Identity And The Creative Process
Identity and the creative process. Church Of The Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo.
Here’s why a clear and well defined identity is so important to the creative process in visual arts like photography.
Without a clear idea of who you are, how can you possibly understand your true life’s purpose. Paying attention to your inner self, through the art you make, is perhaps the best way to discover your true identity and nurture your creativity.
The more often you listen to your inner voice, the more you’ll be able to live your life the way you’re supposed to be living it.
Needless to say when I talk about our identity I’m not referring to one or more labels imposed upon us through job title, relationship status or physical appearance.
Imagine no longer being a slave to one or more identities that have been imposed upon you.
Wife
Sales Representative
Soccer Mum
Accountant
Instead your future will be that of an independent, meaning seeking being connected to the beauty that exists on the edge of your normal, everyday experience.
Church Of The Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo
You’ll find the Church of the Good Shepherd at Lake Tekapo on the South Island of New Zealand.
There are few more wondrous places in the world to view and photograph the night sky than from the tiny tourist town of Lake Tekapo.
It was a very cold but, fortunately, relatively clear evening when I visited Tekapo. Those conditions, and the lack of a bright moon, are ideal for making great photos of the night sky.
Needless to say there’s little more inspiring than a star filled night’s sky to contemplate the cosmos and our relationship with it.
What a perfect environment to contemplate the three great questions many of us wrestle with throughout our lives.
Where do we come from?
Where are we going?
Who are we?
This is what I mean when I say identity goes beyond mere appearance, social status or employment.
We are Stardust, We are Golden. The night sky, Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown.
We Are Stardust, We Are Golden
So sang Joni Mitchell in her song, Woodstock.
The lyrics to this song are meaning rich and worthy of contemplation.
What’s more they serve to lead us all to take the type of action that will enable us to calm our mind, awaken our inner child and connect, at a deeper and more profound level, with the world around us.
About to Travel?
Get Ready For The Ultimate Connection
Through story telling, symbolism and metaphor Joni Mitchell’s Woodstock conveys the essence of that famous historical event.
The song also touches on some of the essential concerns associated with the counter culture movement of the time.
Surely, the need for us to tune out from the noise of the everyday and the expectations placed upon us by society are more important than ever.
In doing so we open the door that will allow us to connect, at a deeper level, to what's most important: our own, true life’s journey.
Looking forwards, looking back at Milford Sound in New Zealand.
Looking Forwards, Looking Back
Starlight takes a long, long time to reach us. When we look at the night sky we’re actually looking back thousands of years into the past.
Surely, that concept along is worth thinking on.
The notion of each of us being stardust and, therefore, connected to each other, our environment, the distant past and the universe is a beautiful and profound notion.
Some might see their relationship with the universe to be primarily a spiritual one where the notion of stardust can be envisaged as a personal god living inside each of us.
More and more I feel like that notion of a personal god and my own, true inner being are one and the same.
A small boat on Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, New Zealand.
Are You Wandering Through Your Life?
I love photographing churches, particularly stained glass windows. But, just like Cain, it is in the Land of Nod where I’ve wandered longest.
Do you also feel that, somehow, you’re a wanderer who, while enjoying the comforts of hearth and home, dreams of experiencing the intangible on the edge of our understanding?
I think this question is at the heart of the Human Condition. The more time we spend immersed in our own negativity and pettiness the less chance we have of living the life we’re supposed to be living.
It’s not where we are or what happens to us that’s important. What we make of our circumstances determines the nature of our existence.
From that point of view our perception creates our reality.
Meaning seeking beings look for a deeper connection with the world around them.
One that sits underneath the chatter in our heads and beyond the emotions that determine our responses to the illusion of the forms that surround us.
All of these things exist but, by paying too much attention to them, we immerse ourselves in a life of distraction at the cost of connection with our true inner self.
Connection is vital to realizing our true identity and our life’s purpose. And the best way to connect isn't by deigning the existence of these things, because they’re real.
We simply have to recognize them for what they are (i.e., distractions) and, in so doing, disempower them.
What remains is the real you and your journey through life. Ultimately, that’s all that matters.
Please, Do Something For Yourself
Now that you’re aware of your true inner self you simply need to pay attention to it, on a regular basis, and its presence will grow inside of you.
It’s always been there, waiting quietly for you.
The trouble is, like me, you’ve just been too distracted by forms, feelings and negative thoughts to pay attention to it.
Am I right?
And of course it takes constant vigilance to keep your true self front and centre, as the distractions of life will always try to reassert control.
A fast flowing creek near Milford Sound in New Zealand.
The Beauty On The Edge Of Understanding
The ultimate journey is to be able to tap into the beauty on the edge of understanding.
You can do this through involvement with life affirming and creative endeavours.
Living a creative life is so essential to our own state of well being and our ability to positively influence the course of events around us.
Creativity is the path by which we travel along the ultimate journey.
It’s through creative endeavors and working for the benefit of others that we’re able to undertake a meaning rich, purpose driven life.
I play a bit of guitar and, over the years I’ve played in a few bands. I love music and it affects be deeply.
However, I never invested the time needed to become a really good guitar player.
That’s because, long ago, I made a decision that it would be through photography that I’d forge the most intimate connections and have the biggest impact on the lives of other people.
Whether I’m making my own photographs or helping others explore their own creativity, photography is the vehicle by which I feel I’m living the life I was born to live.
I want to help you on your own creative journey through photography. And we’re going to travel that road together, one photo at a time.
