Here are 7 habits that I use to help my creativity:
1. Get into adventures. Instead of saying no, say yes. Whether it’s agreeing going to the South China Sea or to Sundance festival or the grocery store.
2. Devour popular culture. Examine the work of other artists, movies, books, magazines, the interwebs.
3. Take pictures of things. I photograph things I see in the world that inspire me and use them for reference.
4. Scribble ideas. On a notepad, ipad, or whatever.
5. Share your ideas with others. Better ideas often come from a conversation. Give and receive. It’s a dialectic.
6. Ask Questions. Lots of other people know more than you do.
7. Listen. Try to listen carefully. When other people talk, you should listen. Ideas are everywhere.
All that is well and good…attempting to live an interesting or interest-ed life–via travel, adventure, new experiences, consuming the arts and devouring popular culture or whatever–is certainly a proven method to produce the raw material, the putty that makes up creative ideas….BUT, here’s a left hook. It’s all for naught…nearly useless if you don’t take one extra step…Beyond a doubt, the most important thing for shaping your raw creative material is QUIET.
Reading the biographies of so many of the great artists, inventors, and idea-people in history confirms it…they locks themselves away to get the master idea… But this is not myth. Doesn’t your own experience confirm it as well?
On reflection, it’s certainly true for me. The aesthetic for the best campaigns I’ve shot have come to me in the wee hours of the morning. Seattle 100 came to me while relaxing in my hammock on the weekend. The Best Camera ecosystem hit me in the middle of the night while on vacation. creativeLIVE was cooked up with Craig over the holidays when the studio was closed. The vision for many of my best photographs and videos have come while on airplanes, out of reach of phone calls in wireless signals. And time at the family cabin consistently produces long lists of things I want to create or do. I’m banking the same is true for you.
We’ve gotta carve out some time and space from the day to day noise…the laundry, the groceries, the homework, the job, the spouse, the friends, the television to go away.
Live and learn? How about Isolate and create.
[if this idea resonates with you, there’s more on this over at Zen Habits.]
Hi Chase,
Thanks for this post, it must be the 10th time I’ve re-read it. Your perspective is spot on – it transcends being just a photographer, it encompasses so much of art and life. The best things come from the time you spend listening to your honest self and listening to people and their own amazing story. You’re so right, now is the most exciting time for photographers, we are witnessing a period of evolution – more and more people are not happy with 9-5, they want to create, they want to break the everyday mould. We as photographers and artists have the power to bring that story through images or any other medium – your images inspired me to become a photographer, it’s only been 8 months since I beg
….began making photos, and I’m so inspired to grow and learn as much as I can from you, other photgraphers, artists, musicians, people etc etc.
Ok, there’s my rant for now. Thanks again!!
I am working on bettering myself as a photographer especially in the commercial advertisement lifestyle market. I would love some advise as to i dont know where to start
So inspiring. I often have a hard time being proactive in my creativity. I’m a perfectionist and want everything to come out as a masterpiece. Sometimes I forget that mistakes can turn out to be masterpieces. I say no to things because I’m scared of failure. Writing songs is my major stumbling block. I used to be more fluent, but lately I’ve been finding it difficult to even just sit down and begin writing. I’ll jot down a line or melody here and there, but I haven’t been taking the time to make something out of them. When I don’t have a brilliant idea at the moment, I assume the vision will come to me at some point. But that time often never comes. I gotta get back into the swing and explore and take some crazy risks. Thank you for the tips…now to applying them.
Hi Chase
Absolutely love your work, and appreciate the 7 creative habits you talk about here. Your missing link is very true, we all need a little solitude from time to time. Too bad many other people don’t think the same way.
Cheers
TJ
Hello Chase! I’m new you your blog
I love your 7 creative habits. I definitely need hem because I’m trapped working two “regular” jobs that rob me of the time and desire to do anything creative (design and photography)
Quiet and silence helping creativity is so true. I came up with my website name iunderstan.com while sitting alone in my Moms car, waiting for her AAA for like 2 hours. I took out scrap paper and started brainstorming…