The Number One Killer of Creativity

There is nothing quite as heartbreaking as the actual moment when your creativity is quashed. There are lots of culprits that can lead up to that moment, but I find that it's often traceable to a single action (or inaction) by another party.

Let's set the scene; you've arrived at the location ready to rock and roll. You've got your vision and your concept ready to go and you're psyched to create something. You're either scouting the location picking out spots to shoot specific sets or you've already done so ahead of time. You can literally picture the frames that you're wanting to shoot in your mind. Everything is coming together nicely (hopefully the location you've chosen is a good one and the weather is holding steady), then it all comes crashing down in a single moment. Your model or talent for the shoot has flaked out.

We've all been in this situation before, where we've got the sets planned and ready and we find ourselves just waiting in the car, the park, or the studio just tapping our feet. It's ten minutes after the scheduled start time, then twenty, and so on. Our phone beeps (hopefully) to alert us with a “insert generic excuse we've all heard before” line. In that moment, creativity is dead. What was going to be; what would have been, will now no longer be and it's positively heartbreaking. 

Being able to deal with and address these situations with a level head and in a professional manner is an important part of any successful photography career, as you're going to find yourself in this predicament more than a time or two. Your options are to get mad and possibly express that emotion in a negative and unprofessional way (for example, being rude to the talent that flaked out) or to emotionally pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep moving forward. The angry option is the route that you're going to want to avoid at all costs. You are a professional regardless of what stage in your career you're at, take the high road every single time.

It would be unfair and this piece would be incomplete to imply that this situation is one-sided and that this only happens to photographers or videographers. The other side of the coin is just as valid and just as important to remember. Models, makeup artists, stylists, and creative directors get flaked out on by unreliable and unprofessional photographers all the time. This is not a one-sided experience and I think that it's always important to remember that other people go through similar moments, you're not alone in your frustrations. 

So what's the moral of the story? It's the recognition that there will be moments where someone else's actions stamp out your creative efforts. It's going to happen and you're going to survive. Stay professional, act like an adult, and by all means keep a mental (or physical) list of unreliable and undependable people to avoid working with. Keep in mind that other people, including all the other creatives involved, have gone through the same situations. Use your better judgment in these situations and keep moving towards your goals. I'd love to know how you handle the frustrations of a flake out, leave a comment below with your advice.