(Click on the image for the larger version)
A 12x12 print on Kodak ENDURA paper of "Sugar with Lotsa Spice" will be exhibited beginning December 6, 2012. This piece will be shown in a 16x16 walnut frame.
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I have other pieces featuring this horse, but wanted to try some new techniques and started this piece purely as an exercise. That is the mindset that frees my creative spirit. And, that explains why I most often avoid commissions. Every time I am approached to take on a commission, I feel my gut twisting into a knot and know that saying "Yes" means I will have to struggle with the voices reminding me to please the buyer. More often than not, I chicken out and say, "No" to the commission.
Too often, I have let the pressure to please the buyer shut me down. The voices in my head warn, "Be careful. Stay in your comfort zone. Go with proven techniques." No good can come of that sort of thinking.
My favorite pieces—and the ones that most successfully connect with other people—are almost inevitably images that resulted from exploration and permission to experiment with new-to-me techniques, take risks, and test ideas that, at first, seem a little crazy.
My favorite pieces—and the ones that most successfully connect with other people—are almost inevitably images that resulted from exploration and permission to experiment with new-to-me techniques, take risks, and test ideas that, at first, seem a little crazy.
Only when I give myself that unconditional permission to fail miserably, only when I allow myself to play with an image, to spend unlimited time with the piece and abandon all expectations—do I have any hope of coming to some understanding of the elements before me—only then can I remember the dream, capture something of the feelings of the moment, and manipulate the colors, light, lines, and textures into something that makes me happy.
Furthermore, if the final product doesn't make me happy, I can't bring myself to show it to anyone. The time invested is chalked up to learning. I move on and tackle a different piece. Sometimes, I don't get back to the "learning exercise" for months. Sometimes, a fresh look offers new insight and the piece comes to life. Sometimes, the image goes back in the file and waits. I'm not very good at predicting how an experiment will end.
What can I say, Anita, other than glorious! I see that you've made fantastic headway on the watercolor brushes that you were telling me about. Fabulous work.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up such a good point about giving yourself permission to fail miserably - I think that is when you can completely let go of all expectation and just keep chipping away at the stone, so to speak, and see what of itself it will reveal. You've obviously done that here. Wow!
It certainly brought a smile to my face to see your post!
I am in looove with the brushes. Loads of frustration, but more than enough fun to make up for it.
DeleteMy grasp on that permission is fragile. I have to remind myself frequently that I am just playing, only experimenting. It doesn't "count" unless I happen to make something that I like.
Thank you so very much for taking time to comment.
That's a stunning image, Anita! I would think you'd do well with it. Keep experimenting with images, enhance them until you like them. As you say, and as I've heard others say as well, please yourself first.
ReplyDeleteNow that I'm doing the show circuit (three down, off until March 2013), I find myself thinking in terms of "what will people buy?" That's a bad way to be a photographer. Please yourself. That has to be the single most important philosophy in our photography life, otherwise, we run the risk of burning out, getting tired of what we do and abandoning the activity, much like the houses I sometimes show on my blog.
I think I'll put a plaque on my desk at home: "Please Yourself".
I'm so glad to hear from you!
John, thank you for the very generous comment. I know I enjoy this one and hope someone else likes it as much as I do. That old "please yourself first" advice is critical for me.
DeleteI am delighted that you are doing the show circuit and how nice that you have a bit of a breather. Of course, you probably are using much of the time to prepare for March, right?
It is tempting to wonder what buyers are looking for; but, I learned fast that everything I print and frame is for me—and The Husband, of course. Then, if someone buys it, great. I can always produce another one for us. You are so right about the potential for burn out and I can get there fast. I am too old to start working for someone else.
I look forward to learning more about what you are doing. We need to stay in touch on this business.
Anita, First let me say this is a wonderful image. I can only imagine how magnificent it looks printed and framed.
ReplyDeleteI understand your hesitancy at photographing on commission. I've been asked it I would do a couple of weddings and I've turned them down. I don't want that type of pressure and I fear it would take away the fun of photography for me.
On those images that go "back in the file and waits" I'm often not sure if either there wasn't anything there in the first place or if I just don't have the ability/skill to find and present it. There's many of them that are waiting. :-)
Wonderful to hear from you again. Have a wonderful holiday season.
Earl, You are so kind. The final piece did turn out nice. It looks good on the wall.
DeleteI love the validation on avoiding commissions. I admire people who work that way; but, I am simply not enough of a technician. Like you, I feel this needs to be fun for me.
CS6 has made it possible for me to pull something quite nice out of a file that I thought was fatally flawed and see possibilities that I missed with the old ACR. Yeah, I have a back log of folders waiting to be explored.
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
When you have worked a long time doing photography for yourself, taking a commission usually holds little attraction other than the funds it brings in. Even then the idea of trying to determine exactly what the customer needs are can be daunting. But with the right mindset, all these challenges can be exciting. Of course it means being flexible but that's part of the fun.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you active again on the blogoshpere and judging from this photo you had a creative hiatus. Welcome back!
I do have great regard for people who make photography a business. Wedding photographers especially. Yikes. Those people must thrive on the adrenalin buzz. I would be a wreck.
DeleteThanks for the welcome back. I am trying to get better at pacing myself and scheduling the zillions of things I want to do.