I’m certainly not a chef, but whenever I’m asked what the “key ingredient” is to making good photographs, good ART, the answer I give is a simple one: make a lot of it.
We often talk about how vision is everything, but vision doesn’t come from the womb full grown and mature. It’s cultivated. And that cultivation takes time and effort. Certainty and control might be your friends while performing surgery, but they are not your friends here.
While some people might mistake my suggestion of repetition and productivity with ‘thoughtless’ production, it couldn’t be further from what I mean. In reality, it’s usually through producing art that ideas get brought to fruition. You’re working your way through fear, through vagueness, through the numbers, the details, the soul of it. It’s through this process that we find what we’re looking for.
Tolstoy re-wrote War & Peace 8 times (by hand) before he got it right.
Michael Jordan has missed 26 game winning shots.
I could go on, but you get the point.
[Btw, if you haven’t read the book Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
“Making art is like beginning a sentence before you know it’s ending. The risks are obvious: you may never get to the end of the sentence at all – or having gotten there, you may not have said anything. This is probably not a good idea in public speaking, but it’s an excellent idea in making art.” – from the book Art & Fear
, you’re missing out. The book was first gifted to me by a photographer I met on the road named Bryce Boyer. Thx B.]
Thank you for this. Your post was the inspiration I needed today to continue working thoughtfully and growing two creative hobbies.
Thanks, Chase. Read this book quite a while ago but maybe it’s time to revisit. I remember reading it gave me inspiration and the feeling that it was “ok” to be passionate about my art/creative process, even though maybe it didn’t make sense to most people.
Pat
unemployed chef, wanna-be photographer/artist
I love when I just shoot like crazy. People I’m with are amazed at the number of pictures I take then I just say thats nothing, and point to Chase who does 30k in a day or two….
I’m not sold that just creating is the answer though. To take 30k pictures in a shoot sounds nuts to me, but what really matters is the critical thought process of the photographer while shooting. Are they just shooting and hoping that they get something good without trying new things? I’ve seen photogs shoot the exact same shot four or five times just because they can, and memory is cheap. Spray and pray is weak.
I realized just how bad I sucked as a photographer when I switched to film from digital and I had new contraints that made me think more and click buttons less. I’m not saying digital sucks, but you have to think critically, try new things, as well as create to get anywhere.
true
Hi Kate! nice post. I would just add that photography is not art, especially Commercial one. The truly great art comes from unique experience and great skill. Taking snaps really doesn’t count into it. undoubtedly, you may end up with something interesting but it will fall short amid the world’s greatest art. take a look at the recent kanye west videos. he tried hard to be artistic, but he eithet doesn’t have skills or deeper thougts about our existance and sense. In other words, art can’t be created is seconds nor minutes, it’s a process that should take you your whole life and the road to it should be occupied with sensible and tremendously hard work.
otherwise you end up with something really average and generic.
I have to disagree with this and say that art is an opinion. Art can be found anywhere and everywhere and it’s more a state of mind than a life-long pursuit. A child might take a photograph and we might find beauty and art in there. Is that to say he is artistic, no, but it is that he created art. Art is beyond photographs or paintings or sculptures or films, it’s simply the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination… there are no other rules like “it being a process that should take you your whole life and the road should be occupied with sensible and tremendously hard work.” I think most artists would say that art can happen as spontaneously as anything else. Although some people do commit their whole lives to art and produce none aside from a story about their wasted days.. life long dedication and hard work are not the only ways of creating art!
(My Response to David Dvir’s comment on Tuesday, Nov. 2)
Yes, David I agree with you that art is everywhere. To respond to the art that you see and appreciate is natural, easy and free. The appreciation of art costs you nothing. But, I can say that for me, I think I understand what the writer wishes to convey with the title of that book. Personally, I know that I have ideas and creativity flows from that. The FEAR part is in the exposing. What I mean is that it is difficult sometimes to allow your art to be scrutinized. Or, at least that is how I feel sometimes. And, the wicked truth is that the one who is most critical is ME! I overly scrutinize my own work. Then, FEAR becomes the paralyzing factor. Who wins in this case? Sad to say…FEAR wins. That is probably why Chase recommends this book because so many people can relate.
Michelle, we’re often the most critical of our own work. I think that’s normal. I agree with you though about the titel of the book :). In my experience embracing your art should be your main concern. No matter how beautiful something that you create is, someone will not agree. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s actually what makes “art” so interesting.
David, the suggestion about art you make is really stretched and I understand how you want that to be true. It’s mainly the fault of gear manufactures, software developers and ad agencies. It’s brainwashing. The amount of individuals creating real art is more or less the same as it used to be 400 years ago. I agree that art is expression of oneself, yet it’s not spontaneous. It is the result of meticulous thinking process, analysis and beliefs. No one posting on this site is even capable of doing half of that.
And my request is to not undermine the value of art, because by your definition, not flushing a toilet after your number two, is and act of art as well.
Jake,
I realize that my suggestion is stretched, I felt that to get my point across I had to embellish a bit. How can you say though, the number of artists is the same, at the very least you should agree that the percentage is the same, given that the population of the Earth has grown substantially in that time.
I just request that we not undermine art created in simple ways. Not ALL art must be crafted by the hand of a meticulous process. Sometimes the most simple truths carry great impact and reach. When I stare through my telescope at some distant, static celestial body, I often find myself in shock and awe. I am amazed by what I see and often would consider calling it art. That is not my definition of “art” by the way, that is the dictionary’s.
I think you make many assumptions and your remarks offend me. To argue that art cannot be spontaneous is as short visioned as suggesting no one posting on this site is capable of creating art. One day you will see something beautiful and realize to yourself that no one spent their life designing it’s purpose. It is simply art.
@Jake I think it’s crazy that you could say photography isn’t an art form, by your definition “great art comes from unique experience and great skill” so what you’re stating is a photographer can’t have these attributes and put them into their art form ? If you go to many art galleries across the World they have entire sections devoted to photography.
Painters, sculpters, illustrators (all whom you would define as artists I’m assuming) used the medium they had at the time (paint, charcoal, stone, clay), now if leanardo da vinci’s Mona Lisa was a photograph you would say that it would no longer be art ?
I know many photographers who have spent their whole lives making photographs and put in tremendous hard work, however by your judgement and statement of fact, because they chose photography (which literally means drawing with light) as their medium of choice they do not create art in any way ? Your opinions are totally ridiculous.
The fact you compare photographers like bresson or klien or whoever to kanye west is even more ridiculous.
Obviously you yourself must be a critically acclaimed artist of a life long career in some other medium to critique and bring down the hundreds of thousands of photographers over the world who wrongly feel they are making art, yes?
That may be partly true, but what Kate is saying has merit. You gotta have the skills to lay down your “lifelong” vision. To get the skills you need repetition.
Great insight as always you guys.
Chris Bernard
Chase,
Couldn’t agree more, that’s why everyone should take advantage of digital camera, and the fact that you can create pretty much as much art with them as you want without the time/financial restraints of film. Not that I don’t like film, but we really have very little excuse to not just unleash a whirlwind of photographs whenever we want in an attempt to gain experience, art and pure and simple magic.
Dave