Foiled
London, Ontario, February 2007 [Click to enlarge]
When I was a kid, I would often wonder if all the great songs, stories and books had already been written. I found it incredible to imagine that someone could come out of nowhere and create something that had never before been done, something that would supplant all the great works that were already out there.
Of course, the music charts continued to reflect a never-ending flood of new music, and the local library always welcomed the best new works from famous authors, some of whom I had never heard of. It seemed the ability to create greatness was not limited by all that had already been created.
And so it is when I carry my camera along with me, I carry on a little debate with myself over whether I'll find anything interesting to shoot. I wonder if all the great images of this place have already been taken. I doubt whether I'll be able to conjure up a fresh perspective on what is otherwise an average-looking place that's been scoured by so many others so many times previously.
Then, something flashes in my mind and I realize there's always something new out there. And a steel-raftered gymnasium with banquet tables covering the floor manages to give up another scene worth remembering, whose colorful texture reminds me that I need to keep looking for inspiration in even the most mundane of places.
Your turn: Please describe the most everyday place where you have done great, creative work.
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28 comments:
I wonder what you'd think of my house as you drove by it. Another day, another street, just trying to get to your destination. You pass right by not knowing what was going on inside, not even giving it a second thought.
Creativity is everywhere, born in a mind, put to reality through wall coloring, furniture, fixtures. The limb that fell into the yard in such a way that the sun drops the most interesting shadow on it, if you take the time to look.
I think it's great that you appreciate the things you take in visually on any given day. I really do applaud you for doing that and wish more people would - there's too much that goes unappreciated.
:)
In my garage! That is where my "flower shop" is and where I do most anything creative nowadays. In past years, it has been used for painting, stained glass work, decoupage and antique refinishing.
The good ol' kitchen table... especially when the kids have an idea... and then I run (too far) with it. That is when the project typically travels down to my craft room/office/dare I call it a studio??? The project takes on another life when I can continue in "my space."
On paper. Sometimes, I have a story all planned out in my head, but when I start to write, something entirely different appears.
hey, good thinking piece.
i must email my answer in. ok?
My own home...there is always something going on here whether it is photography or art projects. I love painting walls and rearranging...anything that changes the pallette of my life!
At the present time I am housebound and tackle various illnesses which left me hospitalised through December and over christmas. I couldn't have my camera and when I came home it was like being reunited with an old friend! My passion is Landscape photography and I am never happier than when I am out in the fresh air surrounded by beautiful countryside.
But, for now, thats not possible for me. I have undertaken the task of completing a photo a day through 2007 and this has really pushed me to find something creative in my everyday surroundings. Believe me when faced with Januarys topic of 'My Kitchen' I thought there was no way I would manage a whole month of shots but I did! Even the very everyday items can bring something interesting, new and unusual that you may never have thought of.
Great post today Carmi (as always) :o)
I knit a sweater for my daughter in my company's break room, much to the dismay of the architects with whom I work. Knitting is for grannies, according to them. Apparently that haven't read "Stitchin' Bitch."
Almost everything I shoot is on our small 6 acres and of my horses, wild flowers, cats, bugs, creepy crawlies, in fact whatever I can find. I have started looking deeper into what is around me and am getting some interesting results. In the summer I shoot at local horse shows and always look for something unusual there too, a shadow, a bridle, saddle, rear view of a rider with a particularly nice costume, spur etc. Leanne is absolutely right there are so many small things that go unappreciated.
But all in all I think my horses are my greatest source of inspiration, eve though they are so much work I always feel better when I am around them.
Lori
hi Carmi.......your photos as well as Anna's have broadened my thinking.......i can see that I'm looking through my lens more often at different scenes than I used to.
My favourite spots? My garden...my neighbour's gardens (they are used to me traipsing across their lawns) and a wonderful spot in Nova Scotia called Spencer's Island......I have lots of photos from there. Unfornately, we don't head down there in the winter....I'm antsy to head down this spring with my new digital toy...!!
Please describe the most everyday place where you have done great, creative work:
"great, creative work"...sometimes this is done just by speaking a word of kindness to someone (stranger OR loved one)...or, by reaching out and touching someone who is in pain (physical OR emotional). Just giving myself away, can sometimes be a great & creative work. I try to be open to let myself be used by God, to touch the heart of another human being with His love & compassion. This is, in all humility and honesty, one of the greatest works I can think of doing...
Please describe the most everyday place where you have done great, creative work:
"Great, creative work"....hmmmm. Well, for me, that would be whenever and wherever I can find an opportunity to give of myself, to share the Love of God with another human being. It may be to reach out to touch someone (stranger OR loved one), who may be hurting (emotional OR physical), and to show compassion in some way. If I can do this, offering myself as a "vessel" of God's love, this is a wonderful privilege. There are so many opportunities in each and every day to do this, if I keep my mind and my heart open to them. It sometimes involves reaching thru (or around) a "wall", and reminding them that they are not alone. Sometimes one has to be "creative" when attempting this. There are no "guarantees", but it's worth the risk of "failure". I just keep "practicing" anyway. We are worth it...at least, He thinks so.
(I tried to place a comment on your Comments Page, but it didn't seem to "stick"...so this is my 2nd attempt. If it ends up being posted twice, please just delete this one. Thanx. Just discovered your Blogsite today. Insightful & interesting stuff.)
hey! thanks for your kind words the other day. i often get frustrated that i know there are amazing pictures/books/songs that i may never discover, but that i would really love. so little time!
Creativity. Hmmmm, for me, it's when I have my morning shower. I know it's a drought here and usually I'm very water conscious (it's very bad to admit having long showers on this dry continent) but my best ideas come to me when I'm standing there in the hot water, shampoo-ing my hair!
What a great post today, Carmi! Wow! I can't suggest one place.
My house and garden are places where I find creativity but I think that most of my creative work (photographically speaking) is going for a long walk with my dog and alone. I love to stop and look at the ground and follow up the stems of various plants seeing if there is a marvelous little creature inching his way up the stem.
For me, I have a very close relationship with the Creator and being out in His world and being able to really look at what our God has created for us to enjoy helps me with my creative work.
Thanks for jarring my brain today. It needed it!
Most everyday place where I've done creative work:
My car. I've written many a blog post while driving. :-)
Hi Carmi. Came here after you posted on my unplugged 365. I've been before. I realized that I heard of you from Musings awhile back. Nice blog.
My notebook. As much as I enjoy technology, and typing is a great tool, there is nothing like putting pen to paper literally and writing by hand.
I also often think how can I contribute anything to the amazing world of truly great poetry, literature, photograpy and art out there. Thanks for the reminder that there is always a new angle, different light and subtle hue that has not yet been captured, even though in some ways, there is nothing new under the sun.
I find I do my best work when I'm just about anywhere other than home. I wrote most of my books in food courts, fast food places, and a Barnes & Nobel cafe. It's funny, but I find the drum of life around me much less distracting than the quiet of sitting at my desk.
Bathroom.
Thanks for visiting me via Michele!
I guess the place where I have done some of my creative work is through the eyes of my little boy. When I try to see things the way he sees them, I become recharged or inspired. His innocence helps put the world in a completely different aspect. He is still young enough to have pure emotions and reactions, and this helps any parent take a second look at their approach on life...
In my classroom. My students speak English as a Second Language. Finding ways to find common ground and communicate with them so that they understand always makes me more creative.
Hi Carmi, Great thoughtful question. I think its my dining room table. Besides the only place to eat at, it also serves as the office where I pay the bills, the studio for making notecards with my photos, and the place where I do my crafts. Much thinking and meditating also takes place there.
In the drainage ditch behind the house, at the bird feeder outside my window, at the kitchen table, on an old wooden platform by the fence that I think was once a squirrel feeder, on the concrete patio floor, practically anywhere you can think of in the house and around the yard.
Oh, and Hershey Kisses are the best, especially with those almonds in the middle.
Hmmm.. the most ordinary place where I do my most creative work? Easy. My spare room. We cleared it out and turned it into a "studio". Very grand word for something that equates to a table, a piece of black velvet, and two desk lamps. I do love still lifes however, and I have a "family" of little wooden figurines that I take many, many photos of. This is where my most creative (or insane!) work takes place - guess I have an overactive imagination sometimes. :) I am really enjoying my Photo A Day project, and it's the 2nd year I'm doing one - thanks to my "studio", I can accomplish a shot a day!
Mmmmm Hershey's Kisses. Deeeelish!!
Anna x
Nice macro.
And my answer is still - my garage!!
Since I work two jobs and live such a crazy life, I'm sort of like bacteria, I create everywhere: typing a short screenplay on my iPhone on the train to work, writing a poem about being Mr. Potatohead's love slave at the bookstore, and waking up at 4:30 a.m. the other morning to fall into my favorite easy chair with my laptop and write a prologue for story that won't leave me alone.
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