Cultivating Creativity

 So I have just concluded a 4 week course (spread love 6 weeks) on Cultivating Creativity (Creative Photography / Impressionistic Photography). This was run by Doug Chinnery and Valda Bailey from the Training company 'Bailey Chinery' (They are more than just Training) - see links.

There were 10 people on the course and we met weeks as a group vis Zoom plus we also had two one 2 ones with each of Doug and Valda.

As part of my 'Creative growth' on this course we where given a choice of 4 projects and I chose 'Emotions' see text below. We had to choose about 10 phots to represent our project. The project was delivered to the whole group on the 4th week. I must admit that the standard of presentation on this last week where superb.

We had to write an Artist Statement and a Project Statement and I have included these here as well.

I present below the images in the order I delivered them along with the 'text' for each image.

Artist Statement

"I have been interested in photography since the age of 10 and spent many happy hours in the darkroom processing monochrome images. Even now this passion continues to evolve. In the early 2000’s I bought my first digital camera, a Kodak. At the time I thought ‘This will not catch on’ - little did I know, and I now combine Digital Photography with my joy of computers. I shoot with Canon DSLR / Mirrorless cameras and iPhone. 

 

My Photography has always had a strong experimental edge. I photograph just about everything. Around 2014 I became interested in Multiple Exposures and over the last few years this has now developed into a full-blown obsession. 

 

In camera multiple exposure and post processing on the computer or iPad to create abstract / impressionistic images are now part of my daily life. This joy is overwhelming as you never really know just what will come out of the file and ‘Your Brain’ "

Project Statement

"We were given the choice of four project titles, two were single words the others, phrases. I was automatically drawn to the phrases, and one in particular. One of the single word projects was ‘Home’ and was a project I was already taking photos for that started at the beginning of lockdown. I discarded that idea. The other single word was ‘Emotion’ and without any second thought, I dismissed it. 

 

I started taking images. On looking at the images on the back of the camera they sparked ‘emotions’, I smiled and carried on. Having shot maybe four initial studies I downloaded them to the computer and the ‘Emotion’ Word nudged me again. I then began to be aware of emotions in other images that I had already taken. 

 

Here is my Project, I did not choose it - it choose me."

The Emotions Project

Over the next 9 images I will present an image and an emotion that I felt for it. The emotions I have images for are :-

• For each emotion I have included some text that for me describes the image. These descriptions have been taken from 
• the words of songs 
• quotes from other people
• my own words
• Each image has a caption
• The images are presented in the order of the final panel. 
• The presentation concludes with the panel.

Loneliness

“Save my love through loneliness

Save my love for sorrow

I’m given you my onliness

Come give your tomorrow”

- Tim Harding

Save my love for sorrow

______________________________________

Sadness

“My mind went blank with grief and despair”

- Park Chung-hee

My mind is a dangerous place to be

___________________________________

Disappointment

“The dream is being  folded up in front of me by ‘hard hands’, keeping the dream away from me. Moving me into the daylight hours”

- Barry Badcock

The Dream is Over (U2)

____________________________________

Contentment

“He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe”

- Marcus Aurelius

Harmony from Within

___________________________________

Fear and Anguish

“The world is on fire. I am afraid, but there is hope - a ray of hope in the blue distance”

- Barry Badcock

Fear

___________________________________

Hope

“What you put into life is what you get out of it”

- Clint Eastwood

A Ray of Hope Flickers in the Sky
_____________________________________

Trust

“Trust yourself do the things that only you know best”

Trust Yourself - Bob Dylan

We used to play this game of trust in the Scouts - you would stand above your friends close your eyes and fall back into their arms

A Feeling of Confidence
_____________________________________

Anticipation

“With every eye upon you, every breath held in anticipation, you hold in your hands a world waiting to be shaped”

- Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

The Future is Getting Brighter

______________________________________

Jealousy

“And never let the envy you might feel for another turn into jealousy or hatred”

- Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo

Its Hard to Hide Jealousy

_______________________________________

The Panel

I choose the position of the ‘Emotions’ within the panel to be visually pleasing and not as an emotional balance 

Links:-

The Excellent BaileyChinnery Training Company 

https://www.baileychinnery.com