How do you get inspired?

[Tracy Lee]

Hello, Forum Friends!

A few years ago, I 'discovered' Photoshop Elements 4, and then all the wonderful tutorials here, the newsletter, Kelby's books. It was a veritable flood of inspiration!

This flood brought me more into the world of photography, and more creative endeavors.

But recently my Muse has left me, and I feel so...uninspired! I stare at my computer screen and think, 'what should I do next?'

Not that I don't have anything to do - there's lots that I can do: video tuts, read my photo mag, get out and just take pictures... But instead I feel blah about it all.

I'm sure this is temporary and trust that I am not alone? So, my question is this: What do you all do when you're just not feeling the creative juices flowing?

[Aussie Nan]

Hi Tracy Lee, you are dead right there, most everybody goes through the 'ho hum' what can I do stage/s. I think it's a lot like what I imagine an author's 'writer's block' to be.

But, I've heard it said from good sources that the worst you can do is nothing. So I eat! Just kidding. And apparantly every time you come out of one of these phases you advance that bit more as an artist/photographer.

Maybe just pick a tutorial you haven't done before and go for it. ( I didn't see any OOB's in your excellent gallery ;)) Or concentrate on a new aspect of photography, ie black and whites, portraits, or split tonings, etc etc. I think once you find a little 'niche' it will grab you in again.

[Danudin]

G'day Tracy Lee - just a suggestion but about 70 of us villagers (and others) have taken on the 365 in 2009 Challenge, the thread of which is located here in the pixel Hangout. And although it isn't for everyone, boy does the need to get a shot to fit a theme, provide inspiration (And Learning in Big Doses for me).

The basics can be found here:
http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43313

which is the Primer that Julie put together for us, you don't have any real rules but I am benefiting from sticking to the themes although there is a long way to go, here is my blog site address if you want to have a look around and all the other participants sites can be accessed from my site and so on.

http://danudins2009challenge.blogspot.com/

I won't even kill myself if I don't finish although it won't be for lack of trying and the comments I get on the photos I post are a treasure to me ( Just have a look at the comment kisbear made on my snake post it broke me up) but making comments on others posts means that you have to think about their photo and how they did it so you learn (well I do) and get inspired.

I like your curves motto but I have another for you.

"Life is what happens while you are making other plans"

Get inspired and live oh yeah and

Have Fun!

Ron

[Tina_B]

The creative juices dry up for me also this time of the year. I have to struggle to keep something going. Try looking back through old photo files and see if you can find something you forgot about that you can work on. One thing I did was to dump out all my old brushes and then go looking for new ones. I did the same with fonts. I cleaned out my fonts and got rid of the stuff I don't use. Sometimes getting a few new fonts makes you want to find something to use them on. Good time to organize things.
Tina B

[MOOSE]

Buy something new; stimulate both yourself and the economy in one fell swoop!

Seriously, it helps. For the most part it's been too cold to take pictures outdoors this winter and I am so sick of looking through my organizer I could puke. But if there is something you are interested in pursuing, now is the time. I finally bought a Wacom tablet and have been learning how to use it (no mean feat). And I've bought books on HDR, B & W, and Fine Art Printing. And another thing to try is to take a short trip to somewhere you haven't been for a while. Even 20 or 30 miles removed can open your eyes to new photographic possibilities. Remember, there are no uninteresting subjects, only uninterested people. Good luck; spring is coming.

[Byron Gale]

Tracy,

For me - the best inspiration when I'm "blocked" is to try to help others with the problems they post in the forums.

Frequently, when working to solve an issue, some nuance or tidbit will work its way into my attention, and I'll find myself thinking about it could be useful in my own work. And it is often the case that I'll re-open a previous project to try out the new ideas - so there's that angle of creativity, as well.

Byron

[Ric Cisson]

For me, and maybe I am a bit different, my creative juices are always flowing. I look at it this way, I am a photo maker. I am a photographer. Without my camera, my eyes are the lens and my brain is the camera. I don't believe I can remember a time when I did not look at a book, or a building, or a field and look at it with an artistic view. Looking at lines, angles, texture, etc., as parts of the overall "photograph", allows me to engage in a creative thought process that energizes even in "down" times.

[Grant]

Hello, Forum Friends!

I'm sure this is temporary and trust that I am not alone? So, my question is this: What do you all do when you're just not feeling the creative juices flowing?



A while back this happened to me. I just stopped taking photographs. Each day was worse as in my mind i pointed to failures for the previous day and got deeper and deeper into a slump.

I decided to start a Website that I would upload, ever day, a photo I took on that day. I then told all my friend show I knew would rag me if i missed a day. Boy the first images were hard to do. As time went on the image became easier to find and pretty soon I couldn't look around without seen shots.

You just have to break the block and setting projects and goal is the best way to do it.

[Wendy]

When I feel none creative I tend to try out a tutorial or two ... and usually that gets my creative juices flowing again :)

Wendy

[Tracy Lee]

Thank you - it's official: you guys are awesome:)

Just reading about your projects, and hearing about what you've done/would do, has made me start to feel a bit more energetic/interested again.

Grant and Ron - posting a photo a day is probably a good thing for me to aim for. I was thinking about the 2009 365 project, but figured I was six weeks too late... maybe not though.

Yes, the buy something new is also a good idea, and often works for me. However, I've got a lot of 'new' things now that I haven't really worked with yet - such as my 50mm lens that I bought a few months ago, and my Wacom a couple of months before that. I truly haven't given etiher a real work out...so that is something I could do.

Tuts, as Wendy says, are good. I just have so many to tune in to...

I will try a photo a day, whether I like the shot or not! I'll try to keep my creative eye open at all times, as Ric says, and then I'll hopefully get inspiration in the digital dark room too.

Thank you all again - I feel like shooting something, even in this dreary place at this dreary time:-)

[Danudin]

I know I'm biased but get that blog up and running and join the challenge I mean this bunch are great, but don't tell Tammy or Kisbear that I said that the comments and interplay are what it is all about. Just click on the 365 challenge link introduce yourself then you too can start picking on ME. See her blog and see what I mean http://klsbear.wordpress.com/

come on in the water is fine.

Ron

[Grant]

Grant and Ron - posting a photo a day is probably a good thing for me to aim for. I was thinking about the 2009 365 project, but figured I was six weeks too late... maybe not though.



You are about 48 days behind and that seems alot but in reality you just have to post 8 images a week instead of 7 and you will be caught up buy the end of the year.



I will try a photo a day, whether I like the shot or not! I'll try to keep my creative eye open at all times, as Ric says, and then I'll hopefully get inspiration in the digital dark room too.


Tell us your URL so we can rag on you if you back slide :-)

[vawitt]

I'm a little late jumping on the bandwagon of suggestions, but I have enjoyed following "The Photo Below Me" (http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42923) which gets you thinking about your exisiting image in a new way, and participating in the Be Creative (http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44701)challenge (a tutorial a week), the EZ Challenge (http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44745)(take the posted photo and do ANY PSE change you like to it) and BillZ's theme of the week (http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44776)challenge. All give you a topic to focus on, so that pressure is removed.

You'll have a ball if you jump on the 365 train - just playing with your blog is a good time, and reading/writing comments, examining other folks' photos, and trying to decide what to photograph for a theme called "Who put that there?" will rev up those sleepy juices!

[Tracy Lee]

Domo Arigato, Val and Grant, too.

I will get involved in the challenges- especially the EZ Challenge; I was wondering what had happened to the Weekly Challenge (I think it was Grant's challenge in the past?).

I'm so glad that I can jump into the 365 project. Ron, and everyone, I owe you one.

I am currently setting up my blog (using Wordpress on my own server), and having a real ball with it. Great to learn new things. It isn't ready yet, but in an hour or two it should be!

The url is http://www.tracylee365.com
(http://www.tracylee365.com)

[Danudin]

Just checked out the site Tracey and it looks great, Who do I have to kill to acquire your level of creativity. Enable comments and then we can communicate on two levels then all you have to do is post, up to date in no time WELL DONE.

Ron

[Tracy Lee]

Ron - You're The Dude (um... have you seen the movie 'The Big Lebowski'? )

Anyway, big thanks all 'round - my url is http://www.tracylee365.com
(http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/ovie%20big%20lebowski)
Tracy

[vawitt]

Very nice!!

You should add your blog URL to your signature.

Hop on over and check out mine!

[Grant]

Domo Arigato, Val and Grant, too.

I will get involved in the challenges- especially the EZ Challenge; I was wondering what had happened to the Weekly Challenge (I think it was Grant's challenge in the past?).



Grant retired and moved to Nova Scotia.

[Tracy Lee]

Hey, Grant - Yeah, I remember that you moved to NS - but I still couldn't conceive how the Grant's Challenge disappeared :-)

Haha - seriously, I do remember you moving; but at about the same time, I stopped visiting the forums as frequently as I had been. Then when I came back, there had been so many changes, it was odd. So, I'm just happy someone is continuing on in your vein:-)