G. Steve Journal

True Harvest

 

I came across an excerpt from Henry David Thoreau's essay, Walden, and was reminded of his unique ability to offer clear-eyed expositions of the most ethereal subjects-- in this case, his musings on the subtle rewards of a life spent in careful observation of the natural world and the rare insights revealed, the essence of which applies to most creative endeavors:

Perhaps the facts most astounding and most real are never communicated by man to man. The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. It is a little star-dust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched.

 

Staying Loose

Former trial lawyer Denise Shekerjian, curious to explore notions of creativity, chose to focus on recipients of the MacArthur "Genius Grant" and in 1991 completed a book on the subject: "Uncommon Genius: How Great Ideas Are Born."  Here's one of the broad conclusions she reached:

Staying loose, allowing yourself the freedom to ramble, opening yourself up to outside influences, keeping a flexible mind willing to entertain all sorts of notions and avenues — this is the attitude that is most appropriate for the start of any project where the aim is to generate something new.

[thanks BP]

Failing Forward

 

I’m moving from stills into video production and to learn more I recently attended some seminars where I heard a phrase that immediately struck a chord with me: “failing forward.”  Of course!  That’s the perfect metaphor for how one should approach a new and daunting path - we’re bound to screw up, so be sure you’re taking something from the experience that advances you toward the distant objective.

Came across an excerpt from the marketing guru Seth Godin that speaks to this strategy:

The object isn’t to be perfect. The goal isn’t to hold back until you’ve created something beyond reproach. I believe the opposite is true. Our birthright is to fail and to fail often, but to fail in search of something bigger than we can imagine.

 

Receptivity

In chatting with visitors to the gallery I've learned most assume landscape photography requires patience -- waiting for the right light.  That may be true for some photographers but is not the style I've found most successful. 

I've had more luck approaching the challenge with a spirit of discovery and an open mind, not unlike many of the artists I've written about in earlier posts: Maira Kalman, Alex Webb, Steve McCurry...etc.

Though the following excerpt from an essay by Oscar Wilde refers to the viewer of art, it seems to me equally important that the artist cultivate a similar mindset during the creative process:

The temperament to which Art appeals … is the temperament of receptivity. That is all.
If a man approaches a work of art with any desire to exercise authority over it and the artist, he approaches it in such a spirit that he cannot receive any artistic impression from it at all.

[thanks, BP]