A quiet life stimulates the creative mind
terry hewlett arps
PWadademy - photographyworkshops
It was Aristotle who said:
"Whosoever is delighted in solitude, is either a wild beast or a god"
Modern life is like driving in the fast lane,
requiring total concentration, with reverse gear kicking in the evening, we are
constantly responding to text or email messages, reviewing the Facebook page to
see how others are filling their time. In Britain we work fewer hours than our
European counterparts however work longer hours, with the pace of life made
faster by electronic media, where response times are measured in minutes or
even seconds.
It was Albert Einstein who said “The monotony and
solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind” For me that is where
landscape photography provides the pressure release valve, allowing time to
reflect and seek solace in your own time, spending hours contemplating, waiting for the light to be just right, discovering life at nature’s pace and
offering a sanctuary from the weight of contemporary living; a chance to slow
down, a reminder of the good things in life.
There will be times as a photographer when the
creative juices just seem to disappear and you become devoid on any
inspirational ideas, that when you need to down tools and take a long walk, or
as I suggest delve into another genre of photography such as landscapes. The
process of daydreaming allows your thoughts to bounce around and helps you are
able to start thinking outside the box and visualize new concepts and ideas.
One way this can be achieved is to get up and go for a long walk, emptying your
mind of all the issues surrounding daily life, take the phone by all means but
switch it off.
Why not combine this long walk, to a destination
you love, with some photography, set the tripod down, sit down and explore the
landscape around you, this will serve several purposes, firstly it will help
take your mind in another direction and secondly help expand your photography
experience by shooting something different.
A busy mind is an overloaded mind and it will be
difficult to focus on any single issue, even with multitasking, resulting in
the loss of concentration. You need to let the mind wander aimlessly, to do
this you need to find somewhere that is quiet and has few distractions and
there is nothing more relaxing than lying back in the heather watching the Red
Kites soaring way above you, or the clouds just floating by, allowing your mind
to take you to another world.
Creative visualization is nothing new, you use it
every day, it’s a creative energy that you use all the time, it’s your
imagination, the process of opening your mind and being receptive to new ideas.
Set a goal, something you want to achieve or
work towards, a new project you have in mind, go for a walk, take a compact
camera, not the DSLR, make it something that is easy to achieve.
Create the mental picture for your idea,
or if you have none then allow the mind to surf randomly, flitting from place to
place, let it run free no matter how obscure and wild it may become, this is
the process of changing channels.
Allow yourself a few seconds on your current
project and then switch imaginary channels and think of something else.
Climbing a hill or mountain is a simple analogy for
developing creative thought, that in climbing that hill you are aiming for that
which you desire, to discover a new valley, a new landscape or stunning light,
as you get closer to the top, taking deep breaths or hanging on to branches for
support you begin to sense the anticipation of seeing what is over the top. You
are allowing your sub-conscious to take you on a journey. Just before you reach
the top take a moment to calm yourself, take a deep breath and take those few
steps to another creative world.
There are many techniques that will help you
unhinge the mental stagnation and allow your mind to explore new ideas and
themes, taking yourself away from your normal daily activities and immerse
yourself in the process of enhanced creativity.
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