Your Desire to Create is Stifling Your Creativity

Photography is tough. There's no doubt about that. The gear and the numbers are the easy parts. These can be practiced, learned, and applied over time. Creativity is at the core of what we do as photographers and that's the tricky part. Jose Rosado's article here on Fstoppers talks about bridging the creative gap and pushing through challenges. Today, we're going to talk about something a little more introspective. Receptiveness.

Being receptive is about being present and doing your best not to have preconceptions about the situation in front of your eyes. This is difficult, as we are taught from a very young age to classify and categorize. We have years of experience that have taught us what we like and what we don't like. Both of these hinder our receptiveness. Today, I will share a simple anecdote about the beginnings of my own journey to being more receptive.

Thailand

Over the past few years, I have taken two trips to Thailand. Its cerulean waters, misty mountains, boxing, and relaxed culture had me excited for the trip and the photographs I was going to make. All of these things eventuated except for the photographs. I loved the country, the culture, the food, and the oceans, but I couldn't seem to make a satisfactory photograph the first time around.

The Problem

I was so excited and took with me a list of shots I needed to get. I had done my research. I had poured over images on the Internet and in every magazine I could find. I would find beautiful longboats arranged for me at every stretch of beach, orange clad monks gazing thoughtfully over valleys filled with mist, and puffy white clouds would be plentiful. I had an idea set in stone of what Thailand was going to be like. Of course, I couldn't have been more wrong.

Everything I had seen in the photos others had taken was absent from my own experience. Of course, the elements were all there, but I couldn't make the images. I turned every corner expecting to see the next great photograph pop out at me. Every time I turned, I was disappointed. The elusive magic was simply not there. Or so I thought.

Before getting to Thailand, I had been to Myanmar. In comparison, it seemed like those magical moments were jumping out at me wherever I looked. It felt like things came so easy in Myanmar, but that no matter how hard I worked in Thailand, I just couldn't make the photographs I wanted. Upon returning home, I gave myself space to think, and it dawned on me: I was trying far too hard in Thailand. I was looking for photographs that weren't there, and was not open to what was actually there. I was looking so hard I couldn't see.

The Solution

When planning my second trip, I tried extremely hard to have no expectations. I did no research, I avoided looking at photographs of Thailand, and I stayed a long way away from travel stories and guide books. Without expectations, I could make the best of the situations I was in without hoping for someone else's story or photograph. I would also not be looking for anything specific, meaning that I would be open to whatever I might see. I would be receptive. This time, I wasn't looking to photograph somebody else's experience of Thailand, I was feeling it for myself and photographing my own story there.

When I hit the ground, I took the time to get my bearings. I enjoyed a coffee here, an adult beverage there, and a conversation and smile everywhere I went. The Thais are an extremely welcoming people, and if you share a common language, will gladly spend time talking with you about their country.

As primarily a people photographer, I wanted to know about the locals. I wanted to know what they enjoy doing and where they do it. I wanted to understand their culture and what it means to be Thai. With the short time that I had, I gained small insights and was able to set off armed with ways to approach people and to understand what I was seeing. I was exploring my subject, not other people's interpretations of it. In this way, I was able to be open to what I saw. I made some of my favorite images of Thailand on this trip, all because I could let myself see.

Outside Travel

The point here is not to discourage you from researching for your next holiday, but to suggest that one roadblock to creating work that pleases you is your own expectations and desire to create as others do. This is applicable to all creative fields and to forging a happy existence. Without prejudging our clients, or having a specific idea for the location of our shoot, or even for the weather, we are able to be more flexible. This allows us to avoid the inevitable stress and drop in creativity that comes with a change of plan. Go looking for something specific and you may end up missing so many fantastic photographs. Be open, be present, be receptive, and you will see possibilities. Not only that, but you'll be happier with what you create.