[benjikan]

I Want You to
Tell Me about the Creative You

I am asking you to tell me about how you see yourself creatively, about what tools you use to express yourself, what your impressions are about the different modes of expression available, whether it be a camera, a pen, an instrument, a pattern or a menu. I would also appreciate you adding a link to an example of your work. If it is a menu for an exotic meal, why not. If it is music or lyrics or photos or films or a short story, it is all good!

Looking forward to your imput…

Ben

Benjamin Kanarek Blog Tell Me about the Creative You

Attached Images

 

[Ratmagiclady]

Now, *this* is a worthwhile subject for a photo site. Allow me to decompress a while. 8

[K McCall]

Interesting question! I look forward to seeing others' responses.

I didn't start my creative life as a photographer. I was a musician from the time I was really young. I studied piano for 13 years before going on to university for music. But while I was there, I realized that I'd never play Rachmaninoff, and really, what else is there for piano? (I say that only half in jest; no other musician sends shivers down my spine). But I never composed my own stuff, so while it was a form of expression, it was limited to the notes that someone else put on the page. Now all I do is listen.

I've done writing as well (I have a BA in English lit), but once again, it's more of the technical variety. I can write 100 pages on Graham Greene or Saul Bellow any day, but at some point I stopped writing creatively. So writing as a means of expression was out.

I came to photography via graphics arts - specifically, via a first-person-shooter video game. "Red Faction" allowed users to build levels that anyone could interact with, and within the gaming community there was a thriving graphics group. I jumped headlong into that and really enjoyed it. But it's easier to work with an existing image rather than create one from scratch, so I turned to photography.

And that's where I am today.

[causey]

My personal self can't create anything--it's busy doing things and worrying about them. To show some creativity, I must unearth my deepest self--which isn't really under my control--and let it manifest itself. So, no trace of creativity here. I'm still in the phase of finding the door to the seen and the unseen.

[Ash]

An inspiring thread. Thanks Ben.
No background in anything creative here, either. Everything scientific and analytical, so the technical stuff doesn't phase me too much. A touch of music thrown in also, but not much else.

Creativity is greatly limited to my compartmentalised, think-inside-the-box mindset, which I'm working hard at breaking outside of...

I too look forward to others' contributions here.

[figmental1978]

I began oil painting when I was 15 and with my portfolio (not school grades) I got into Visual Arts @ Uni. While at Uni I discovered CG and new media arts and stopped painting, instead embracing digital photography, multimedia and 3D animation. During this time I was also writing product reviews for a CG Magazine so after Uni I worked as an online web editor for a CG publishing company. After that I came to Japan for a career change and picked up photography as a hobby/obsession. While in Japan I've organized and participated in two exhibitions as well as photographing a few concerts.

I just finished a new photographic movie , check it out here.

[benjikan]

I began oil painting when I was 15 and with my portfolio (not school grades) I got into Visual Arts @ Uni. While at Uni I discovered CG and new media arts and stopped painting, instead embracing digital photography, multimedia and 3D animation. During this time I was also writing product reviews for a CG Magazine so after Uni I worked as an online web editor for a CG publishing company. After that I came to Japan for a career change and picked up photography as a hobby/obsession. While in Japan I've organized and participated in two exhibitions as well as photographing a few concerts.

I just finished a new photographic movie , check it out here.

Absolutely Brilliant Work here!!!


Bravo!

Ben :-)

[figmental1978]

Absolutely Brilliant Work here!!!


Bravo!

Ben :-)

thank you so much, i've updated the blog post with some more about the movie.

[mel]

I've drawn all my life. I started enjoying photography at about age 10 or 11 when I took a Kodak instamatic to camp and got a shot printed up in an organization news publication. My dad took me into the darkroom and showed me the joys of black and white developing and printing at about 11 or 12 or so.

My higher education involves sciences (which can require a lot of creativity), specifically biology and chemistry, and art/graphic design. My favorite mediums in non-photography were pen and ink, and various forms of printmaking. But photography rules. I am currently doing some freelance graphic design.

Other than the visuals, I've played various instruments: violin, clarinet, saxophone, flute, oboe, and also play traditional Irish flute, whistle, and bodhran.

Right now my life is rather dominiated by the photography and graphics arena.

[Ratmagiclady]

I think in terms of *my* creative work, as I get more comfy with the digital, (even if the scanner and stuff refuses to *work* *grumble grumble* ) ..I'm coming to be more cognizant of a notion that surfaces of things aren't working for me, and looking for ways to work some verbal poetry in after the fact.

I came of age in some perhaps-more visually-exuberant times. I'm not exactly joking when I say I feel like a photographic time-traveller from maybe 1991 walking around out there, And I think that makes it harder to find those things which really express the times. I often kick myself for not somehow having found a way to shoot more of what I did see all along, even if it was a long decade or so of, 'Another month and maybe I'll be able to do this right, with gear that ain't bent and film that ain't coming out of half the food budget. '

Trying to anticipate that future me kicking me for not shooting more *now* while I remain a bit disenchanted with the surface of things, and I'm in a place which isn't all so friendly about being recorded, looking, interacting...

I'm thinking my way with digital, apart from simply not being able to trade on fast handling of film cameras, may have to do with the notion that's ben with me since I finally got my first bridge camera. 'This is parts.' Something essentially different from *film,* there, committing to 'this is nearly finished, now.' Parts.


Still not sure what to do with that idea.

[mel]

i sure enjoy your posts ratmagiclady. they really get me thinking. thanks for that.

[Mann]

My creative me? It's always been there with everything. Even with the simplest of things. Even with things one wouldn't expect creativity.

Long ago I got my first camera from my father: an Olympus (I forgot which model). He taught me things. Later I used a Nikon FE, and was really enjoying photography and learning about it.

Later, however, I was accidentally introduced to music at about the age of 12 due to my brother. I already had shown signs of musical talent, but never truly got into it before then. Played the guitar as I taught myself, then piano as I taught myself, then I even started to compose as I taught myself. From the primitive to the complex in short time, and later even further. This severely lessened my interest in photography. Another great influence, for removing me from photography (and other subjects) and stimulating my musical style(s), was my natural practising of philosophy,

Then came the conservatory which f***** me up. I had such a pleasant prospect, but it was all a piece of **** demotivating me. All these boring, conventional, careful, scared teachers (and often lazy) who hide behind regulations and don't dare to be original and did not even have the capacity to, because they were so much influenced by set regulations and never questioned them. I made more interesting, original and beautiful things than my teachers and many others in that school even without conventional training and being much younger. You can understand the anger and disappointment I had, thinking I was going to learn interesting things.

I still finished it, and was even officially declared a top student, but I'm not working as a man of music, because it isn't necessary to be an artist these days: it is necessary to be a businessman instead.

So later after a few years (this year), my father, who used to work as a photographer in his old time, gave me an old Canon G2 because he wasn't using it. I played around with it and was reminded of the joy I used to have so long ago. I then proceeded to get myself an SLR, a few lenses, and just enjoy photography as much as I can. Ended up with Pentax. Got an old 10D too which is very nice to use.

[Fritzvds]

This will prove to be an interesting thread seeing what personal history people draw their creativity from.
I flunked out of highschool at 15 with no creativity going on and got myself an apprenticeship to be a jeweller which I have now been for 17 years.
Photographiclly I bought a chinon(pentax mount at age 18) and owned a series of pentax's since thene and never really saw what I was doing as creative. More like a personal Photo narrative which I still enjoy going through. I know I have improved over the years but not as quickly as others but that wasnt my reason for starting either.
Now my creativity extends to things like the welder (just made a steel lady bug)and the house.
I think creativity just happens without us looking for it. Thats what makes individual creativity so interesting and diverse.

[jbrowning]

My creativity (if I have any) would have started coming out with my photography in high school. I took a couple classes in black and white photography. Then I stopped when my eyes quit focusing correctly. Then about two years ago I started back into it with the AF digital camera. I'm not sure I would call it creativity or recording the moment. My website is ROCKY MTN PHOTOS .

Great thread Ben.

Jim

[benjikan]

I think in terms of *my* creative work, as I get more comfy with the digital, (even if the scanner and stuff refuses to *work* *grumble grumble* ) ..I'm coming to be more cognizant of a notion that surfaces of things aren't working for me, and looking for ways to work some verbal poetry in after the fact.

I came of age in some perhaps-more visually-exuberant times. I'm not exactly joking when I say I feel like a photographic time-traveller from maybe 1991 walking around out there, And I think that makes it harder to find those things which really express the times. I often kick myself for not somehow having found a way to shoot more of what I did see all along, even if it was a long decade or so of, 'Another month and maybe I'll be able to do this right, with gear that ain't bent and film that ain't coming out of half the food budget. '

Trying to anticipate that future me kicking me for not shooting more *now* while I remain a bit disenchanted with the surface of things, and I'm in a place which isn't all so friendly about being recorded, looking, interacting...

I'm thinking my way with digital, apart from simply not being able to trade on fast handling of film cameras, may have to do with the notion that's ben with me since I finally got my first bridge camera. 'This is parts.' Something essentially different from *film,* there, committing to 'this is nearly finished, now.' Parts.


Still not sure what to do with that idea.

A wonderful post