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Have I lost my inspiration?

Sherlock77

Sherlock77

Well-Known Member
V.I.P Member
Today, tonight, it snowed here... Many times I would go out into the snow and take photos, evening/night time snow photography something I love doing! Talking with a friend on the phone he suggested that the roads for this particular snowfall were quite icy, so I stayed home, really did nothing whatsoever...

A post on my Facebook from a snowy night, ca. 2017, one friend wrote a comment:

Great photos come to those who put themselves out there, and find them! Love this one!

She loved the photo, only problem the photo was taken four years ago! Everyone waxing poetic about an older photo of mine (what have you done for me lately)... I feel like I'm in a major photography slump right now, especially for my urban photography, maybe going out to take photos tonight would have been the best thing I could do, and I didn't go...

I attempted some street photography earlier in the day (all crap!), was at a seminar in the afternoon at a camp next to a lake, just after sunset I went to the lake and took a few photos, this was one:

Chestermere 01.jpg


Thinking back to last year, December 2020, one epic snow night I went downtown and took one of my favourite photos of that year:

Snow 01.jpg


Tonight wasn't this much snow, but still snow, I could have gotten some really interesting photos, instead I really did nothing... Talking to one friend recently (fellow photographer), he said that sometimes it's good to take a break... I'm just feeling frustrated by my overall lack of results, especially in what I would call are my key genres, and I'm perhaps trying too hard as a result and forcing it too much... Even my social media break isn't helping as much as I thought, I want good quality images to post and have very few right now...

I just feel out of step, and not sure how to get it back... And getting increasingly frustrated (I said it again)
 
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I'm a musician, and an artist, and sometimes when something in my life is really depressing me or stressing me out, I go through slumps where I can't focus on making music and creating art, and the quality of my work suffers.

In those cases, I take a break until I feel the spark of creativity again, and then it all comes back, sometimes a lot better than before. I had stopped sketching on paper for over a year, and then in October I started sketching again... and came up with some of the best drawings I've ever made.
Now that we're talking about this, I'm reminded that I haven't been too interested in making music lately. I've been listening to a lot of diverse music that I recently discovered though, so hopefully I can find some inspiration. :)

I've actually been doing a lot of photography lately though!! And portraits, which are not usually my niche. Would trying a different genre of photography help with your creativity? Like trying portrait photography? Or maybe event photography, like you mentioned in another thread the other day?
What really motivated me to take pictures a few days ago was going with my friend when he did hunting practice with his dogs. It had just snowed, and the scenery was really beautiful, and my friend was wearing bright orange gear which looked really good with his orange and white dog against the snow. Sometimes it takes finding a subject that's a little different or a little out of your comfort zone, to motivate you to really get back into it. :)
 
Depression can rob one of their creativity. Usually a temporary thing...but still it's a disturbing thing to go through on a cyclical basis..at least in my case. When inspiration isn't lost, but merely displaced for a spell.
 
Yeshuasdaughter said:
Maybe there's something else in your life that's overwhelming you, and it's affecting your creativity.
Click to expand...

That is the case, without going into details, the situation is mostly dealt with, but I feel like my emotions are still getting in the way of the process... And I'm not generally an emotional person... Plus there have been time factors recently, and now I feel like I'm out of practice...
 
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Sherlock77 said:
That is the case, without going into details, the situation is mostly dealt with, but I feel like my emotions are still getting in the way of the process... And I'm not generally an emotional person... Plus there have been time factors recently, and now I feel like I'm out of practice...
Click to expand...
This too shall pass.

Try not to focus on wanting immediate creative sucess RIGHT NOW. Give yourself room to let it be just for now. You will get back on track.

Do not suffer over your suffering.
 
Sherlock77 said:
That is the case, without going into details, the situation is mostly dealt with, but I feel like my emotions are still getting in the way of the process... And I'm not generally an emotional person... Plus there have been time factors recently, and now I feel like I'm out of practice...
Click to expand...
If you read the replies to your recent posts, you will see that the people here love the new style of your work. Rather than composing a great work of light and shadow, instead, you are showing, in vivid beauty, the frailty and emotion of humanity. I see it in all your recent posted work. There's a beauty and emotion, not just art for art's sake. And it's captured in a way that neurodiverse folk, who have a hard time with these kinds of things, can read the emotion and identify with it. It shows the weakness and resilience of man. I like it.
 
Yeshuasdaughter said:
If you read the replies to your recent posts, you will see that the people here love the new style of your work. Rather than composing a great work of light and shadow, instead, you are showing, in vivid beauty, the frailty and emotion of humanity. I see it in all your recent posted work. There's a beauty and emotion, not just art for art's sake. And it's captured in a way that neurodiverse folk, who have a hard time with these kinds of things, can read the emotion and identify with it. It shows the weakness and resilience of man. I like it.
Click to expand...

If you say so... ;)
 
Actually had a better day today... I think... Not home yet to download the memory card... Won't be home for awhile, but had some positive street level interactions and photos... Maybe just saying this did the trick :)
 
From today... Was out from 9 AM until 11:40 PM

Stranger Portrait 06.jpg


A man I met and photographed a few years back, I recognized him right away, he is a retired journalist with lots of insight, had a great conversation with him... And I'm pretty sure he always smokes with a pipe

Stranger Portrait 07.jpg

And a music concert I was at tonight... Just trying something in very low light at a small craft brewery...
Bug Incision 01.jpg
 
I especially like #2 because I like the warmth of the lighting. But I also just like this mans gaze. Frank, intelligent and engaged.
 
Writers call it writer's block. Photographer's call it frozen shutter block?

Hey great photos. We are lucky to have such great artists such as yourself here.☺

It inspires me to get back to drawing again.
 
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