Creative Photography: Find Your Way Back
Huge wildflowers in lush green surroundings on the island of Bali, Indonesia.
Despite the challenges that come our way creative photography is the way back to a meaning rich and purpose driven life.
This was just the experience that lead me to Bali to recover health and renew energy at the end of a difficult journey.
Getting Sick In India
At one stage it was looking like I must have been about the only Australian who hadn't visited Bali.
I ended up going there on a whim as I was in need of a rest after a fascinating but difficult few months traveling through Asia.
I was nearing the end of a long trip through China, India and Thailand but, after becoming extremely ill in India, I didn’t want to end the adventure in a negative way.
After a few days in Thailand, where I received help from a doctor specializing in tropical stomach diseases, I continued onto Bali for some rest and recuperation.
Peace and renewal expressed in verdant green terraced rice fields in Bali.
Finding Peace and Renewal in Nature
I knew I wouldn't be interested in the hustle and bustle of the capital, Denpasar, or the chaos of Kuta.
Over the years I’d heard lots of positive reports about Ubud and decided it was time to check it out. I was not disappointed by this lovely hill town, famous for its art and culture.
Because Ubud is located in the highlands it’s set amidst lush jungle, punctuated with rural farming communities where rice is the dominant crop.
This photo of a verdant green terraced rice field is part of a famous location in Bali known as the Tegalalang Rice Terrace.
It’s a lovely location and, as you’re photographing down onto the rice terraced fields, great compositions that concentrate attention on color, line and texture are possible.
Wildflowers and Creativity in Bali
I stayed at a lovely small hotel, Legane Villas, where I was extremely well looked after by wonderful staff. I started to eat again and my strength began to return.
I didn’t completely recover until after I’d got back to Australia. Nonetheless, around ten days after I first succumbed to the disease, on route from Kolkata to Chennai, I stated to feel much better and was ready to explore Bali.
I spent the last couple of days in Bali touring around the island. The photo at the top of this post features some wildflowers set amongst surrounding greenery.
It's not my best picture from Bali, but it was the one that got me going again and, within an hour or so, I’d worked my way back into a mindset suited to creative photography.
You have to start somewhere and I’m sure we all need an occasional creative reset. The trick is not to be too hard on yourself on your way back to creativity.
Simply grab your camera and have fun making photos. You don’t need exotic locales to be creative. All you need is a willingness to experiment and play around until you achieve a result that’s interesting.
Continue to play around and move onto the next subject. Rinse and repeat!
I can’t overstate the importance of repetition in the creative process.
When you’re done you would have made good pictures but, depending upon your mindset at the time, you might need to take another look at them a day or two later with a more positive mindset.
In fact we’re all more dispassionate and objective after we’ve separated ourselves from our own photos. And a few days of separation is often all that’s required.
Have You Lost Contact With Your Creative Self?
Whenever you’re struggling to produce creative photography my advice is to do the following:
Get out and about
Move your feet
Breathe the air
Enjoy the light
Of course there are times when it’s not possible to get out and about. Just the other day I lay on my bed with the blind and window open.
It felt really good to be bathed in warm sunlit with a gentle breeze blowing onto my face and body.
Other things that can help, particularly if the weather’s really bad, is watching beautifully crafted films, particularly if they bring a tear to the eye.
That tear might have been brought on by the film but, perhaps, it’s a symptom of some internal stress or anxiety you’re suffering.
I suspect that, as that tear leaves your body, so to will some of the underlying stress or anxiety.
Looking at art can really lift the spirit. While you can’t beat doing so in a properly illuminated gallery space, the internet does provide immediate access to inspirational paintings and photos 24 hours a day.
Of course books and music are great, both for inspiration and for their ability to remove you from your current mindset.
Vibrant red flower and fast flowing river in rural Bali, Indonesia.
Seek Beauty and Connection Wherever You Are
We need to actively seek out beauty in our lives and look for it wherever you are. That’s what I do, almost each and ever time I walk outside.
Beauty is everywhere, indoors and out. Here’s just a few examples of where I look for beauty.
At the changing of the seasons
On the edge of bad weather, particularly when rays of sunlight burst through a cloudy sky
At sunrise and sunset
If you’re in a small town without a major art gallery, and you know you won’t be happy staying inside, then I suggest taking a walk around town or, even better, in nature.
I don’t think anything beats being in the landscape and, after all, it could be where you make your best photos.
But circumstances change and there are times when we just can’t get out into the landscape. The next best thing is to exercise and ensure you keep moving around at home.
At such times I find it really helpful to regularly look out the window and follow the changes in light and weather throughout the day.
If you have a pet you’d already know the wonderful benefits cats, dogs and, if you’re into that sort of thing, more exotic pets bring.
Whatever it is you have available it’s important to tune into those things, each and every day, particularly when life seems uncertain.
Look after yourself and remember that rest brings renewal. What will surely follow is a more positive outlook with the flow on benefits of greater happiness, purpose and connection.
I wish you well with your own creative photography endeavors. Stay well, stay happy and stay engaged.
