When You Don’t Know What to Do Next With Your Creativity

Here is a simple activity to do when you get stuck and don’t know what to do with your creativity. Go for a walk with your camera or camcorder.  Before you head out, pick one of the Elements of Art as a theme for your photo shoot.

The Elements of Art are:

• value,
• space,
• shape,
• form,
• color,
• texture,
  and
• line

Focus on one element and take photographs that are related in some way with that element.

Furry Moss

Today I did this activity. Lately, I have been very preoccupied with texture. So, that is what I focused on. I also decided to limit my subject a little more by focusing on “texture in nature”.  With that in mind, I went on a one hour nature walk through the woods.

Bark, moss and soft leaves

I had never walked through these woods and had no idea what I would see or find. I was amazed at how dense the undergrowth was. In just a few steps I was hidden from the rest of the world.  I was not far from the road but could not see it. It felt like I was in the middle of no where.

Being a Texan, at first I was concerned about snakes, but then I remembered that my sister-in-law said that there were no poisonous snakes in this area. So, I stopped doing the “head down looking at every shadow walk”.

As I walked through the woods I could feel myself getting lost in the moment. It felt very good. I was looking for interesting texture to photograph, to touch, to enjoy. There were moss-covered trees of all sizes, giant ferns and smaller more delicate ferns, flowers, berries, stumps, snails and more.  I had no concept of time.

I started looking closer and closer, taking shots and changing the settings, going macro in some shots. It was a refreshing walk that revitalized my urge to create. I have new subject matter now and a better understanding of the environment where I am living.

Curled Leaf

Slug hidden under leaves