creativity
The Folly of Jiro
The talk of my little corner of the web for a year has been the film, Jiro Dreams of Sushi [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbV6knbeUFE], a documentary about mastery and craftsmanship. It’s been used to quite a bit to rebuke the “follow your passion” crowd, but the
Pleasure, Pain and Creativity
The more fun something is to use, the more you’ll use it. This explains the prolific nature of lomographers, iphonographers and instagramers. Of course, quantity has never meant quality. Creativity is spurred when there’s just enough pain to prompt thought, but not enough to keep you from clicking
Photographers and Phashionistas
Here’s to the Phashionistas: * to the ones who wear a camera to compliment their scarves and skinny jeans * to the ones who agonize over the number of compartments in their bags * to the ones who wouldn’t be caught dead with black lenses on their Canons * to the ones
Mikes on Mics (Part 2)
Check out the latest podcast I showed up on, Mikes on Mics [http://www.70decibels.com/mikesonmics/2012/5/7/episode-14-clashing-on-creativity-with-cj-chilvers.html] . We debate the ideas I posted in this article [http://thislifeofleisure.com/post/18831141588/rethinking-productivity-for-creatives] on productivity for creatives. I don’t think any holes were poked in
Mikes on Mics Podcast
I recently went on the Mikes on Mics podcast to debate this article [http://thislifeofleisure.com/post/18831141588/rethinking-productivity-for-creatives] I wrote about productivity for creatives. The podcast came out today, so download it here [http://www.70decibels.com/mikesonmics/2012/5/7/episode-14-clashing-on-creativity-with-cj-chilvers.html] and join the debate (you’ll
Go Ahead and Buy Expensive Gear
Constraints breed creativity. But what if the constraint that happens to bring out your creativity is a film camera? A $4500 film camera? That’s what happened to street photographer Eric Kim [http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2012/04/why-digital-is-dead-for-me-in-street-photography/] . He knew film gave him a creative edge over digital. That
What Film Does that Digital Can't
Lesser photography doesn’t necessarily mean analogue photography, it just means finding ways to boost your creativity by recognizing the power of constraints, editing and storytelling. For some photographers, that means choosing film over pixels. Why? There are still some things film does better, while remaining a constraint. There are
Freedom Is..
The best books get you to rethink your approach to life, career, country…you name it. Hugh MacLeod’s first book Ignore Everybody [http://gapingvoid.com/ie/] was just such a book for me back in 2009. It was the kick in the ass every creativity-driven person deserves at least
Specializing in Mediocrity
The latest excuse I’ve heard from “advanced amateurs” to justify buying expensive equipment and ignoring creativity is “I specialize.” Wow! Just like a pro (only without those pesky clients and market forces). I understand the attraction of confining yourself to a niche of photographing dung beetles or retro bottle
Mikes on Mics (Part 1)
I was on a recent episode of Mikes on Mics (download it here [http://www.70decibels.com/mikesonmics/2012/4/9/episode-10-how-packed-is-cj-chilvers-mac.html] ) getting acquainted and talking about Mac-related issues. Consider it prep for an episode that debuts a few weeks, in which I get in an hour-long, knockdown, drag