This week we’re looking at rules and seeing whether we’ve
absorbed some that are holding us back.
Thinking of this has been quite revealing for me. I don’t have a lot of “shoulds” or
“shouldn’ts” about composition or settings. But when it comes to subject matter there is one big
constraint. All my creative efforts have been constrained (and at times crippled) by the rule that the subject has to be important or relevant. The question the trips
me up time after time is this one: What is a worthy subject?
When I was a teenager I went through a phase where I was
concerned about the worthiness of my conversation. I decided I didn’t want to participate in small talk and I
would only speak when the subject was relevant and worthwhile. Needless to day, there wasn’t much to
talk about most of the time!
Later on when I took on the study of painting I ran into the
same dilemma. I couldn’t paint
just any old thing. I had to find
a worthwhile subject. Still life? Too many people did that! Landscapes? Boring. Portraits? Too conventional. You see where this is leading, I’m
sure. I was unable to choose an
appropriate and worthwhile subject for my artwork. For a time I did abstract art but even that was tough
because I kept finding reality creeping in. This rule had the effect of stopping me from painting for
many years.
Photography is turning out be a way out of this box for
me. I can use the camera to snap a
photo of something that catches my eye.
It doesn’t have to be a worthy subject—just something I see and like.
This photograph is an example. It’s a plastic wine glass on the bathroom windowsill. The subject is mundane but something
drew my eye and so I went for my camera and took a picture of it. It's very exciting for me to be finding my way beyond my self-imposed rule about relevant subject matter.
Hello Joanna,
ReplyDeleteYou have been very honest and open about your personal reservations and how they held your creativity back for a while.
It's amazing how we can be held back by what we think and therefore feel, way back in time to when we were children or teenagers.
How wonderful that photography is allowing you to step out of that self-made box you had built based on beliefs!
I really like the photo you have given as an example, not only for the colour which lights up the picture, but also for the different lines and patterns which complement each other. The vertical lines on the window pane which fade out, the slanting zigzag line which creates movement and contrast. The bobbles and the curly designs on the glass give texture.
This composition could be a still-life painting with a dramatic title! Something like this comes to mind: "She sipped sparkling wine while she was in the bath - waiting for his call - which never came..."
In other words, your picture tells a story! I love it!
Horray for you Joanna! I love what you wrote. I was very self conscious, but no one encouraged me to be different. I think it's kind of cool, even if you took it to the extreme. Maybe she was trying to help you out of your shell in her unique way. I notice that the thought that often pops up in my head when I photograph something, is "will this be a photograph that other people will like?". For seemingly simple photography prompts we all seem to be learning a lot about ourselves. I really like the colors in your photo and the contrast of the vertical lines in the window and the circles on the glass. And don't you just love Zinnias title for your photo!
ReplyDeleteI love the colors. The diagonal line and repetition make it very interesting. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting photo, I love the different shapes and colors.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photo! I understand what you are saying about what to photograph. In nature, I see it everywhere- but in the house- very rarely do I "see" the beauty. I know some people can make shoot gorgeous photos of simple everyday objects. They really have discovered their eye! You have too!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for you Joanna! This sounds like a breakthrough. As I read through your post, I found myself thinking... If you see it and like it, it IS a worthy subject. You are unique, just as you are, you don't have to try through a specific subject matter that is deemed important. It sounds like this journey with photography has become an important one for all of your art. I love the example you chose - that goblet, and the window behind, are so interesting! I'm so glad you chose this rule to discuss, and to break. We're all with you here!!
ReplyDeleteWe are certainly with you on this...what a great explanation of what probably so many of us struggle with...I do for sure. I too have trouble seeing beauty in every day things, which is why I am in awe of a photo like yours. Thank you so much for your post. Gail
ReplyDeleteWhy do we feel like we have to create only masterpieces? Just create! That's actually a rule I'm TRYING to live by more often. Waiting for the "perfect" "meaningful" subject gets us nowhere. It stops me in my tracks all the time. If something speaks to you, we should trust that it is worthwhile. I love the colors in your photo, and the interesting pattern in the glass. Your post gave me a lot to think about. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi Joanna,
ReplyDeleteWorthy subject matter - what a wonderful topic of discussion. From reading your thoughts, it strikes me that you are a perfectionist and someone that always strives for excellence.... thus, the concept of striving to find the worthy or perfect subject matter. I don't know if I'm off the mark here, maybe I'm just thinking of it from my perspective - describing myself. Anyway, I love that photography has let you explore "your way out of this box". Your photo is a wonderful example of a simple subject that is elevated into something more because of the light, composition, and color combo. Well done! I always think that it is "easy" to make a great photo out of something spectacular, like say - the Grand Canyon, but trickier to make something grand out of a commonplace subject. That takes an artistic eye!