The Benefits Of Slow Creativity
Be better today than yesterday, be better tomorrow than today
It’s election time in India, work is keeping me super occupied. Also, we are at the peak of an extremely hot summer. I am not able to photograph as much I would like to. The other day I had some time and picked up Joel Meyerowitz ‘s book Seeing Things which is actually for kids. But that did not really deter me! It features landmark photos of many iconic photographers. It inspired me to write this post, a sort of a reflective one on photography practice. And the photographs are from a beautiful walk I went for recently.
Everything takes time. Especially photography. Why then are we in such a hurry to make a mark for ourselves? The reason one gets good with the art and craft of photography is because it means more to us than it does to others. Not all of are born with incredible talents, but what will set us apart is the time and focus we put into the things that we love. The question is are we ready to invest in a long journey? If everyone made it in their early years there would be no great photographers. Such as the ones who continue to inspire us for many decades now.
The best part of a photography journey is that we outgrow our previous year. Every year it gets better. And in that journey, we may have a roadblock or a setback but we can always start anew. There was a whole year when I was too caught up with work and other things. I took very few photographs and shared nothing at all. But then I got back and once back on track, the magic began all over again.
In fact, the ups and downs of life feed into one’s work. They make it more interesting. The best way to practice what one loves is by remembering that the journey can be incredible if one is open to learning. Personally, I like to take it one day at a time. I do as much as I can. I know I am better today than what I was yesterday, and tomorrow I will get better than what I am today.
There is this story of a woman who rescued hundreds of starfish by putting them back into the ocean one by one. A man who observed her for a while asked her what difference would her gesture make as there were thousands of starfish which had been washed away to the shore and would eventually die. The woman picked up another star fish and threw it into the ocean and told him that every star fish mattered. Just as her commitment mattered to her, every step of commitment to hone our skill also matters.
Once we are ready for that long journey, apprehensions of not having a stage or an audience will be overcome in the effort to keep evolving. In my view, creativity is to think about new ideas and to think out of the box. Sometimes the ideas will work and sometimes they will not but one has to keep trying. Deep practice involves focused and repetitive efforts. There is beauty in slowness. I believe in slow creativity which allows me time to reflect.
Here’s an inspiring quote from the book Seeing Things by Joel Meyerowitz
What you notice will reflect the way the world speaks to you and only you.
