by successfulbob | inspiration, photography, photography - art quote, photography education, success education
Sunday Photo/Art Quote – Henry David Thoreau
Sometimes I head a little far afield of even the art world when I choose the quotes for this Sunday morning art thought.
Today is one of those days.
But I’ll bring it around. I promise.
Walden by Thoreau is an interesting read and his sharing of thoughts on slowing down and observing the world in which we hang out in real time and that it is a good idea. You don’t have to take as much time as he did, but you can slow down and observe for small chunks of time.
I find it quite helpful. On to today’s quote, so we are on the same page.
“Only that day dawns to which we are awake.” Henry David Thoreau
I share this idea today because I find many people, including myself, often living in the past or the future instead of the present. Don’t believe me? Ever drive home and then wonder how you got there? In the shower do you feel the water cascading from your head down your body and hear the musical splashing of the drops onto the floor? Or, are you on auto-pilot missing these moments and planning what you should be doing after you get to work? Or are you wallowing in the past upset with something someone said and replaying that conversation over and over ad nauseum??
Other examples abound. Reading and not know what you’ve read moments later. Shaving your face and missing the whole left side. Brushing your teeth and not knowing whether you’ve done the top inside yet. You get the idea.
We can become better creators if we learn to be in the present and learn to observe more. See more details, Retain more of those details. For help with seeing more and recalling what you see, you might want to try Amy Herman’s book Visual Intelligence. It’s a guide to visual understanding and communicating more clearly. Her book is based on a course for law enforcement, such as the FBI, police officers and CEO’s, ER professionals to become more observant.
Getting control of our thoughts is the first step. Slowing the constant cascade of the unstructured noise that our brains are capable of generating. Meditation can be of tremendous help in quieting the mind. I recommend Jon Kabat-Zinn and his book Wherever You Go There You Are. He also has a set of guided meditations that are wonderful as you start down the road of being in the here and now. Mindfulness Meditations.
Hope you enjoy this reading list. I hadn’t intended to go this deep. Sometimes writing can lead you to a rabbit hole, and the exploration can take you to interesting places. Just ask Alice.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – Here’s the tie in. When you see better and remember what you see you can be a better creator of images. Happy reading!
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Visual Intelligence – Amy E. Herman
Wherever You Go There You Are – Jon Kabat-Zinn
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by successfulbob | fine art photography, photography - art quote, photography education
Sunday Photo/Art Quote – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Reaching out to other arts for quotes is a way to keep from becoming inbred in my thinking. If I were only to search for artistic inspiration from other photographers, I believe there would be a large hole in our education moving forward. Today’s quote is from Ralph Waldo Emerson who is best known, by me, as a poet. But he was also an essayist and lecturer focused on individuality and freedom.
I love the thought he expressed here.
“The earth laughs in flowers.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
These five words make me think of the earth and flowers in such a different manner, You wouldn’t think that such a few number of words could open a huge number of thoughts within the brain. Maybe it doesn’t do it for you. Let me know. These words tickle my fancy and make me want to create images in a slightly different manner.
‘Iris’ – Accepted into the Professional Photographer of America Loan Collection in 2014
It’s wonderful to grab inspiration from many different places.
from where are you currently drawing your inspiration?
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography - art quote, photography creativity, photography education
Sunday Photo/Art Quote – Robert Genn
The Painter’s Keys. An excellent twice weekly newsletter was started by Canadian artist Robert Genn. Robert is no longer with us, but the bi-weekly letter and website were carried on by his daughter Sara who is a talented artist and writer in her own right.
Robert was not only a talented acrylic on canvas artist recognized throughout the world for his work depicting the west coast of Canada, but he was also a thinker on the process of creating art. That’s why I grabbed a quote from him for use this morning.
“It’s the child that makes the artist.” – Robert Genn
In my opinion, this quote is a very simple but important one. There is a tendency to loose our inner child as we grow up and into our careers. When we first try our hand at art as a child, we work with abandon and no thought of what is ‘right of wrong’ we just do. As we age, we begin to listen and be shaped by the outside world of parents and teachers and supposed friends who tell us what is wrong with our work. How we can’t make a living as artists. How we could do something better if we just did it the approved way.
To grow as artists, I suggest that we go back to that inner child now and then and just play with wild abandon. Try something new. Push boundaries. Don’t label something as good or bad but as a learning experience. I talk about this many times, but it’s a message that will help you forge new art in your life. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Don’t listen to people that tell your work is not up to par it doesn’t matter. Play. Play some more. Study new ideas and try to put them into practice.
![dreams_brain-scan]()
From Sara Genn’s Latest Letter/Post – “Your Brain on Art’
Scientists ‘read dreams’ using brain scans. Rebecca Morelle, BBC science
Will this result in masterpieces immediately? Many times no. But often it can lead you down a new path to help you become a more creative individual. Picasso had a quote along similar lines, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” – Pablo Picasso
Don’t let the world take out your inner child.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – You can click on either link in this post to check out and subscribe to the Painter’s Keys
by successfulbob | fine art portrait, people photography, photography - art quote
Sunday PhotoArt Quote – Chuck Close
Some people know how to smack you upside the head in just a few words.
I often find that the fewer the words often, the higher the impact.
“Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work.” Chuck Close
Pretty sure I have used this quote here before but I believe it bears repetition. If you wait for inspiration to strike you could well be standing on the platform when the train travels past leaving you behind. In my study of artists of all types in looking for inspiration I find that in almost all genres including writing, painting, sculpting and photography, the advice most offered to becoming a stronger artist is just to do it. Of course, you want to practice well but just getting in there and producing whether making mistakes or masterpieces will move you down the road to becoming more proficient at your craft.
Daguerreotype – Self-portrait © Chuck Close
Chuck Close was one of the photographic artists who inspired me with a larger than life portraits printed on various strata. Even though he suffered a spinal artery collapse that left him paralyzed he kept working and painting creating photo-realistic work that continues to inspire me today.
Time to get to work. I still need more practice.
How about you?
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
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by successfulbob | Lumix GX8, Lumix Lounge, musician photography, photographer of musicians, photography, photography - art quote, photography creativity, photography education
Sunday Photo/Art Quote – Yogi Berra
A major league baseball manager, Yogi Berra, was a font of excellent one-liners that more than stated the obvious.
The one I wish to share with you today can easily be applied to the arts. Yes, while it’s obvious, sometimes we need reminders of just that. And Yogi was a pro at that!
“You can observe a lot by watching.” Yogi Berra
The reason I bring this up today is the quote jumped out at me after returning from a guitar concert under the stars last night by Anthony Mazella at The Collective in Sedona. Anthony is a world class musician who creates magical times with his guitar.
As always I carry my camera. Lately, I’ve been trying to follow Yogi’s advice although I didn’t realize it was coming from him. I’ve been trying to be more aware of light. Paying attention to it. And trying to capture more of it in challenging situations.
I used the Lumix GX8 with a 35-100mm f2.8 Vario lens. While Anthony filled my head with his music, I kept myself aware of the changing light as the sun dropped below the horizon. The lights in the area began their illuminating dance through the venue. And I recorded.
Here are a few of those captures.
Shadow, color, composition, shape, and form were the things that caught my eye
A glance up and this silhouette appeared. I watched for a few moments, and the little girl was moving in and out of the frame I waited until she was moving out to capture this. The play of the complementary colors was a bonus.
Of course, the star of the show couldn’t be left out. The blue, purple and magenta lights added some serious color to the warm toned brickwork.
Had I not been aware and keeping my eyes peeled for an opportunity to see I might have missed these little vignettes of light and color. So remember Yogi’s advice, “You can observe a lot by watching.”
Yours in creative Photography, Bob
PS – Here are 50 Yogisms gathered in an article by USA Today. It’s a fun read.
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Walden by Henry David Thoreau
