Dear friend,
One of the hardest things in photography is always finding inspiration. How do we stay inspired throughout our entire lifetimes, and not give up photography like Henri Cartier-Bresson did?
OPEN SOURCE
Download PDF: How to Find Inspiration
1. Never stop learning new technology
We all know that on guy who refuses to adapt to the world. The guy who refuses to learn new technology. The guy who prefers to use a rotary phone instead of a smartphone.
We are always amazed by grandfathers and grandmothers who know how to surf the web. We are amazed to hear older folks listening to new music. We are amazed to see older folks always hungry to learn, just like children.
I am convinced that it is in our human DNA to prefer non-change. We are afraid of learning new things. It is hard. We are set in our ways. We already know the most efficient “workflow” for our tools and lifestyle.
I think we need to adapt to the tools and technologies that exist in the modern world, yet we should never compromise our moral and ethical ideals.
Therefore, stick true to your guns, and what you believe in making photos of. Stay true to your artistic and creative vision, but be flexible with the cameras, processing tools, and the way you publish and share your work.
For example, let’s say street photography is your calling and passion. Stick to that. But try on new tools. Experiment. Try using a phone, or perhaps digital medium format, or if you’re always shot digital, try film.
If you’ve always printed your work in the darkroom, try on some digital tools in the Lightroom. If you’ve always exhibited your work in person, try to exhibit it online. Or vice versa— if you’re a digital baby, try more “old school” ways of presenting your work — printing, exhibiting, and making paper books and “zines” (cheaply printed magazines).
2. Leave your house
To be a photographer is to be curious and hungry to explore the world around you. To be an artist is to be ACTIVE. Avoid passivity, sloth, and laziness — the vices that will kill your inner-hunger as a visual artist.
Unfortunately as photographers, we are slaves to reality. We cannot sit in our room and only photograph what is inside our homes. The goal of life isn’t to just retire and be lazy at home and binge watch Netflix— it is to be more adventurous, brave, and daring. It is to take on reality head-first, with a hungry eye.
Whenever possible, walk. If driving to the store or restaurant takes 5 minutes, opt to take the 30 minute walk instead. The more you walk, the more things you will see, discover, and want to make pictures.
And as a lifestyle choice, if possible— opt to live in a city instead of in the suburbs. I like living in the countryside— so let’s embrace the extremes. Either live in New York City or live in the rural countryside, avoid living in a “middle populous city”. When you live in a crazy and busy city— there is a lot of kinetic energy. A lot of humans colliding and bumping into one another like particles or atoms. Lots of power and explosive energy— that will feed your visual imagination.
And, going to the countryside will recover your super-stressed nerves. And you can relax, and shoot verdant pastures, crimson skies, and purple fields.
3. Make more pictures!
The secret— “The rolling stone gathers no moss.” (Publilius Syrus)
The more you stay in motion, the more you will stay in motion. If you study momentum or Newtonian Physics— this is the basic principle.
Never stop moving. Never stop shooting. Never stop making images.
The best artist is the productive and prolific artist.
Consider, we are happiest with our avocado trees when they make lots of avocados. We like productive, and prolific things— trees, fruit, people, industries, and life in general.
Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso, and Basquiat were geniuses not because they were that much “smarter” or naturally gifted than us, but they were more productive and prolific. Leonardo da Vinci left behind 7,000+ pages of sketches, diagrams, ideas, poetry, and half-baked ideas in his notebooks. He often screwed up his elementary calculations and he gave up a lot of ideas. Picasso made on average 1-2 artworks everyday until he died. Basquiat (who believe it or not, knew how to really draw) was never satisfied, and kept making paintings until his unfortunate early death.
4. Personal solutions
So friend, some personal ways I’ve been able to stay hungry and prolific— because trust me, it is hard for me to stay inspired too:
- Studying random things that interest me, even though I don’t have background or skill in it: For example, I studied sociology in college. Now, I’m self teaching myself Physics, because it is fun, interesting, and I like the visual diagrams— it reminds me of pictures. Don’t say none of that “left brain, right brain” nonsense— we need to marry both science and art to make beautiful creations.
- Physical exercise, sleep, and strengthening nutrition: To inspire myself, I need both mental and physical strength. I do deadlifts, chin-ups, push-ups, lunges, squats, and yoga to keep me physically fit. I abstain from sugar, alcohol, drugs and other artificial foods which fuck me up. Also, I listen to empowering music that gets my muscles going.
- Always doubt: To be an empirical skeptic is to never quit questioning. Never quit questioning yourself, your beliefs and be like bamboo— flexible, yet strong in your core values and beliefs. This constant self-questioning will empower you, the way you see the world, and help you gain true knowledge and wisdom for yourself.
BE STRONG,
ERIC