creative play

As we cultivate our life, our beauty becomes as much about what we are creating and doing as it is about our appearance.

I like to play with photography. Just for the fun of it. Nikon dslr, film, or new-to-me iPhone; I embrace the challenge of a learning curve. When I'm bored, when I'm anxious, happy, feeling creative, or just need an outlet to express an emotion, I can always count on a camera to aid in the creative process. I am a sometimes writer, a used to be seamstress, and an everyday photographer.

This image was my first shot as I was adjusting my settings in the bathroom mirror, and it's the one I like the most because this is my real face...  when I forget to smile. "Why do you always look like that?" he'd ask me. "That's just how my face looks when I'm thinking."

Today show us your creative process. Is it paper or paint? Do you play with images, words, or music? Do you create in the kitchen or with needle and thread? We all have many outlets available to us, some of them we're drawn to more than others. I'm finding the more I play with my creations, the happier I become with what can often feel like the tedium of everydayness.

Inspire us today with your creative process!

Comments

[Marcie]

Mine is mostly with my camera...but - of late - I've enjoyed adding words:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/home/2011/5/2/they-do-grow-and-go.html

And - I love your self-portrait. Excellent!

[Kat]

I love your creative self portrait! Fantastic idea. :)

My creative process starts with wandering and soaking up the world around me - through books, travel, images. Then I play with the jumble and swirl of ideas in my head, and they come out in some new combination that makes those ideas mine. Photography, writing, painting - they all work together to create something new out of all of the input. The image I posted on my blog today is one example: http://www.kateyeview.com/2011/05/making-it-mine.html

[Romy]

for the past two years this has been my creative outlet - digiscrapping:

https://picasaweb.google.com/romana.kasanova/MyLayouts2011#5601956089456753282
https://picasaweb.google.com/romana.kasanova/MyLayouts2011#5601956089505644594

[Jess]

Part of my creative process is taking a hike with my camera in hand. I look up and down and click away. I never come home disappointed. There is always something in the stash that I can have fun with. Also, trying or studying something new and different is part of my process. I've become extremely interested in studying photojournalistic wedding photography. If anyone knows of a great site, book or class offered on-line on the subject, I'd love to hear about it.

http://jessicavescera.blogspot.com/2011/05/trees.html

[Kathryn Dyche Dechairo]

I've been trying to get more creative with my photography but I also create textured art paintings. I love losing myself in the process and love how getting messy with paint makes me feel like a kid again.

http://dychedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/04/possibilities.html

[misty]

I like to carve soapstone and I like to take pictures. I like soapstone because I like the weight of it and the softness of it in my palm. I haven't carved in a while. My patience for it comes and goes. If my head is not in a quiet place I just can't do it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dontforgetthehorse/4314246043/in/set-72157623177482487/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dontforgetthehorse/4314228049/in/photostream/

[Jill F]

http://fingerontheshutter.com/2011/04/22/another-ufo-bites-the-dust/

sometimes it takes a while for the creative process to get finished, but at least it's done

[Melissa]

My creative moments come from exploring DOF lately: http://melissamillerphotos.com/2011/05/may-flowers/

[Anna]

I work in a variety of mediums - textiles, beads, and photography - each feeds into and enriches the others. Color or design ideas may start in one medium and then be further explored in another. This exploration adds richness and excitement to life!
Lately, I've been loving reflections and the layers of images they can create.

http://www.vandemarkdesigns.blogspot.com/2011/05/reflections.html

[Jen]

I express my creativity mostly through my camera lens, but I also love to sew and knit. I just completed a sewing project that I'm particularly proud of - a set of dolls for my daughter's first birthday:

http://jenniferkrafchik.typepad.com/jennifer_krafchik_photo_b/2011/05/wee-wonderfuls-sleepover-pals.html

I'm not an especially experienced sewer, but I love these dolls because I had enjoyed making them and they remind me of the kinds of gifts my mother made me as a child. My parents passed a lot of their creativity down to me and I'm very grateful for that outlet.

[littlepurplecow]

Meredith, I love this image so much.

[Romy]

I'm just reposting my links from my previous post (third from the top)

http://picasaweb.google.com/romana.kasanova/MyLayouts2011#5601956089456753282

http://picasaweb.google.com/romana.kasanova/MyLayouts2011#5601956089505644594

http://picasaweb.google.com/romana.kasanova/MyLayouts2011#5567509477084280690

[Libertad Leal]

What a great image. Love it.

I have two chief creative outlets. Photography and baking. They light me up.

I love to play different characters for my self portraits:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5156735347
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5661034421
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5610697561

I also love to just capture things that make me happy:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5679104854
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5629713267
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5505214100

And I lovelove to bake:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5362845182
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5322412374
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/4992290174

[Stephanie Albanese]

As a husband and wife team (wedding photographers) we try to use our life experiences to stimulate creativity in our photographs. The experience of a great photograph we took 10 or 15 years ago that made everyone smile, a moment we had in our courtship or just looking for that certain smile

[Dotti]

Wow, Meredith! You've said it all!! Photography is my main medium, writing a tiny bit, that may expand. Like you, I used to create via my sewing skills, but that's all gone by the wayside. And since finding Shutter Sisters and year ago, then Tracey's "Picture" classes, I have learned that a photo a day does keep the blues away, the tedious becomes more joyful. I'm a much more contented person now, don't grumble and complain as much. Hardly at all, actually. And my whole world view has changed. No photo to share today but just wanted to chime in because you really struck a chord with me!

[ccap]

That is a COOL shot! I love it.

For me, if it's not my camera (where I express myself creatively), it's definitely my kitchen:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/betsyblue/5684553938/

[Kelly]

what a creative self-portrait - love it! For years, my creative outlet was calligraphy. It was something that I learned to do from books, and it gave me so much personal satisfaction. Over the past 6 months, I have begun dabbling in photography - it's so exciting to find a new passion.

These were pictures of my calligraphy that I took long before I knew anything about shooting in manual mode or with anything beyond kit lenses. Now I look forward to what I can do with the camera the next time I have an excuse to pull out my ink and nibs :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58821554@N06/5684220595/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58821554@N06/5684220671/in/photostream/

[Anna Malmberg]

Great idea!!

Photography is my biggest passion.

You can see my work at http://www.wix.com/temporaryadress/annamalmberg

and my photo blog at ELLE.se http://anna.elle.se/

best wishes
Anna

[kat]

drawing will always be my first love!!

http://artblogbykat.blogspot.com/2009/11/lets-face-it-no-one-chooses-to-be.html

[Matt Bamberg]

Love the concept here.

I play with images and words.

[Emma]

I painted some old hatboxes on the weekend :D

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53759195@N05/5685140569/in/photostream

[Becky Sue]

Photography is my primary passion but I also love to create jewelry and dig in the dirt (garden). Of course, after I make the jewelry or plant the garden I must photograph each piece or plant.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rslaflam/5672437484/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rslaflam/5662880343/

[sarah]

my method of creative outlet as of late has included few words with one photograph, generally via iphonography.

[Chantal]

This creation was made by my mom, the artist... I created by taking the photo

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26687796@N00/4343262922/in/photostream

[Deanna Jinjoe]

I know it is somewhat cliche spring/blossoms but these really make my heart sing so I can't help it :)

http://anewdayadifferentway.blogspot.com/2011/05/magnolia-blossoms.html

[Through the Lens of Kimberly Gauthier, Photo Blog]

I just purchased foam board and I love creating images using that: http://www.kimberlygauthier.com/photography/a-photography-necessity-foam-board/5308/

And I just wrote my first eBook sharing how I learned to shoot in manual; that was a blast: http://www.kimberlygauthier.com/photography/a-photography-necessity-foam-board/5308/

[Miss B.]

This photo is so darn clever! Very creative and Picasso-esque. Just wanted to compliment:)

[Duoderm]

What is also interesting that this is a problem where simple attention, exposure, got it to disappear. Where the old "power of the pen" becomes reaffirmed in the internet age.

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