This is Tess Pierson, Art Aligned guest blogger, and I’d like to tell you a story.
One of my sisters, let’s call her Sally, and I were attending the same meeting—rather a formal one. She walked in just before it started and took the seat next to mine. I glanced over at her and was horrified. Horrified! I thought ‘oh no, she’s forgotten to put on her skirt—she only has a slip on, OMG she’s going to be so embarrassed when she realizes!’ And then my eyes got all darty. No, no, dear reader, please cast your mind back. In the mid 90’s we had a short lived fad that included short skirts made out of some flimsy silky stuff with a lace edge around the bottom hem, i.e. a skirt that looked precisely like a slip one would wear under a skirt prior to that summer. And yes indeed Geor—I mean Sally!—was wearing one of those things! In broad daylight! A slip skirt!
Turns out she had indeed remembered to put her skirt on.
And let’s spend a moment with jeans. I am short and rather round, and the jeans that I wore for the last decade are the Calvin Klein boot cut medium rise. They look fantastic on me, balancing out the larger middle area with the boot cut at the bottom, and with the medium rise, well, I am short-waisted, so it was a match made for my body. Something happened about two years ago: a new style of jean made its debut. Gone was the boot cut from the stores—gone was the medium rise. Now it’s the skinny jean cut super tight along the leg, making the middle section look even bigger in contrast, and the low rise along with it. It looks terrible on most female bodies. And I see them everywhere. And lest you think I’m above all of this, honestly, don’t kid yourself. I have a pair of skinny jeans, low rise. And I knew before I purchased them that they weren’t for me, but I just had to see for myself how awful it was. It was awful. They lay in a drawer these days, taunting me about self-control. Yes, self-control, because if I had any, I would get rid of 40 pounds so I could wear them. Sigh. And here’s another thing I’ve discovered about fashion that doesn’t suit me: I’m keeping them because if I get rid of them, does that mean I’ve given up ever being skinny again???? I am not even the millionth woman that has asked herself that ridiculous question, and then kept something completely unsuited to her. We have to have dreams after all. Jeez.
What on earth does this have to do with photography you ask? This week we discussed style at Art Aligned, the style of photography that each shooter must settle on for her work. And it’s kind of tricky, just like fashion. Easy to make choices that don’t personally suit us, or are fads. There is all kinds of ‘you absolutely must do this’ and ‘don’t ever ever ever do that’ advice from the photography world at large. Kate went in and clarified and went on to make some more interesting points about style, and how to develop your own.
First, style is not subject matter. Rather, it’s about my vision. My vision for my work, and bringing it to life. And how I bring my vision to life is my style. Hmm.
Next was don’t run around looking at other people’s work in order to copy it. Be careful with blog stalking as your mind will get filled up with what others are doing and then your good ideas and inspiration are gone, poof.
I’ve been shooting for around 4+ years now, so I’m pretty new at this. And yes of course I have looked at what other photographers in my industry are doing and copied them. Not a specific picture, rather, a post processing technique and poses. Do you remember spot color? About 5 years ago? The B+W with a punch of color in one part of the image? I was in, baby. It was enchanting. For some reason, new seems to equal fascination for a time. I temporarily lost my mind. I LOVED that stuff. It was new and fresh and so surprising. I mean, I was expecting just B+W, but I got this jolt of unexpected color too! As a bonus! Wow! I cannot believe it when I go back to those old photos and I have done spot color on some of them! Quite awful. So yes, I too have fallen for the fad of the moment. And boy was it hot. Ever notice how those things seem to be connected to a new something or other that Photoshop can now do? It’s not photography really, it’s editing. Editing I tell you. Well, enough reminiscing. Let’s get back to style.
Timeless or ephemeral? Only you can decide for your work… (c) Meagan via Flickr
Style can be understood a little better by asking how questions: How can I bring my vision to life through my choices of medium, composition, lighting, equipment? Or, how am I going to express my vision so that others can understand what it is?
And then lastly, on to motivation, as in what is my motivation for shooting? What is my belief about my environment? What do I think about family? Trees? Animals? And what do I want to shoot that is connected to that motivation?
Saturated colors… part of your style or a passing fancy? (c) AQ Photography via Flickr
Style is indeed a tricky thing. One person’s style is another person’s humor or shock or dismay. All sorts of styles, all sorts of fads and trends surround us constantly and are as ephemeral as the summer. Fellow photographer Misha Gordin warned about influence when he said, ‘be careful when choosing your teacher. If you have real talent, you might not need one.’ Now, yes I believe I have talent; otherwise I would not be in this field. At the same time, however, I do need teachers to help me grow beyond my own limits, my own ideas, my own small world. So the balancing act of seeking out inspiration and at the same time keeping myself and developing my vision continues. Like I said, it can be tricky.
Textures: trend or timeless? (c) Sean McGrath via Flickr
Extreme retouching: Here today, gone tomorrow, or the new way of the world? (c) Tucia via Flickr
Let’s go back to jeans. I love my midrise boot cut Calvins. I love how they fit and how I can move in them and my butt doesn’t fall out, I love the dark wash, I love the length, I love love love them. They are comfortable, they fit my lifestyle, they look good on my butt, I can wear them for most any occasion I am likely to stumble over, the front pockets are nice and deep, and they have a coin pocket for CF cards. In short, they are perfect for me. I went through many many many types and cuts and lengths and makers of jeans, for years, before settling on those Calvins. Right now I am doing the same thing with my photography style. I am trying on everything to see if it fits, if I like it, if it suits my lifestyle and my personality, is it how I think, do I sigh with relief when I finally get to do that? I know what to look for in a pair of jeans. I narrowed it down over the years. And now I am doing the same with my shooting: noticing things and narrowing it down. I’ll let you know when I have the perfect match, with deep front pockets and a coin pocket for CF cards.
Bootcut, trouser or skinny: What’s your style?
[Editor’s Note: Thanks for sharing your take on this week’s topic, Tess. But just say no to the skinny jeans! I too lack the form for them, and I absolutely refuse to participate. Boot cut or bust! :-)]
I’ve been holding onto this post for a while because I just wasn’t sure I was comfortable posting it. My friend Cassandra says that the posts you’re most uncomfortable with are the ones you most need to share, so I’ve decided to go Eminem-in-8-Mile-style and share some dirty laundry…
It all started when I was approaching photographers to participate in my by-invitation workshop. I got some push back. A few folks asked to see my work or wanted me to explain my style, I guess as proof that I knew what I was talking about in terms of stylistic development and/or clarity of vision. Well, here’s the deal: I have no work to show because I don’t shoot. I’m blocked creatively and have been for over a year. There, I said it.
Holga inspiration by Vick the Viking (via Flickr)
Yes, I am physically capable of picking up a camera and shooting, but I’m not in the zone and my results don’t speak to me. I’ve tried to unblock through lomography with a Holga and an ancient SX-70 but, most of the time, I don’t even pick up my gear. That is a major component of why I’m so dedicated to helping others avoid a similar fate.
Where I am sucks. It’s confusing and bewildering. I want to produce work that I’m proud of, that I like, but I just…can’t.
I can, however, help others. I clearly see the strengths and needs of people I’m working with, and I’m loving helping them.
Writing this reminds me of my recent conversation with Maria Ross. Near the end of our interview, we were discussing the value of consultants and mentors, and she said:
“It’s always hard to do it for yourself. I think that’s why it’s good to get an objective eye. I can look at someone else’s business and think of the five million things they should be doing, but when it comes to you, you know your business so well and you know what you’re trying to say, that sometimes it’s good to get that objective help.”
Thank you, Maria, I couldn’t agree more. A similar discussion came up when I talked with Jessica Swift.
So, there you have it. Sometimes we can’t do it all ourselves. Sometimes a collaborator or mentor can help to push us out of our rut or beyond our comfort zone in a positive way.
In that vein, while I am working on ways to reinvigorate my own creativity, I also recently found a photographic mentor to help. He knows that I’m stuck, and goal number one is to get unstuck. Goal two will be to determine whether I want to return to client work, pursue independent projects or do nothing more than acknowledge and express gratitude for getting back in the zone. I’ll keep you posted… although I still contend that this blog is not about my photography. It’s about yours.
So, how are you doing? Any questions, thoughts, fears, failures or successes to share about your photography or business? Share on, friends. You can even do it anonymously. 😉
A personal breakthrough » KateWatson.net-[…] more than a year. Well, I am happy to report that something has shifted. Maybe it was a result of sharing my truth. Maybe it was the perfect combination of time and subject. Regardless, I felt an incredibly strong […]
Art Aligned™ » Blog Archive » Thanks Giving-[…] were available, like, immediately. She said, “Sure, come on by!” and, as a result, my photographic recovery progressed one more step. Photographing Corinne and Phippslette (baby girl) gave me the […]
Art Aligned™ » Blog Archive » A personal breakthrough-[…] more than a year. Well, I am happy to report that something has shifted. Maybe it was a result of sharing my truth. Maybe it was the perfect combination of time and subject. Regardless, I felt an incredibly strong […]
Cassandra Kinaviaq Rae-Aw I’m so proud of you for sharing your story! The thing that strikes me the most is how beautiful your stuckness is. We often think that uncomfortable experiences are “bad” and that we should always be moving along swiftly towards our goals. But, what if our heart wants something different for us? and what if it’s buried beneath a whole bunch of “shoulds” and “have to’s”? I admire you for delving into your stuckness, Kate. And maybe even Art Aligned was born out of it?!
Kate Watson -Hi Bettie: It’s funny. Now that everything’s out there, it’s even more clear to me that my ability to pick up a camera is unrelated to my ability to consult and to help others. They’re totally different skill sets, aren’t they?! Whether or not I return to photography, I’ll always be the person who designed and developed this program. Thank you for your support!
Bettie-There is something very empowering about saying the words out loud, or writing them and sharing them with whoever (whomever?) might be reading them. I hope that you find that this is the first step towards becoming unstuck. Thank you for being brave enough to post this and for being so enormously helpful in my quest to find my own voice.
Do you haunt the websites of other photographers, seeking new ideas, fresh perspectives or even visual inspiration? When was the last time you did so? Today? Last week?
Yeah, I’ve done it, too. But there are major downsides. The biggest, which Jessica Swift mentioned in our recent interview, is:
“I can’t look at other people’s work…because that will influence the way that I work and also just make me doubt my own work…and that stifles everything. There’s so much amazing work online everywhere that you can click on one link and it leads to another amazing link, and then all of a sudden, I think I suck.”
Yikes! Talk about demotivating. You think you’re going online for inspiration and instead come away feeling bad about yourself. And then there’s another risk: How the work of other photographers’ will influence yours.
Sure you want to be in the know and incorporate the latest trends — it’s just keeping up with the industry, right? Wrong. You can’t be Jasmine Star or Jesh de Rox, so turning to them doesn’t serve you. How well do their ideas match your true vision and style anyway? If you specialize in creating whimsical work, for example, utilizing a pose or session idea from an edgier artist could muddy your own unique style and brand.
Even worse, trying out ideas from a variety of artists creates a confusing visual identity. You won’t have a differentiated style, and your work will be indiscernible among the myriad photographers out there.
It’s natural to seek inspiration. Everyone needs to feed their creative juices. But, please, look outside the field. Look at fashion, look at contemporary art, look at the fathers of photography, really anything other than your competition or industry insiders.
Think work outside your field isn’t relevant? Well, take a look at the three images below. All are paintings from the 19th century and yet, with a little costume modification, they could have been produced yesterday:
After the Pose by Sven Richard Bergh, 1884. Reminiscent of a wedding getting-ready shot, isn’t it?
Breakfast in Bed by Mary Cassat, 1897. Moms, ever had a morning like this?
Summer Evening on Skagen’s Beach by Peder Severin Kroyer, 1899. Engagement session, anyone?
When you’re looking for inspiration within your industry, it may seem like you’re staying in the know and on top of trends, but you’re really helping to create a lookalike industry, one in which photographers are commodities and clients choose among us based on price. So, next time you need a creative jolt or dose of inspiration, why not try one of the following instead:
Go for a run, walk or bike ride. Enjoy your surroundings. Get lost.
Play with your spouse, kids or pets. Pick something new to try together.
Hang out at a cafe and watch people. Who are they? Where are they going?
Go on a picnic. Invite your favorite people or just take yourself and a blank notebook.
Visit your happy place and soak up the atmosphere. Relax and just be.
Listen to your favorite album. Bonus points for dancing along.
Bake or cook something. Try a new recipe or genre.
Explore a new art form. Visit the pottery painting studio or sign up for a jewelry making class.
Visit an art gallery or museum.
Meditate or practice yoga.
Write out some ideas for your perfect day, and then go do one of them.
Host an artists pot luck/working party: Invite your favorite creative folks over to work on their individual projects, all together in one room.
Anything else you’d like to add? Feel free to do so in the comments below.
Wishing you a day filled with your brand of inspiration,
Kate Watson -Hi Sandra: Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind words. Best wishes on your new venture!
Sandra Coshan-Thank you so much for writing this! I have just started up my website and am still formulating ideas for posts. I came across this blog which was full of well written information and then I started to doubt myself. I believe that I was led here so that I could stop thinking that way immediately! There are no coincidences! Thanks again! xx
Kate Watson -Thanks for the comment, Ariane! Yes, journaling is a great tool and one I use, also.
Ariane-You hit the mark Kate! I smiled to myself while reading this. It is so easy to get caught up blog stalking others work while your own creativity suffers. Sometimes we are unaware how much we are hurting ourselves by doing this. Thanks for pointing this out. In a world where photographers are inspired by each others work it’s easy to begin mimic what you’ve already seen.
Great tips on looking outside of the field for inspiration. Your image selection was amazing!
One thing I find helps fuel my creativity is through my daily journaling. That way when ideas come to me I can write them down as something to try.
Great post; thanks for sharing!
Kate Watson -Hi Cassandra: Yes, I think we all need this message sometimes, whether we’re photographers, artists, coaches or any other small business owner. There are a lot of amazing things being done in the world, and it can be easy to lose focus amidst all the noise.
Cassandra Kinaviaq Rae-Wow. What a fabulous message, Kate, and a great reminder for me. It’s so easy to search outside of me for the answers that are patiently waiting within.
Editor’s Note: Tess, our guest blogger, is back! Enjoy her latest post below.
Kate introduced the related topics of self-motivation and overcoming resistance this week.
Both are critical to the ability to take action. Big topics.
She said something that got my attention right away: In order to accomplish our goals, we need to believe what we want is possible, that what we believe is true—because we only take actions on what we believe. That beliefs are the deciding factor in what happens to us, what we choose—that in fact they have more of an impact on our success or failure than the situations or obstacles we face. That people who fail tend to focus on things that are outside of their control, rather than on the things they can actually do something about.
Stop a minute and think about this with me. The power is mine, yours, ours. We get so busy in life, in the day to day, so distracted, that we start to believe we don’t have time to think or time to act, and we merely react to whatever happens to be going on around us at any given moment in time. What is the result? All of the sudden we are powerless faceless creatures just reacting away our time, our days, our years. And it’s because we started to believe something without really thinking it through. And that is pure nonsense really. Change your mind; open it back up to possibility and action and choice. Take a look at where you are on automatic pilot in your life—and what you believed to get yourself there, what you were too busy to think about. Changing a belief can be as simple as becoming aware of it and deciding what you want to replace it with.
Photographic inspiration by Zack Dischner via Flickr
Next, we arrived at resistance, a word that always reminds me of the Borg. Kate introduced us to a technique that psychotherapist Eugene Gendlin calls focusing. According to Wikipedia, ‘focusing is used to refer to the simple matter of holding a kind of open, non-judging attention to something which is directly experienced but is not yet in words. Focusing can be used to get clear on what one feels or wants.’ She used simple sentences to open up our brains to two differing parts within us, and get the opinions each had out on paper. Deceptively simple. The two parts were the part that wants to take action, and the part that doesn’t want to take action, and the dialogue they shared was extraordinary and completely unexpected! These two parts are alive and well and quite strong, are at a very specific place in my body, and one of them truly despises the other.
I will confess right now: I am sort of a self-help junkie, and this was quite a shock. Ask anyone who knows me. I take making my mind better and understanding myself to a whole new place, which, yes, sometimes does indeed make my husband positively crazy. I thought I knew what was going on inside, for the most part. I thought I was (mostly) done. Well, the battle that is going on inside me—for truth and understanding! acceptance and love!—is far from over people.
Breaking it down, the first part was the part that wants to take action on a specific thing, and the second part was the part that doesn’t want to take action on that specific thing. The first was a bratty, condescending, judgmental, rude pill. The second part was quiet, calm, focused, matter of fact, and dare I say, rational? Now I rather pride myself on being courteous and kind and at the very least trying to be patient—and it’s quite unlike me to be aggressive or rude or flip someone off violently, yet this is how the first moving-ahead-now part was talking to the no, no, no, wait, wait, stop part. Surprised doesn’t really begin to describe it. By listening to the reasons of the resistant part of me, whose reasons, it turns out, were quite reasonable (say this ten times fast), I saw for the very first time the reason for my resistance and it was a good sound one!
This call was extraordinary. Asking each side to speak up and tell me what it was thinking and feeling while I wrote it down was quite illuminating. I no longer feel the pressure to listen to that pushy little beast. I told her to shut up and hold on. And to try using a little courtesy for a change. The controversy inside my gut has subsided into an easier and more workable relationship. The news that the resistant part inside of me has a great and valid point was unexpected and wonderful and a whole new perspective. The fact that I see the part that wants to move ahead at a breakneck speed as reckless and careless is new, too. Two new views that lead to two new insights into myself and into my personality as a business owner and manager. I will be using Eugene Gendlin’s focusing technique again and again. Another quite useful tool in my toolkit. Thanks Kate.
Recently, I spoke with Jessica Swift, a full-time artist living in Atlanta, GA (Now Portland, OR). Jessica paints and issues prints; licenses and sells surface patterns to other companies (think scrapbooking supplies, notebooks and fabric lines); teaches an online course; works with clients on private painting, illustration and design commissions; and she is now embarking on her first foray into manufacturing, with a line of patterned rain boots. As you can see, she is one busy gal, which is exactly why I wanted to talk to her.
How does Jessica do all of the above and remain true to her personal aesthetic? Here’s what she said:
“I work a lot. I work pretty much from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed most days. That’s the only way I can keep track of everything at this point…
I just create a lot of work and I create what I want to create without trying to fit it into something I feel like I’m supposed to be fitting myself into, and I’ve learned to trust that. I think my color sense is what ties my work together for the most part, and I know that’s never going to change. If I branch out from what I’m doing now and go in different directions, hopefully that will be the common thread between everything.”
I think it will. I know of no one with Jessica’s amazing color sense, a fact she capitalizes on with her business tagline: Live Color to the Max. Check out some of her illustrations below:
And here are some of Jessica’s surface patterns (coming soon to a rain boot near you?):
Jessica and I riffed for 45 minutes on art, business, style and income diversification. In the clip below, she talks about staying inspired:
Here Jessica talks about the message she wants to share with the world:
Next Jessica talks about how to create a successful arts business through diversification:
There are a lot of great takeaways here for artists and creative entrepreneurs, including:
“I’ve discovered I can’t look at other people’s work very much because that will influence the way that I work and also just make me doubt my own work…and that stifles everything.”
“I feel like the message I put out there through my work is often a message I need to hear for myself, so it’s almost like I’m talking to myself first through my work and thankfully other people are latching onto that message, too, and getting something out of it.”
“Feel the fear and do it anyway.”
And here we talk about Jessica’s exciting rain boot project, and the worries and doubts all entrepreneurs feel on occasion:
The project is already fully funded — and has been for a week! — but more money means more patterns, so if you love what she’s doing, head on over and donate today! You can contribute as little as $1, and Jessica has just announced that all supporters will be entered in a drawing for one free pair of boots. Too cool!
If you’re an artist interested in bringing your own products to life, check out Blosma. Jessica is working with president and founder Mark Pound on her project.
Kate Watson -Barbra & Kristin: Welcome to the blog! Thanks so much for stopping by and saying hi.
Jessica: It was such a pleasure talking with you! Thank you for all that you do to help other creatives, and I’m so excited for your rain boots!
jessica swift-Kate, thank you again SO much for interviewing me! I had a lot of fun talking to you, and I appreciate the time you took to put this together and to help me spread the word about my project. And Barbra & Kristin: thank you! Every little thing I can do to help inspire other artists and creative people be a little more positive is part of my mission! I’m glad to hear it’s working. 🙂
Kristin Glenn-Love Jessica AND Barbra! Both awesome artists. We recently featured Jessica in a mini-interview on our blog as well – the girl’s got some sound advice and it’s always great to hear other people talk about struggles and overcoming them in the arts industry. Thanks so much for sharing this, Kate!
A personal breakthrough » KateWatson.net - […] more than a year. Well, I am happy to report that something has shifted. Maybe it was a result of sharing my truth. Maybe it was the perfect combination of time and subject. Regardless, I felt an incredibly strong […]
Art Aligned™ » Blog Archive » Thanks Giving - […] were available, like, immediately. She said, “Sure, come on by!” and, as a result, my photographic recovery progressed one more step. Photographing Corinne and Phippslette (baby girl) gave me the […]
Art Aligned™ » Blog Archive » A personal breakthrough - […] more than a year. Well, I am happy to report that something has shifted. Maybe it was a result of sharing my truth. Maybe it was the perfect combination of time and subject. Regardless, I felt an incredibly strong […]
Cassandra Kinaviaq Rae - Aw I’m so proud of you for sharing your story! The thing that strikes me the most is how beautiful your stuckness is. We often think that uncomfortable experiences are “bad” and that we should always be moving along swiftly towards our goals. But, what if our heart wants something different for us? and what if it’s buried beneath a whole bunch of “shoulds” and “have to’s”? I admire you for delving into your stuckness, Kate. And maybe even Art Aligned was born out of it?!
Kate Watson - Hi Bettie: It’s funny. Now that everything’s out there, it’s even more clear to me that my ability to pick up a camera is unrelated to my ability to consult and to help others. They’re totally different skill sets, aren’t they?! Whether or not I return to photography, I’ll always be the person who designed and developed this program. Thank you for your support!
Bettie - There is something very empowering about saying the words out loud, or writing them and sharing them with whoever (whomever?) might be reading them. I hope that you find that this is the first step towards becoming unstuck. Thank you for being brave enough to post this and for being so enormously helpful in my quest to find my own voice.