ARENACREATIVE.COM BLOG » Inspiration

Daily Creative Inspiration

arenacreative — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:42:37 +0000

Here’s some really awesome commercials, clips, and inspiring examples of creativity I’ve seen recently that I really enjoyed.

Empty LA by Matt Logue. Los Angeles without any cars or people… Crazy.

PDF article by AfterCapture magazine:
http://www.rangefindermag.com/storage/articles/AC0610_Logue_Smith.pdf

And for all of you that are videographers, or love to produce stock footage and video for microstock… enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SItFvB0Upb8

Don’t judge the B ROLL!

My Own Worst Enemy

arenacreative — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 02:01:35 +0000

Do you ever feel like your work is never good enough? Do you get praise from others about your creations, but deep down inside you don’t feel the same way? Maybe you feel like you just served up a pile of trash. To be honest, I feel this way about my own work a lot. I recently did a few photoshoots and nothing I shot really wow-ed me. This type of thing happens other creatives I have spoken to, as well.

I Am My Own Worst Critic
I’m definitely my own worst enemy when it comes to criticism. I see the flaws in my work. Even if they are minor, almost untraceable to others, I still manage to find them. Am I just being over critical? Am I bored with what I’m doing? Is it just because I’m being overly anal? What’s wrong with me? I want to be happy with what I’m doing. I am definitely enjoying it, but I don’t think I’ll ever be 100% proud of where I’m at creatively. I think we all want to have our own “style” but this is easier said than done. I’m still trying to figure out what it is, and probably will continue to do so for a very long time.

Transform
Last year Atlanta Georgia based editorial photographer Zack Arias made a video like no other. It described a personal struggle that a creative has and lives through. I don’t care if you’re a graphic designer, a hairdresser, a chef, a contractor, a sculptor, or even a basket weaver… if you create on a daily basis, watch this video. It’s a must see, and I am pretty sure you will be able to highly relate to it. Any creative professional should see this.

Getting In and Out of Creative Rutts
We all get in the same creative patterns sometimes, and many times we might not even notice it. As a designer I would find myself using a lot of the same typefaces, or laying thing out with the same compositions all the time. In photography, I might find myself framing a lot of headshots in the same way. Or, I might continue shooting the same themes and subjects with different models. What do you do when you realize you’re in a rutt? You do whatever you can to get the heck out of it. Don’t wait around for someone else to tell you what to do. Mess around and get crazy the next time you get to work. Change things up surprisingly. Look elsewhere for inspiration, if you need some. Try something new (maybe a different subject, theme, or style) that you might have passed up before. I personally find that when I get out of my comfort zone and try something new, I get a lot more satisfaction out of my successes. You will also realize whether or not your new experiments are for you or not, and just might step back into your comfort zone. Even still, you’re going to be a lot more well rounded of a creative than before.

It’s Okay…
Being your own worst creative enemy is not necessarily a bad thing… be worried when the opposite is true. Then, you might have a problem. Heck, maybe it’s healthy. It’s nice to have a constant semi-dissatisfaction with your work, in a way, so that you can use that to drive you onward to the next level. I talked to my mom about this topic recently (she’s a hairdresser that’s been in the business for over 30 years). We agreed that sometimes you just have to keep doing what you know you have to to please your clients and pay the bills. Feeling completely satisfied with where you are as an artist or craftsman might be a lifelong quest… just try not to beat yourself up so much along the way.

Daily Inspiration: Aaron Goodman

arenacreative — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:56:22 +0000

Aaron Goodman is the man. I’m blown away by his stuff. He knows his gear, his lighting, and (even more importantly) his Photoshop; and he’s not afraid to use all of these skills in unison. His concepts are mind blowingly creative – enough to knock your socks off. Some of them are so simple, yet effective, that you think to yourself, “gee why didn’t I think of that?”. The SAT’s with the pencil girl is one of my favorites. I want to try and think of more of these types of conceptual images, to add to my stock photography portfolio; as long as I can afford to spend the amount of time on them that they will obviously need. In the past I’ve spent hours and hours on images that have a very low return, so obviously when it comes to selling images like these through microstock outlets, you have to use your own good judgement and planning.

Artist Spotlight: Norman Rockwell

arenacreative — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:07:24 +0000

Norman Rockwell was such a great illustrator, that he was practically a photographer. His photo realistic images and sense of humor in his work have blown me away ever since I was a kid. My mom used to hang prints of these on the kitchen wall, that she cut out of a Norman Rockwell calendar she got as a handout from the local bank. We’ve always had beagles, growing up, so these are some of my favorites. This stuff is just timeless.

The triple self portrait – pure genius. For more info on Norman Rockwell, check out your local library or visit the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

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Question from a Reader – Stock with Commercial Value

arenacreative — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:46:00 +0000

Question:

“Okay, so I am really trying to improve my stock photography because I have been uploading many images which some get accepted but very few sell because they aren’t really marketing type photos. I know you have had success with stock and was wondering if maybe we could collaborate on a stock shoot or something so I can get a better feel how you approach stock photography. I really want to be a full time photographer and having a good arsenal of stock photos helps keep the income stream going…”
-Anonymous

I feel your pain. This is something a lot of people express when starting out. Stock is a mindset, and it’s really tough for a lot of photographers to sometimes grasp. I know what you’re saying – the glamor shots and general portraits that everyone loves at places like modelmayhem.com, don’t always sell that well for stock. They’re still fun to shoot, but that is besides the point. Try to think of themes; get ideas from magazine ads, tv commercials, any wherever else you can find inspiration. Look around at other people’s work online for inspiration, but don’t copy. It’s not hard to put your own spin on things. That also, in turn, gives you an advantage by having images that are more unique, instead of the same old cookie cutter stuff. People doing things, different expressions on their faces, you have to just think like a designer or image buyer. Ask yourself, how would someone be able to use this? Ask yourself, “will this image I’m shooting have sales potential? Is this image going to tell a story? Does the message come across clearly? Is this the type of image that is generic enough where it can be used in a variety of ways, or is it more specific?” It’s good to have a mixture of both types in your portfolio. Will someone see this shot and want to buy it? I’m not talking prints, I’m talking usefulness and commercial value. Stock is stock, prints are prints – two totally different worlds.

-Todd