Five Easy Steps to Creativity

Creativity is a process, not a product. There should never be a destination. Photography should be a constant search. Here are five easy steps to help you develop some systems and strategies to ensure you remain creative and make things happen.

1.       Master your tools

To express yourself visually, you have to master your tools in order to produce the images you want. To create art that really works we need to become completely absorbed in our subject matter, and we can’t do this if we are anxious about whether we are doing the right thing with our equipment.

2 .      Surround yourself with excellence

This is not only about surrounding yourself with talented people, it’s about knowledge. Don’t limit yourself. Always study and experience a variety of new things. Take a class, attend a workshop, or join a photography group. These activities will trigger new ideas, increase the level of your skill and boost your confidence.

3.       Fight your fear of failure

You need to remember that mistakes will always be there – they are simply part of the creative process. From my own experience I know failure can often lead to something truly amazing and unexpected.

4.       Expand your comfort zone

We are often stuck in our comfort zone and afraid to try new things. Push yourself to try new things whenever you can. It keeps you growing creatively. Remember that there is no right or wrong way to be creative; there is only the way that allows you to express who you are.

5.       Enjoy life and your photography

Instead of judging your limited skills, give yourself permission to play and practise with your camera. Create simply for the joy it gives you. Allow yourself to enjoy the process and let go of the need to create something that others would approve of. If you like what you do, and if you have fun making it, it is worth doing. When you are feeling down, your creativity is stuck inside you, and it’s hard to create in that state of mind.