Inspiration just when I need it

A few months ago I came across this nugget of inspiration that has stuck with me and came around again at a time that I really needed it.  The last week or two my mind has been occupied with job applications, interviews, and a crazy schedule (with the 5 jobs I already have) so my daily photo project momentum has been waning and my confidence dropping.  This cycle of self-doubt can pretty quickly send the creative juices straight to the bottom of a dark pit to stay there until they begin to shrivel up and the camera and guitar and knitting needles start to gather dust only to be left there for 20 years before finally being sold a garage sale . . .

But luckily, Pete Eckert is one dude who's story can't help but inspire others, and I have him to thank for keeping my creativity out of that dreadful pit.  He is a blind photographer, and a lover of cooking, tinkering, and constructing.  Here's his take on photography, art, and the simple satisfaction of making things:


| Artists Wanted | In Focus : Pete Eckert from Artists Wanted on Vimeo.

Wild Fermentation

I'll admit, fermented vegetables used to be one of the last things that would make me say, "oooOOooo, that sounds good."  But, I was thiiiiis close to buying Wild Fermentation from a bookstore in Wicker Park while we were in Chicago last weekend, because my interest in all things fermented has been rising since I've realized the potential for creativity (which is what I'm all about).  I'm kicking myself a little now because I've been recently re-inspired to go deeper into the fermented abyss after attending a fermentation workshop led by a friend from the farm.

Tantre Farm, where I worked last growing season, has been the birthplace of many great things, including The Brinery, a business started by David Klingenberger, specializing in fermented vegetables produced using the process of lactofermentation, as outlined in Wild Fermentation, along with how to make kombucha, miso, beer, sourdough starter etc.  Through my position at the co-op, I was able to help facilitate a workshop lead by David and took some photos during the class.

People came. People learned. People brined.  And it was good.  

Creativity and the Self

There's an article in the current Yoga Journal about pleasure in yoga practice by Sally Kempton, and there's a bit about creativity as one of the 5 basic levels of pleasure that are necessities for balanced life.  The 5 she gives are pleasures we get from sensual pleasure, loving intimacy, purposeful action, creativity, and of immersion in spirit (what you get at as a result of a yoga practice).

She defines creativity as more than just creating an object.  Rather, it includes the feeling of inspiration that results from a creative idea and discusses the physiological impacts on the brain.  All the the actions she mentions trigger the pleasure centers of the brain sending dopamine and serotonin to the cortical area.  But there is also a divine aspect of this moment of inspiration that speaks to the universality of the creative impulse.

Creativity Road Block #1: Defining Yourself

You were fine.

Then you defined yourself.

Now, you need to de-define yourself.

Then you'll be fine again.

The Blister Popped

In 2010, I worked on an organic farm and even though the work was hard, the hours were long, and free time was almost non-existent, I felt more creative than ever before.  I thought of all sorts of photos to take, ideas for concepts to connect them, I wrote poems, played music, and philosophized about the nature of things.  I'm not sure why this burst of creativity happened, but I don't doubt that it was due to the combination of the inspiring people I was with, the satisfaction I got from hard work and dirt under my nails and in my skin, and the very fact that I was working outside all day, everyday.

I recently heard of an interesting theory called "Earthing."  From the little I understand about it, I believe it purports that much of the dullness we experience in our daily lives, both mental and physical, is due to the fact that we have lost our connection with the earth.  I suppose my experience of increased mental and physical vitality and creative spirit while working on the farm would be evidence in support of this theory since I worked barefoot almost everyday for 8 months (not without some sacrifices made by my skin).

Here's one of the poems that came during this period of creative drive:

The Art Instinct

In trying to understand the traits that pervade humanity, we often look to the past.  Throughout human evolution we have created more than just objects of necessity, and there are many who have explored this concept deeper.  A book by Denis Dutton combines art and evolutionary science to try to claim that the creative impulse and art itself is not socially constructed, but rather innate.

The Art Instinct by Denis Dutton (left)

Here's a student essay reflecting on some of Dutton's claims:
The Art Instinct: Evolving Creativity

In my own life, I find evidence that the impulse to make things has been a part of me always.  Like most kids, I made little drawings, paintings, ugly things with glue and dried beans, but unlike some, I've continued to explore my world through these small pursuits into adulthood (if you can say that I'm an adult).

I see it in the kindergartners I teach: whenever there's a spare moment in the day, they want to draw, paint, pretend, or build.  The same is true in my life, and I guess Dutton would argue, in all of our lives, if we allow it to manifest.