways to express myself. Photography is and will probably always be the second love of my creative life, but others have become a part of my periphery. Writing, watercolor and all forms of painting, baking, and even makeup are ways that I tap into my creative force. It’s the piece of me that allows me to stop my mind and fully move into this place of unknowing. It’s a way to stay connected to my higher self. 

Elements of Design

No matter the medium, all of the techniques that help convey a story using artistry are the same. Photography, painting, illustration all use similar design elements such as composition, light and shadows, color, and more. The practice of putting together an image, no matter how you do it, helps you grow as an artist. Just as I have studied the work of other photographers in the hopes of learning more about contrast and light, studying the work of painters helps in that same way. In fact, even applying makeup uses the same principles of light and shadows! The point being, practice makes perfect and the practice of putting together stories using images is important. 

The Creative Process

Where I begin to lose my playfulness and spontaneity is in my pursuit of learning technique. There is this organized, masculine way of learning technique because there is a rigidity present. Maybe I am the one that creates the rigidity, hello enneagram 7. It’s an important part of growing because in order to explore freedom in our creative expression, it helps to know what the possibilities are within that modality. I have to know how to take a double exposure if I want to take a double exposure. Even further than that, I have to know that it’s possible to take a double exposure. Where it becomes a challenge is in my seeking for perfection and validation from others. When I share an image, I find myself waiting for someone to say “this is amazing”. Truth be told, even if that happens, I can quickly dismiss it because accepting praise even when seeking it is complicated. 

Other art forms allow me to create really bad art without worrying about me being a bad artist. There is no pressure and I have more permission to play. Maybe that will be part of my evolution as a photographer. Maybe I study and become very serious, see how terrible that is, and go back to playing. I appreciate my children’s disinterest in perfection. When they paint, there is no research. There aren’t moments lost scrolling Pinterest to find imagery for their piece. They sit down and paint. Perhaps the ultimate learning comes from exploration and we’ve made it so much more complicated than it has to be, or perhaps this is exactly how an artist grows and I am transitioning to a different phase. Generally, the best assumption should be that I am exactly where I need to be. 

Creativity feels like such an important piece of my personality. I can quickly get lost in the tasks of the day, so even 10 minutes of drawing allows me to be free from the expectations of my role as a mother, wife, homeschooling mom, etc. Allowing myself the space to explore the things that excite me, even if I never make any money with them, helps me keep my creative practice going.