Question Your Motives for a Deeper Creative Connection

By Kerri Williams

 Photo: Kerri Williams

Question Your Motives for a Deeper Creative Connection

by Kerri Williams

Have you taken the time to consider why your interests in your craft lie where they do?

I started out taking simple photos. Pictures. I did it because I needed the shots for a newsletter. Then I started playing with Photoshop. And while I didn’t do anything elaborate in Photoshop, I did learn the basics and moved onto more intense applications.

It started quite innocently. Daring to play with black and white. Messing around with sepia. Then I stepped deeper into the mix. Layers, filters, various software. Suddenly documentation became art.

Recently, we had a decent snowfall, and I decided I wanted to make snow photos. When I uploaded them into the computer, I looked at them, and they bored me. There was no feeling. There was no depth in the image. I was disappointed and somewhat frustrated. I felt like I was losing my touch.

I started adding again. Layers. Filters. Whatever I could get my hands on. In the process I questioned myself. Why am I not satisfied with a simple photo? Why can’t I just document what I see?

It goes back to feeling and depth. Whether I accomplish it or not, I need that feeling, that depth, the sway and a connection to the completed work to draw some sort of emotion, some sort of questioning in my mind and the viewer’s mind. I want a sort of mystery in the final image. I want the thought process to move. I want to question what it is about the image that makes me like it or hate it.

Thus, photography became art.

Why your interests lie where they do creates a connection between you and your craft. Ask yourself –

• Why this particular endeavor? Why do I choose this medium over another?
• What do I want to accomplish with this particular medium?
• How do I connect with this particular medium?
• How do I want others to connect with this medium?
• What am I saying with this medium?

Sometimes this is on the surface, sometimes you have to go deep to find the meaning. Sometimes you’re just drawn to it. But the why is worth looking at. It teaches you about yourself. It connects you on a deeper level with yourself, your inner world.

It also connects you with the outside world. You draw from what surrounds you. Whether it’s a point of view, whether it’s capturing a small piece of the universe, whether it’s molding someone else’s point of view, your art connects the inner you and the outer you.

Take time to ask the why? Sometimes a picture is just a picture, sometimes it’s not.

Peace on your journey – Kerri

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