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Dear streettogs, I am excited to share that I have a new\u00c2\u00a0free e-book to share with you guys: “On Being an Artist and Photographer<\/a><\/strong>“. The chapters include:<\/p>\n This free e-book is a compilation of all of the previous blog posts I’ve been writing on the book: “Akademie x Lessons in Art and Life<\/a>“. I know the blog posts are a bit difficult to download and access, so I put them together in an easy-to-access free download file.<\/p>\n This book is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153open source<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d meaning you are free to distribute, edit, change, remix, or share this with your friends (freely and openly). Enjoy:<\/p>\n If you want to read the full e-book on this blog, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153read more\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. You can also save the book to “Pocket<\/a>” and “Instapaper<\/a>“.<\/p>\n Here are some other free e-books on street photography you might enjoy:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n by Eric Kim – 4\/30\/2015<\/p>\n As a photographer, you are also an artist. To me, art is creating meaning out of our everyday life experiences. Art is living life to the fullest. Art is dedicating your life to a journey of learning. Art is seeing the beauty in the mundane, and appreciating all of the small details of life.<\/p>\n I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve just finished reading, researching, and writing on the book: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Akademie x Lessons in Art + Life<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d which is essentially art school in a book.<\/p>\n Lately I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been more inspired by books on \u00e2\u20ac\u0153art\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201drather than purely photography books. In this little e-book, I compiled some of my articles on art and photography. I hope you find some of these ideas helpful in your artistic journey.<\/p>\n One of the concepts I came across was from Sanford Biggers, currently an assistant professor of visual arts at Columbia. Below in his essay titled: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153This is a marathon, not a sprint\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, he writes the importance of perseverance and work ethic in being an artist:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153To succeed and survive as an artist, one must develop serious perseverance, strength of character, an unshakable work ethic and confidence<\/strong>. Artistic trends, attitudes, and appreciation change frequently, so you must be able to see beyond the successes and failures you may experience.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Being an artist is one of the most difficult occupations you can choose in your life. But then again remember, you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to be a full-time artist to call yourself an artist. You can be a lawyer, a banker, or a schoolteacher, and simply do your art after-hours.<\/p>\n Better-yet, treat your lifestyle as being an artist (and your job as something that just pays the bills). I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think that making a living directly off your art makes you somehow a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153better\u00e2\u20ac\u009d artist or more \u00e2\u20ac\u0153successful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d artist. The quality of your work is what matters the most at the end of the day, not how much money you make, how may awards you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve won, or how many exhibitions you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve hosted.<\/p>\n I want to explore some of the treats of a great artist in-detail below:<\/p>\n If we treat art (and life) as a marathon, not a sprint\u00e2\u20ac\u201d we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going for distance and longevity, not just a short burst.<\/p>\n I think being an artist is like being an athlete. You can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expect to just work out once a month and expect to stay physically sharp and in-shape. You need to train everyday, always be mindful of what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re putting into your body, and make training a part of your lifestyle (rather than something you simply do on the side).<\/p>\n As an artist you need to find perseverance as well (just like an athlete). You need to train your visual muscles everyday, whether that means practicing your art, looking at other artists\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 work for inspiration, or being mindful of what kind of art you are consuming. You can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expect to just be really artistic one day, and hope that you will stay strong and sharp as an artist. Rather, you should treat your art as a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153daily practice\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, and focus on small increments of progress.<\/p>\n Perhaps you can also think about the life of an artist as nutrition. You can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expect to simply do a one-week \u00e2\u20ac\u0153diet\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and stay healthy and fit for the rest of your life. Rather, you need to find out some sort of nutritional system and lifestyle that you can stick to for a lifetime.<\/p>\n As photographers, how can you persevere as an artist? How can you put in a small \u00e2\u20ac\u0153daily practice\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to stay sharp creatively?<\/p>\n Some ideas:<\/p>\n You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to dedicate an hour of shooting everyday. Not all of us have that kind of free time. Rather, I think by focusing on the smallest possible task (like shooting one photograph a day), it is easier to get into the rhythm of creating photographs everyday. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even need to be with your fancy camera, you can just use your iPhone.<\/p>\n I think just as an athlete doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t eat junk food (Cheetos, Doritos, deep-fried foods), an artist shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t eat junk food (random photos on Instagram, Flickr, and blogs). Rather, you should try to nourish your body with healthy foods for your creativity. Try to consume amazing work from the masters, to buy photography books that inspire you, and to surround yourself with positive influences whom support you.<\/p>\n I find that having a creative circle of friends is absolutely essential to staying inspired as an artist. Just like going to the gym, it is often good to have a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153gym buddy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d who makes you accountable for constantly going to the gym on a regular basis. If you have other photographers who keep you inspired, they will keep you accountable for constantly creating new images, and to also help support you with recommendations with photography books, help editing your photos, and also perhaps to go out and shoot with.<\/p>\n I think it is important as an artist and photographer to have confidence in yourself, by being able to stick to your ideas and beliefs.<\/p>\n It takes a lot of courage to have a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153strength of character\u00e2\u20ac\u009d when it comes to defending our work and artistic vision. It is easy to fall into trends, where we are just copying what is popular and in vogue when it comes to photography.<\/p>\n In regards to street photography, sometimes shooting with a flash at a close proximity is popular (like Bruce Gilden), sometimes shooting color with multiple-layers is popular (Alex Webb), other times creating classic black and white photos of people jumping over puddles is popular (Henri Cartier-Bresson).<\/p>\n But what is your artistic vision, and voice? What kind of photography truly makes you<\/em> happy and feel fulfilled?<\/p>\n Disregard the trends and how others shoot, publish, and share their work. Stay true to what feels right to you.<\/p>\n Lastly, having a strong work ethic is key.<\/p>\n One of the lessons I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve learned about success is that if you link hard work and success, you are more likely to become \u00e2\u20ac\u0153successful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d than someone who thinks that talent is something that we are innately born with.<\/p>\n For example, if a child in school is constantly told that he\/she is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153smart\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, they won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work as hard or push themselves as hard as a child who is congratulated for being a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153hard worker\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n At the end of the day, you need to put in the hard work to flourish and thrive creatively. But don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t treat this artistic and creative work as agricultural labor. You should absolutely love what you do. It should be hard in the sense that it challenges you to the upmost of your creative abilities. You should reach a state of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153flow\u00e2\u20ac\u009d when you are creating your art, whether that is shooting in the streets, editing your work, reading, writing, or whatever.<\/p>\n Know that as an artist you have no limits. You have limitless potential. The limiting factor is always how much work and effort you put in.<\/p>\n I feel the only true way to live as an artist is to produce art for art\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sake. Meaning\u00e2\u20ac\u201d don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t create art to simply please others, do it to make yourself happy.<\/p>\n Sanford Biggers shares:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Understanding where you are in relationship to other artists is useful; however, do not allow it to turn into envy or self-doubt. When I was beginning I was advised by a mentor: \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOnly be an artist for the love of art and the act of creation. Nothing else is promised<\/strong>.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Accolades, fame and fortune may come and go, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re lucky.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n No matter how famous, rich, or popular you become through your art, it will never satisfy you. Personally it was my dream to make a living from my photography, to teach and travel the world, and to gain a strong following. I have achieved all of those dreams, but honestly, it hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t made me deeply fulfilled. I still am frustrated, feel like I am lacking something in my life, and want to achieve more.<\/p>\n The time I am truly happy and fulfilled is when I am doing something creative and artistic. I feel supremely happy when I am researching (reading books), when I am writing (like this article now), when I am photographing and interacting with strangers on the streets, when I am teaching and empowering other photographers, or when I am engaged in a critique & editing session with other photographers.<\/p>\n Only do your photography and art for the love of it, and for the act of it.<\/p>\n Nothing else counts.<\/p>\n What do you ultimately want out of your photography and art? Is it for external recognition, is it for self-fulfillment, or something else?<\/p>\n Another concept we need to consider is what is our role as an artist and photographer? Why do we create art? What is it for? We explore these ideas in this chapter.<\/p>\n I think one of the biggest things we need to consider when it comes to art and photography is that our work should be a calling, rather than a chore or obligation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Meaning, you shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel obliged to go out and shoot everyday. Rather, you should feel called to go out and shoot everyday.<\/p>\n I think obsession and passion are things that you cannot teach. You are either born with a calling, or you aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t.<\/p>\n Other things in photography and art can be taught, like technique, approach, tips, and tricks.<\/p>\n But the question you always want to ask yourself is this: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why do I photograph?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n If you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a reason or an impetus to shoot photography, why are you doing it?<\/p>\n For me, I photograph because it is what helps me better navigate the world. Photography helps me become more aware of my surroundings. Photography helps connect me to other strangers (especially when shooting street photography). Photography helps me live life more vividly, and helps push me outside of my comfort zone.<\/p>\n Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think that you should shoot photography, or feel trapped to always be creative and shoot everyday.<\/p>\n Rather, photography should be a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153must\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d that there is something deep within you in which you must make photographs<\/strong>, or you will feel a part of you wither away.<\/p>\n Immanuel Kant wrote that it is impossible to have a universal definition of beauty, and I agree with this idea.<\/p>\n There is no universal way to define what makes a good or memorable photograph. As a viewer of a photograph, we always use our own subjective thoughts, experiences, and interpretations when looking at images.<\/p>\n Of course there are things like composition, framing, exposure\u00e2\u20ac\u201d fundamental things that can help structure a photograph.<\/p>\n But whether a photograph is beautiful, powerful, or meaningful? This is something that is out of your control.<\/p>\n What can you do as a photographer?<\/p>\n Well, you can use your heart to create images that feel beautiful to you<\/strong>. You can never 100% control the opinions of others, but you know what kind of images make you<\/em> happy.<\/p>\n At the end of the day, make photographs that stir emotions in you, and simply hope that others will relate.<\/p>\n Another concept that Piero Golia shares:<\/p>\n [Kant] also wrote that genius has its own rules, and one cannot dictate these: they bend reality as much as it bends them<\/strong>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I think as a photographer (especially as a street photographer), your job isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t to show reality as it is. Rather, your job is to bend reality and to show your own subjective view of the world<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Also know that when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re out shooting, the outside world influences and informs you greatly. You can learn a ton from the subjects you photograph.<\/p>\n When it comes to street photography, I love hearing stories, anecdotes, and having conversations with strangers in the streets. Whenever I make a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street portrait\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, it is a two-way collaboration. I interact with them and share my personal stories with them (who I am, how I got started in photography, and why I like to make photographs), and they tell me about their experiences. Together, we make images together\u00e2\u20ac\u201d rather than me just taking their photograph and moving on.<\/p>\n So think in your photography: how do you bend reality as you make images, and how does reality influence and bend you<\/strong>?<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger (it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s impossible).\u00e2\u20ac\u009d – Niccolo Machiavelli<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Whenever you go out and create art (aka make photographs), you always put yourself at risk.<\/p>\n You put yourself at risk by upsetting or pissing off your subjects, you put yourself at risk by upsetting or pissing off your viewers, you put yourself at risk by upsetting or pissing off yourself (by feeling like you \u00e2\u20ac\u0153failed\u00e2\u20ac\u009d).<\/p>\n However know that any creative work or endeavor involves risk. And I think it should involve risk.<\/p>\n Risk is what makes us feel on edge, risk is what makes us feel alive, risk is what helps push us outside of our comfort zone.<\/p>\n Nowadays when it comes to street photography, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take a photograph unless it scares me a bit<\/strong>. Whenever I see a scene that makes my heart pump, cold sweats to go down my back, and makes me feel nervous, I know that I must make that photograph.<\/p>\n Whenever I see a person who I want to photograph and might say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153no\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to me, I take a risk and ask them if I could make their photograph. I do so knowing that they may reject me. But it is better to get rejected than to never try at all.<\/p>\n So how are some other ways you can take more risks in your photography? How can you step outside of your comfort zone? Can you try shooting with a wider-angle lens? Can you try to get closer to your subjects? Can you try to purposefully get rejected from your subjects to build your confidence? Will you take the risk of uploading your images to the Internet to be judged (either in a positive or a negative way?)?<\/p>\n Push yourself. Take those risks. You can never make meaningful art without avoiding danger.<\/p>\n Probably one of the best quotes from Piero Golia is this:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153An artist is a choreographer or reality, constantly shifting boundaries, an individual who finds himself with a political investment and social duties, making meaning but also delivering it in a memorable way<\/strong>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I think as street photographers, we are always trying to construct meaning from our images. We see random situations, scenes, and people on the streets\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and there is a reason why<\/em> we decide to photograph certain scenes.<\/p>\n Sometimes we try to photograph beautiful moments. Sometimes we try to photograph suffering. Sometimes we try to photograph what we think is worth photographing (we want to show the significance of an event we might have witnessed).<\/p>\n So as a street photographer, we are trying to combine meaning in a memorable way<\/strong>.<\/p>\n How do we make a photograph more memorable?<\/p>\n We might make a photograph more memorable by capturing interesting facial expressions, hand gestures, body language, novel arrangements of subjects\/objects, or capturing an interesting scene.<\/p>\n I think we shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t forget that as a street photographer, we have a social duty<\/strong>. We have a social duty to document reality that might have significance in the future. As a street photographer, we are also historians of our neighborhoods, our cities, and our country. Perhaps 100\u00e2\u20ac\u201c200 years from now, our future generations may look at our images and marvel at what the world \u00e2\u20ac\u0153used to\u00e2\u20ac\u009d look like.<\/p>\n You also want your photographs to affect your viewer\u00e2\u20ac\u201d to stir something in them. Perhaps you want your photographs to spark a certain memory in your viewer, or you want your photographs to evoke some sort of emotional response from your viewer.<\/p>\n Know that everyone has a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153social relationship<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to images. Images can never exist in a vacuum\u00e2\u20ac\u201d there needs to always be an interpretation from the viewer based on the society he\/she grew up in.<\/p>\n The last concept I want to share is on transforming your viewer into a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153witness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, as Piero Golia shares below:<\/p>\n First of all, you need to create art that shares your personal experience, which helps build a narrative for your viewer:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t necessarily affect the public sphere just because you perform an act in it; you need to connect with the public, share your experience, building a narrative for and with them<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This then transforms a person from being a passive viewer into a more active participant of the scene:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Once you do this, people will become more than just passive viewers: their memory and narration will represent the next step of the work<\/strong>. In the moment a person sees something, she becomes the custodian of the memory.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Your viewer then isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just a viewer\u00e2\u20ac\u201d they are a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153witness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. And they aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just \u00e2\u20ac\u0153docile watchers\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d they have their own opinions, thoughts, emotions, and feelings. And your work as an artist can change people and affect the way they live their lives:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Witnesses aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just docile watchers. They opine and relate. If the work is good enough, the experience changes people so profoundly that it shapes and colors everything that they see afterwards.<\/strong> This effect then ripples out to others. A witness doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just see, he testifies.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So think of yourself of an artist and photographer that transforms a passive viewer into an active witness<\/strong>. Photos aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just images. Photographs are tools that help transform the worldview of someone who looks at your work.<\/p>\n So what are you trying to do with your photography? What are you trying to say about the world around you? What is your unique viewpoint? What do you have to say? How do you want to change, influence, and inform the thinking of your viewer? How can you transform your viewer from being passive, into an active \u00e2\u20ac\u0153witness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d? How can you make images that burn themselves into the memory of those who look at them?<\/p>\n In Chapter 3, we will discuss the importance of self-expression in art. This will allow you to uncensor and find yourself as an artist. Many of these ideas are from Carol Bove in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Akademie x Lessons in Art + Life<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n If you live in an industrialized country or in the west, there always seems to be an unhealthy amount of obsession with \u00e2\u20ac\u0153work\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Whenever we are not<\/em> working, we feel like we are committing a cardinal sin. To not work is to be lazy, unmotivated, and a failure at life.<\/p>\n Work has also been tied into this idea of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153busyness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. The more busy we are, the better we feel about ourselves. The more accomplished we feel about ourselves. The more \u00e2\u20ac\u0153productive\u00e2\u20ac\u009d we feel.<\/p>\n Think about it\u00e2\u20ac\u201d whenever you have a conversation with your high-achieving friends, co-workers, or anyone random in the city and you ask them, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How are you doing?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d what percentage of people say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m crazy<\/em> busy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (saying it with a badge of honor).<\/p>\n Not only that, but we see sleep as a disease to be cured\u00e2\u20ac\u201d sleep is something that we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need. Think about all the energy drinks out there, caffeinated beverages, and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153life hacks\u00e2\u20ac\u009d which promise you how you can be more busy, more productive, on less sleep.<\/p>\n One of the concepts that Carol Bove shared in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Akademie x Lessons in Art + Life<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d was how she stopped trying to use the word \u00e2\u20ac\u0153work\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and tried to substitute it with something more specific to the task at hand. She explains further below:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I decided to stop using the word \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcwork\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 as an experiment. It was very difficult! I had to compensate by substituting a more specific description of the activity. For example, instead of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to my studio to work\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have to say, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to clean the kitchen and fold some laundry.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 I discovered that the absence of the word \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcwork\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 forced me to reconsider assumptions about leisure, because the idea of work implied its opposite.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n For example, when it comes to exercise, a lot of people say I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to go to the gym to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153work out\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (implying that exercise needs to be arduous, unpleasant, and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153productive\u00e2\u20ac\u009d). I have heard a better phrase to describe a workout: calling it a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153practice<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. So when you are the gym, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ask people, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How is your workout going?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d ask them, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How is your practice<\/em> going?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d A lot of people in Yoga also refer to their Yoga sessions as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153practices\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n So when it comes to photography, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t treat it like \u00e2\u20ac\u0153work\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel that your photography needs to be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153productive\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and that you need to put in the same amount of begrudging \u00e2\u20ac\u0153work\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as you would do in your job.<\/p>\n Rather, treat your photography like leisure<\/strong>. After all, aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you shooting photography because you enjoy it? You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want photography to just become more \u00e2\u20ac\u0153work\u00e2\u20ac\u009d because others expect you to do so.<\/p>\n Carol considers that in-fact, we should dissolve the boundaries between labor\/leisure. Meaning, our labor should be our leisure:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I let go of the notion that I deserved a certain amount of downtime from being productive or from being active. The labor\/leisure dichotomy became uncoupled and then dissolved.<\/strong> I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t use labor to allay guilt or self-punish or feel superior. Work didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exist<\/strong>, so all the psychological payoff of work for work\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sake had nowhere to go.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Make art and photographs fulfills you creatively, emotionally, and spiritually.<\/p>\n Photography is something precious. Street photography is even more precious. It is an experience that is highly personal, deeply involved, and requires a lot of mental and physical effort from us.<\/p>\n But we shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t treat our photography like work. We shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work in a way that feels incongruous to our own beliefs, morals, and manners.<\/p>\n Follow what your heart tells you, and disregard the rest.<\/p>\n Time is the ultimate non-renewable resource that we have in this world. The only real truth in the world is that sooner or later, we will all die.<\/p>\n We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t own anything forever. Even our lives and our bodies are on \u00e2\u20ac\u0153loan\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n Each day is a ticking clock, in which the numbers are going down, not up. No matter how rich, powerful, or successful we are, we can never add days of life. Sure we can buy more houses, more cars, have more 0\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in our bank account, but we can never buy more time.<\/p>\n Time is the ultimate resource that we own in life.<\/p>\n In Seneca\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153On the shortness of life\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he writes how silly that we can be so stingy with our money, but too openly wasteful with our time:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You will find no one willing to share out his money; but to how many does each of us divide up his life<\/strong>! People are frugal in guarding their personal property; but as soon as it comes to squandering time they are most wasteful of the one thing in which it is right to be stingy.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So know that as a human being, artist, and a photographer, be stingy with your time.<\/p>\n Most photographers I know who are well paid and have comfy lifestyles always complain that they never have enough time. What is the point of having all the riches in the world if you have no time to enjoy life?<\/p>\n I know that we all have different life circumstances. Some of us literally have to work 80+ hours a week just to pay the bills. But if you are just working extra hours in order to get a promotion, to earn more money, or to just kiss more ass in the office with your boss to look good (I used to do this), consider spending less<\/em> time at work, and more time following your passion.<\/p>\n The less time you spend on the non-essentials, the more time you can spend on what is essential (creating your art through your photography). Carol Bove expands on the importance of time in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Akademie x Lessons in Art + Life<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Your time is not a separate thing from you; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not an instrument. Time is a part of what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re made from. Emerson said, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcA man is what he thinks about all day long.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/strong> Everything that you do and think about is going to be in your artwork. The computer-science idea \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcgarbage in, garbage out\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 applies to artists. This is something to consider when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re choosing your habitual activities.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Also be sensitive in terms of the media that you let into your life.<\/p>\n For me, I try to embrace a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153low-information diet\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as Tim Ferriss encourages in his book: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The 4 Hour Workweek<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t watch TV, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t read\/watch the news, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t play games, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t look at my Facebook newsfeed (I recommend downloading the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Facebook Newsfeed Eradicator<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d for Chrome), don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t look at Instagram (I found myself addicted to it, so I unfollowed everyone as an experiment).<\/p>\n Be extremely guarded in terms of the kind of information, stimuli, people, and ideas you let into your mind. I have personally found that my \u00e2\u20ac\u0153media tolerance\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is a lot lower than I thought.<\/p>\n If Emerson was right in saying, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A man is what he thinks about all day long\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, I want only to think about things that matter to me: photography, philosophy, close friends, and family.<\/p>\n Carol Bove expands below:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153One question is, how do you create a way of being in the world that allows new things (ideas, information, people, places) into your life without letting everything<\/em> in? I want to point out that your tolerance for media saturation might be lower than you realize.<\/strong> You need to conduct an open-ended search that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t overwhelm you with information and at the same time doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t limit the search in a way that pre-determines your findings. That is a puzzle.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I think it is always hard to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153make\u00e2\u20ac\u009d time in today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153crazy-busy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d world. After all, how can we add an hour to our days, when our days are already jam-packed?<\/p>\n I say take the opposite approach (what Nassim Taleb calls \u00e2\u20ac\u0153via negativa\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in his book \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcAntifragile\u00e2\u20ac\u2122). The concept is this: rather than trying to add things to your schedule, try to figure out what to remove from your schedule<\/strong>. Removing things from your schedule will free up more time than trying to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153add\u00e2\u20ac\u009d free time.<\/p>\n So if you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have enough time to go out and shoot, think about what you can remove<\/em> from your schedule to have more time to shoot?<\/p>\n Perhaps your morning workout takes you an hour to do. Maybe you can cut time out of your morning workout by just doing kettlebell swings at home (it takes me only about 10 minutes for an invigorating \u00e2\u20ac\u0153practice\u00e2\u20ac\u009d).<\/p>\n Perhaps your commute to work takes too long. Maybe you can see if you can move closer to work (and perhaps pay more in rent) in order to free up an other 30 days (each way) to your day. Better yet, if you take public transportation, think about photographing people on the bus or subway (and do a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153public transit\u00e2\u20ac\u009d street photography series).<\/p>\n If you drive, perhaps take photos of other people stuck in traffic through your car window (be careful while doing this). Or my favorite if you want to be creative and are stuck in a car, listen to podcasts (I recommend \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Candid Frame<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, a photography podcast by Ibarionex Perello<\/a>).<\/p>\n If you watch TV, eliminate that from your diet. Perhaps use that time to go out and shoot, or look at photography books at home.<\/p>\n If you mindlessly kill time on social media to pass the time at work when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re bored (I used to do this a lot), maybe use that time to critique & give other photographers feedback, study the magnumphotos.com<\/a> website, or even take portraits of your co-workers for fun.<\/p>\n Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t waste a minute of your life. Subtract the unnecessary, and you will add meaning and purpose to your life and photography.<\/p>\n Have you ever been on the streets and you see an interesting scene, and you pause and not<\/em> take the photograph because you tell yourself, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh no, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take that photograph. It is boring and clich\u00c3\u00a9.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d?<\/p>\n Uncensor yourself when it comes to shooting on the streets. Kill that little inner-critic that will make you fall into \u00e2\u20ac\u0153paralysis by analysis\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. When we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re out on the streets, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s photograph what we find even minutely interesting. We can always edit out the photographs when we go home and look at them on the computer.<\/p>\n I think as an artist and a photographer, one of the most difficult things is to make yourself vulnerable. Once you release your art in the world, you are putting yourself in a way that makes you open to criticism, open to being judged, and open to being misinterpreted.<\/p>\n However at the end of the day, your art is your passion. Your art is your life. Your art is who you are as a human being. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t self-judge, self-criticize, or self-censor yourself.<\/p>\n Carol Bove shares her personal experiences censoring herself in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Akademie x Lessons in Art + Life<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The worst part about being back in school was making art and having to explain it at the same time. It made it impossible for me to feel safe when experimenting. As a consequence of profound self-doubt and insecurity, I was censoring what I really felt compelled to make, reasoning that since I was stupid, whatever I truly wanted to make would be stupid. I thought I would be better off faking it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Safety is important when it comes to creating art. If you feel too much self-doubt and insecurity, you will never find that place where you feel comfortable to make art in order to self-express yourself.<\/p>\n So think to yourself: are there any ways in which you self-censor your art and photography, because you are afraid of looking stupid? What do you really want to shoot in photography, and how do you want to shoot it?<\/p>\n Carol continues by sharing how she tried out an experiment of only creating art for herself, not for anyone else\u00e2\u20ac\u201d knowing that she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have the pressure to share it with anyone else<\/strong>:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153As soon as I got out of school, I was very curious to know what exactly it was that I was censoring, because the repression was so assiduous that I had absolutely no idea what it might be. I decided to try an experiment. I would make whatever I wanted for three months with the understanding that I would not show what I dredged up.<\/strong> Not to anyone. But I felt the need to discover my secret.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I feel in photography with social media, we feel obliged to share everything online. But remember: just because you photographed something, doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean that you need to share it online<\/strong>. You can easily shoot it for yourself, and even print it out for yourself or publish it in a one-off book for yourself.<\/p>\n By not feeling that you always have to show others your work, you can find a place of comfort to thrive creatively.<\/p>\n Carol expands by sharing the importance of being patient and nonjudgmental with yourself and your art:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I can tell you now, since a lot of time has passed, that I discovered I wanted to draw portraits of pretty women. It seemed dumb at first, but I was patient and nonjudgmental and just let my desire take me wherever it wanted to go<\/strong>, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been my modus operandi<\/em> ever since.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n When it comes to working on photography projects, they take a long time and the process is key. Know that as a photographer and artist, you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to rush things. Everything arrives sooner or later. And art is about the journey, not the destination.<\/p>\n And the last piece of advice that Carol has? Have fun:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Creating a nonpurposive, free space in which to play and have fun is essential<\/strong>. You can tell when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re looking at art that was a drag to make: it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a drag to look at. On the other hand, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s thrilling to watch someone work through a problem that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s exciting for him, even if the subject matter wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t normally move you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t self-censor yourself. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t self-doubt yourself.<\/p>\n Create an experiment where you photograph for 3 months, but intentionally not share the photographs with anybody<\/strong>. This will take a lot of pressure off your shoulders, and can help you create the type of art you truly want.<\/p>\n The last lesson I learned from Carol Bove is that art is about finding yourself\u00e2\u20ac\u201d who you are as a human being, how you interact with others in the world, and that art is ultimately about self-expression<\/strong>.<\/p>\n When we create art, Carol shares that it comes from our entire being:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Artwork comes from the total personality<\/strong>: ego, self, id, conscious and unconscious, transpersonal, linguistic and nonlinguistic, historically determined, sensual, emotional, physical, mental, ideological and cultural.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n To also make a body of work that is meaningful, we have to find out who we are psychologically:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I believe that in order to make something that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s meaningful you have to start by figuring yourself out psychologically<\/strong>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n A lot of photographers don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know who they are as human beings, and therefore feel lost as artists. They don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how their work is unique, or how their work reflects who they are as a human being.<\/p>\n So before we should go soul-searching in our photography and art, perhaps we can first discover who we are as human beings.<\/p>\n Carol leaves us with this last idea on self-expression:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Artwork is self-expression<\/strong>, and clearly I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m talking about a notion of self that radiates far outside of one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s body or even one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I think the best artists and photographers are the ones who create work that is a reflection of who they are, how they see the world, and the amount of courage they put into their work in making themselves vulnerable.<\/p>\n Remember as photographers, our images are more about ourselves, not about other people<\/strong>. I believe that every image we make is a self-portrait, and it reflects more of who we are, than the people we are photographing.<\/p>\n For example when it comes to street photography, you use your own inner-psychological worldviews when looking and perceiving in the streets. If you are prone to anxiety, fear, and depression, you will probably see others in the streets with a similar disposition. If you are positive, optimistic, and friendly\u00e2\u20ac\u201d you will also see that reality reflected by the people in the streets.<\/p>\n Everyone in terms of their personality is different, and there is no \u00e2\u20ac\u0153right\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153wrong\u00e2\u20ac\u009d when it comes to their worldview.<\/p>\n In order to better get a sense of who you are psychologically, I highly recommend taking the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Myers-Briggs<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d test, which gives you a blueprint of your personality. Of course this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t 100% comprehensive, but I think it does allow us to discover more of our inner-traits.<\/p>\n For example, according to the Myers-Briggs test, I am a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153ESFP\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. I am \u00e2\u20ac\u0153extroverted\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (I gain my energy being around other people), \u00e2\u20ac\u0153sensory\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (I prefer \u00e2\u20ac\u0153practical\u00e2\u20ac\u009d information), \u00e2\u20ac\u0153feeling\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (my emotions dictate more of my decision-making processes), and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perceptive\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (I prefer a flexible lifestyle).<\/p>\n Based on knowing my personality, I know that when shooting street photography I prefer to interact with strangers and shoot \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street portraits\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (than merely candid shots), I love learning practical information when it comes to photography, the emotions in an image are the most important to me, and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like structure when it comes to my life or shooting.<\/p>\n So maybe take the test for yourself, and see how your personality reflects your photography. See how you can make both match up, and perhaps even push yourself outside of your comfort zone (and try an approach in photography totally different from what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re used to).<\/p>\n If you are interested in personality type tests, I also recommend the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Love Language Test<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n At the end of the day, being an artist and a photographer is about following your own path, not letting self-criticism get in the way, treating photography as your passion (not work), knowing who you are as a human being, and sharing your unique viewpoint with the rest of the world.<\/p>\n No matter your job or profession, if you are partaking in any creative act, you are an \u00e2\u20ac\u0153artist\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. An \u00e2\u20ac\u0153artist\u00e2\u20ac\u009d isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t someone who lives a bohemian lifestyle, spends all days at cafe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s drawing sketches in a moleskine, or living in some warehouse artist colony.<\/p>\n Being an artist is a lifestyle\u00e2\u20ac\u201d in which you pursue your true passion, and explore self-expression.<\/p>\n Live everyday like an artist, and look for the possibilities in your life, not your restrictions. The world is your oyster. Now go out and create art.<\/p>\n As an artist, you want to have your mind stay sharp, creative, and flexible. What are some strategies we can employ? Michelle Grabner shares some ideas with us in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Akademie x Lessons in Art and Life\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, which we will explore in this chapter.<\/p>\n One of the first ideas that Michelle Grabner explores is the idea of Herbert Marcuse, in his work: \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcAesthetic Dimension<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n This is how Marcuse describes art:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It seems that \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcart as art\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 expresses a truth, an experience, a necessity<\/strong> which although not in the domain of radical praxis [process], are nevertheless essential components of revolution.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I might be misconstruing what Marcuse is trying to say, but this is what I take away from his quote on art: that as artists and photographers, we need<\/em> to express the truth through the experiences we see in life.<\/strong><\/p>\n When it comes to making images, we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take photos in the streets simply because it is fun or enjoyable. It goes deeper than that. We need<\/em> to make these images. It is something that exists deep in our psyche and in our bones.<\/p>\n If you have ever seen a great potential photo opportunity (and missed it), you might feel like shit. You literally feel ill. You go to sleep at night, deeply regretting having not<\/em> taken that photograph.<\/p>\n But then again the opposite is true: when you see something absolutely amazing and happen to make a photograph of it well, you feel alive. You feel that you were able to communicate your experience of that event in an image that shows some deeper \u00e2\u20ac\u0153truth\u00e2\u20ac\u009d about how you see reality.<\/p>\n One question that photographers rarely ask themselves is: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why do I make photographs?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Artists also rarely ask themselves why they create art.<\/p>\n So consider why<\/em> you create art.<\/p>\n I think for me personally as a street photographer, I see the world in a unique way in which I want to communicate with the rest of the world. The way I see the world is very subjective\u00e2\u20ac\u201d it is colored through my personal lens (which has been deeply influenced by my life experiences, education, and influences).<\/p>\n I also feel a need<\/em> to make these images and share them with the rest of the world. If I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make these images and share them, it is almost like having photographic constipation<\/strong>. I get blocked up, feel in pain, and just need something to release (sorry for the graphic analogy, but you get my gist).<\/p>\n The best way to relieve photographic and artistic constipation? Stay well nourished (look at a lot of great art work), and have regular bowel movements (create art on a regular basis). That means try to photograph, edit, and share your images on a regular basis.<\/p>\n Philosopher and novelist Iris Murdoch wrote these words in the late 1960\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Each human being swims within a sea of faint suggestive imagery. It is a web of pressures, currents and suggestions<\/strong>, something often so much less definite than pictures, which ties our fugitive present to our past and future.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n What Murdoch is talking about can refer to today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hyper-connected world. We constantly swim in a sea of images. Except in today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s world, the images aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t \u00e2\u20ac\u0153faint\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153suggestive.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d They are aggressive, in your face, and constantly bombarding you.<\/p>\n Think about advertising. We have pop-up ads all over the internet, banner ads vying for your attention, blogs constantly publishing content that are irresistible not<\/em> to click, and millions of photographs being published to Instagram, Facebook, and social media.<\/p>\n Today we are drowning in a sea of imagery<\/strong>.<\/p>\n So what is the solution?<\/p>\n Michelle Grabner suggests an idea:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153When we are faced with the blurry, the unclear and the ill-defined, we have to look carefully and with dedication so that we can assemble pictures and build a knowledge base. When things are fuzzy we have to work to clarify.<\/strong> That work is important and must be practiced or we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll find ourselves merely surfing that \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcsea\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, pushed along by a tide of information and jpegs.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The way I take Michelle\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s advice is this: work hard to filter the information and imagery you take in<\/strong>. Be very selective about the images you look at on a daily basis. On social media, only follow those whose work and imagery really inspire you. Try to unsubscribe from as many annoying notifications as possible. Un-follow those who you find overly spammy, unsubscribe from news that just promotes terror and fear, and seek imagery that is hopeful and inspiring.<\/p>\n Michelle talks about putting together a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153knowledge base\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of imagery. For me, my \u00e2\u20ac\u0153knowledge base\u00e2\u20ac\u009d consists of the work of my close friends and colleagues, as well as the work of the masters of photography (especially Magnum photographers).<\/p>\n So what type of imagery can you unsubscribe from today? I highly recommend installing ad blockers (the web looks a lot prettier and less spammy), and perhaps even unfollowing those whose work you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t find absolutely essential to you.<\/p>\n I think in art, what you decide not<\/em> to look at is more important than what kind of art and imagery you decide to look at.<\/p>\n Whether we like it or not, we are constantly influenced by the images we see on a daily basis. Therefore by controlling the fire hose of images we are subjected to everyday, we need to control the valve of which images we let into our everyday lives.<\/p>\n Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius once wrote that our mind is colored by our thoughts. Similarly, our art and photography is colored by what types of images we see on a regular basis.<\/p>\n I think as artists we should be like water. Open to change of direction, constantly flowing, and adaptable.<\/p>\n Michelle Grabner shares advice in terms of how to acquire knowledge (and the importance of having a flexible mind):<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You have to be prepared to regularly undo and redo your world-constructs and accommodate change as readily as you develop and share narrative<\/strong>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n How can we keep our minds open-ended to art? Michelle shares three ideas: time, curiosity, and trust<\/strong>:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Art as a means of acquiring knowledge is what compels my work. I have spent my life looking around<\/em> art, identifying and building contexts. It takes time, curiosity, and trust<\/strong> in your observations to see the center and the periphery all at once.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Furthermore, try to stay as active as you can by learning all you can that is around you<\/strong>. Be a sponge of information, knowledge, art, and inspiration.<\/p>\n Not only that, but offer your help and services to other creatives and artists. Ask others, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What do you need<\/strong>?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How can I help<\/strong>?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d This will help open doors and bridges to artistic collaborations and shared-ideas. This is a better road than trying to just ask others to do things for you.<\/p>\n For me, I often fall into rigid ways of thinking. It takes me a long time to develop a certain world-view. And once I develop that world-view, my mind starts to fossilize. My thoughts become set in stone.<\/p>\n However I need to constantly remind myself to consider the opposite<\/strong>.<\/p>\n For example, I am generally a big proponent of the \u00e2\u20ac\u01531 camera, 1 lens\u00e2\u20ac\u009d philosophy. I genuinely do believe that having too many cameras, lenses, and equipment can be bad for your creativity.<\/p>\n However the opposite is equally true: some artists thrive by having lots of different tools<\/strong>.<\/p>\n I have therefore realized that although I have my own thoughts and opinions, my thoughts and reality aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t truth. They aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t \u00e2\u20ac\u0153objective truths\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. They are all my opinion.<\/p>\n So remember, everything you read on this blog is just my opinion<\/em>. The things I write are just my thoughts that have personally worked well for me, and might not necessarily work for you.<\/p>\n So what are some beliefs that you hold true to yourself, and how can you think opposite and open up your mind creatively?<\/p>\n When Michelle Grabner was asked by the editor of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Akademie x Lessons in Art and Life\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the question: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Does art have a purpose?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she answered the following:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Art is a manifestation of learning<\/strong>. And to quote David Foster Wallace: learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think<\/strong>. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to<\/strong> and to choose how you construct meaning from experience.<\/strong> Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed. Think of the old clich\u00c3\u00a9 about \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcthe mind being an excellent servant but a terrible master<\/strong>.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Art is a manifestation of learning\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d what does that mean? To explain:<\/p>\n Art is created through the learning process<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n What does that mean?<\/p>\n For me, as I continue to learn more about the world, I create art by sharing my unique viewpoint with the rest of the world. I create art by making images, by writing articles, by recording videos, and by sharing my ideas with others.<\/p>\n Also in terms of learning how to think as an artist is all about having control over \u00e2\u20ac\u0153how and what you think\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/strong>. So as an artist, you have to make the conscious decision what to pay attention to, and what not<\/em> to pay attention to. If you are a street photographer, you make the conscious decision to pay attention to strangers, urban life, and the streets. You have consciously decided to ignore taking pretty landscapes, macro photos of flowers, and pretty bug photos.<\/p>\n Ultimately, how do you also construct meaning from what you experience<\/strong>? For example, if you are out on the streets and you meet someone interesting (or looks interesting), how can you make a compelling image of them that has personal meaning to you and also the viewer?<\/p>\n Personally I feel that street photography for me is less about the images I make, and more about the meaning I get from my experiences being out on the streets.<\/p>\n I shoot street photography to experience life more vividly. If it weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t for street photography, I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be as curious, engaged, and interested in the urban world around me.<\/p>\n So what is the purpose of your photography? What drives you to photograph and create art? Contemplate on that \u00e2\u20ac\u201d it will give you razor-like focus, artistic creativity, and purpose.<\/p>\n I think one of the most exciting things about being an artist is following your curiosity, passion, and to pursue a life-long path of learning.<\/p>\n Continuing from my \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Akademie + Life\u00e2\u20ac\u009d series, here are some lessons I learned from the Raqs Media Collective in their essay: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Letters\/Reminders\/Lessons\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n As an artist, you are continuously re-inventing yourself. If you are diligent with your art, your thinking and worldview will always be changing and evolving.<\/p>\n The Raqs Media Collective shares their thoughts on this continuous state of flux as an artist:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Artists undertake to transform themselves continuously through their practices and throughout their working lives<\/strong>. For an artist, there can be no rigid separation between being someone and learning to become someone.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Your \u00e2\u20ac\u0153self\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as an artist is a process\u00e2\u20ac\u201d a journey.<\/p>\n But what drives us to continue to live artistic lives? Well, we are trying to fill in the gaps in terms of what we want to express about the world:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The reason for continuing to be an artist lies in an everyday rediscovery of what remains to be said, or done<\/strong>. Being an artist is no different from learning to become an artist. The process of rediscovery of what it is that he\/she needs to do, transforms the artist on an everyday basis<\/strong>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Not only that, but our horizons are always expanding<\/strong>:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The horizons of the artist\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s self continuously expand to take in the incremental unraveling of what the artist still desires to transcribe upon his\/her consciousness and the attention of the world<\/strong>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n There are several points I want to tackle about art as a vehicle for self-transformation:<\/p>\n You are not the artist or the photographer you were a year ago. You have either consciously (or subconsciously) taken in other inspirations. You might have been influenced by other artists work that you have seen, films you have watched, photography books you have looked at, or museums you have visited.<\/p>\n For me, I also see my photography go through waves. When I first started photography and was deeply influenced by the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson<\/a>, I wanted to capture beautiful black-and-white candids of everyday life.<\/p>\n However as time went on, I started to become influenced by the work of Bruce Gilden<\/a>, whose up-and-close and gritty style suited my social temperament.<\/p>\n When I started to shoot film and discover color, the work of \n
Free download:<\/h2>\n
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Other free e-books:<\/h2>\n
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On Being an Artist and Photographer<\/h1>\n
Chapter 1: How to Succeed and Survive as an Artist and Photographer<\/h2>\n
The 3 Traits of a Great Artist<\/h3>\n
1. Perseverance<\/h4>\n
Shoot at least 1 photograph everyday<\/h5>\n
Be mindful of what you eat<\/h5>\n
Find a creative circle<\/h5>\n
2. Strength of character<\/h4>\n
3. Unshakeable worth ethic<\/h4>\n
Art for art\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sake<\/h3>\n
Closing thoughts<\/h3>\n
Chapter 2: The Role of the Artist and Photographer<\/h2>\n
To become a successful artist isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a skill, it is a calling<\/h3>\n
We can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a universal definition of beauty<\/h3>\n
Geniuses bend reality as much as it bends them<\/h3>\n
Creating art is always a risk<\/h3>\n
The artist has a social duty of creating meaning but also delivering it in a memorable way<\/h3>\n
Transform your viewer into a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153witness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/h3>\n
Chapter 3: How to Express Yourself as an Artist and Photographer<\/h2>\n
On Work<\/h3>\n
Takeaway point:<\/h4>\n
Time and information management<\/h3>\n
Takeaway point:<\/h4>\n
Uncensoring<\/h3>\n
Takeaway point:<\/h4>\n
Finding yourself<\/h3>\n
Takeaway point:<\/h4>\n
Concluding thoughts<\/h3>\n
Chapter 4: How to Have a Creative and Flexible Mind as an Artist and Photographer<\/h2>\n
What is art for?<\/h3>\n
Filter down the images you look at<\/h3>\n
Regularly undo and re-do your world constructs<\/h3>\n
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Art is a manifestation of learning<\/h3>\n
Chapter 5: How to Break Out of Your Comfort Zone in Art and Photography<\/h2>\n
Transforming yourself through art<\/h3>\n
Takeaway point:<\/h4>\n
a) We are continuously transforming ourselves:<\/h5>\n