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Fill The Bucket, Will Ya?
February 27th, 2009
Every photographer runs dry, stops shooting stuff that inspires, goes to the well looking for something only to come up with an empty bucket.
A couple years back I had a friend introduce me to the concept of a Cheat Book and it’s been really helpful to me.
A Cheat Book, whether it’s an actual book or not, is a collection of inspiring photographs, concepts, and miscellanea that you can go back to when that well is dry. It’s the case of bottled water you kept under the sink just in case the world really did fall apart in the aftermath of Y2K (Y2K – remember that? Sigh. It had so much potential…). Only in this analogy Y2K comes frequently and you can count on it, so you keep the water fresh, and stocked, and you always add to it.
Your cheat book could be a large notebook with torn pages from magazines, it could be sketches in your Moleskine, it could be a folder of internet bookmarks or even screen captures of images that make you go “Hmmm.” Whatever it is it’s the intentional hoarding of inspiration inventory and it’s gold, baby.
What I’m suggesting here is not a pile of stuff you save so you can copy/imitate later, just a pile of stuff that gets the brain going, makes you ask the “What if…?” questions, and pours a little water on your parched creativity.
Anyone out there do this, find it helpful?
Speaking of being dry, feeling parched, if you haven’t already seen Zack Arias’ short video TRANSFORM, you should check it out HERE on Zack’s blog.
It’s been a long week for me – flying back from Bangladesh, a marathon 40-hour post-production extravaganza (not a continuous 40 hours!) and finally finishing my book. Now the fun begins as we edit it, polish it, and send it to layout. Getting this project off my drives and into the hands of my book team is one of the most gratifying things I done in a long time. Holding the book in my hand will be even better. So, have a great weekend. I’m taking a breather.
Yep. I have a folder called Inspiration in my Pictures folder that contains portraits, funny stuff, studio set ups… anything. And I have loads of shots saved as favourites on Flickr.
I’ve got a folder called ‘Inspiration’ on my iPhone. And I too use favorites on flickr ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/sOid/ ), although I’m very selective with those.
Btw David, any chance on a sneak preview of your book in a while?
I write down and sketch my ideas in a small Moleskine. I also have an “Inspirational Photos” folder on my computer. When I come across something I like I add it to that folder. However, I don’t visit it as often as I should. Perhaps it’s just too full and too disorganized. Might be time for a bit of housecleaning. I go back to the Moleskines a lot. In fact, I find that returning to ones from years ago is often great inspiration. In fact, perhaps I’ll do that this weekend. Thanks for the idea!
You just brought back so many memories. Since I was little I would have numerous hobbies. With every hobby I had a book of magazine cut outs, pieces of fabrics, photos and so on. The last one I did was when I wanted to be a child photographer and I had an “idea” book (or “cheat” book). It had pictures of props and then I would draw figures of where the baby would be on the prop and even some photos from other photographers. This was about 10 years ago. I also had my “sewing idea book.” I remember for several months in high school I would make my own clothing (thankfully that stage has left).
I think I will go buy myself a little cheat book and start collecting ideas again. I’m sure my creativity and vision has changed or expanded. I’m curious to see how it would come out.
I have several file folders full of images next to me right now. But I also tear out headlines that cause me to think, “How would I illustrate that (for stock)” On my iPhone I have a program called Sketches that I use to draw out ideas when the inspiration hits me. I also use the program Evernote to take snaps of things or photos that inspire when I am out and about.
For the last six months or so I have been using a 100 page sketchbook to put down my ideas. I picked up the camera because I can’t draw to save my life, but the more I sketch, the better I get, and the easier it is for me to figure out later what the hell my idea was. It also helps to do rough sketches because it instantly lets me know if the composition I have in mind is strong enough to hold up in a photo. I recommend it.
I’ve got a folder in my Dock named Super Folder Of Inspiration, filled with photographs and other mediums of artwork that get my mind ticking and inspire me to get out there and do my own thing. Whenever an image makes me think “Wow!” or “How was that done?” I will drag it into my folder… It is a great idea and I think everyone should do something along the lines of what you have suggested!
I keep lots of lists to refresh the well, but am also quite fond of keeping an eye out for found objects. Struggling with a lack of ideas? Pickup a previously found object and ponder it’s mystery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Found_objects