I was driving the other day and thinking about photography. I was not feeling partially inspired and being honest had been feeling a little creatively lost. I’d been feeling like this for a little while, I don’t think winter and a long lockdown doesn’t help matters. Creativity comes in waves and we all go though those good times but equally the periods of drought, and this was one of those periods.
I was thinking what I should do and what to photograph when I had the chance, the more I thought, the greater my frustration grew with the lack of ideas and any motivation at all. Obviously, this was not a great time to put pressure on myself to get creative, as there was very little I could do even if I had come up with an idea. This didn’t stop the feeling of frustration and there was nothing I could do but carry on driving.
As many of you know already or from viewing my work, I live by the sea. As I continued driving I was getting closer to the docks area and as I turned a corner I could see the top of a massive ship. The sunlight was hitting it from a low angle and showing all the details of the white painted metal work along with all the antennas and everything else that is sticking out of a ship. With everything painted white it had a uniformity to all the details. All those details of the white structure were sat beautifully against a clear blue sky and as soon as seeing this, it reminded me of Edward Hoppers paintings.
That was exactly what I needed to see, it was little a nudge of inspiration. Not that I was going to photography the ship (mainly because to make the photos I would have wanted, I would need to be hovering at the side of the ship and I don’t yet have an Annie Leibovitz size budget for a shoot). But this view reminded me that I do not need to figure everything out. I will see things that resonate with me and I will react to them. The inspiration will come when I get out and see things with a creative eye.
I got lucky that day that I was falling into a rut and saw something that sparked a creative thought. I know that this is rarely the case but it did show me that I need to trust myself and get out there. I will see things that work for me and I just have to photograph them. Sometimes it will work other times it wont but the interest and excitement will come in the process.
