Many of us make a living with our photography. I used to shoot commercially, now I have the luxury of only shooting for me. Although I make living teaching the art of visual storytelling in cities around the world, I still need to feed my artist soul when I am not focussing on teaching others. It’s even more important if you are working for clients and need to compromise between your vision and theirs on the job every day.
Working on personal projects is key to your growth as an artist. It is also important to choose subjects or themes you are passionate about. Setting limitations to build your skills is also an added bonus.
I always have ongoing series in the works. Some have found their ways into books, others are just a way to do my daily visual push-ups.
I also like to work on shorter projects. And that is exactly what I did last winter with The Artist And The Space and I loved every minute of it. I set out to do this project with little or no post processing involved, a way to add a little spice to the challenge.
This winter I am starting a similar project called Musicians At Play. I already have several musicians lined up. I will visit them during their practice time, in their personal space. The goal is the same as last year: no posing, no staging, all available light and in-camera goodness. I am basically approaching this series as I do street photography, with the exception that the subject is aware of my presence.
I am excited to make the time for this new project in the coming weeks because it feeds my soul and keeps the creative juices flowing.
How do you feed your creative soul?