Tuesday, May 22, 2012

i'm a creative :: i'm not married to a medium and i'm okay with that


sometimes i beat myself up over not being married to one specific medium. but lately, i've been encouraging myself to explore new pathways to expressing my creativity altogether and let me tell you, it's been liberating.

usually when someone has an idea or vision for a shoot it takes half a dozen people to execute it. but as you can see from the photos above, that's not always necessary. especially if you are like me and want to expel the vision and execute it asap and move on to your next creative endeavor. maybe that's not how things should perhaps be but for the sake of convenience and monetary logistics, i think this method works just fine in my book. and guess what? i'm okay with that!

so these fun pics from above...
i pretty much conceived the idea in my head, that morning, ran to the craft store and picked up some vibrant fabric to use as a backdrop, got home, did my hair and makeup, staged the shoot and the rest is history.

the list of creative roles i played in this shoot...
art director, makeup, hair, accessories designer, stylist, photographer, model, graphic designer...maybe there's more. but you get the idea.

so if you are anything like me and feel like you have to experiment with only one medium, i challenge you to try this exercise - and you're not allowed to feel guilty about it either! for the sake of expanding your mind and thinking creatively, this type of exercise will do wonders for your imagination and your body of work.

here we go :: sit down, put on some music and imagine a character in a setting and then figure out a way to execute it and document your idea. get creative - play pretend - don't worry about what others will think! be fearlessly creative and i swear you will feel so much lighter and inspired!

do you ever feel limited by your medium of choice when you're looking to get creative??



10 comments:

  1. BRAVO darling!!!! Just gorrrgeous!!! :) LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! Cannot wait to see more!!
    Love from Jersey!
    xo Jenny

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    1. oh my goodness! thank you so much for the love!! i am so happy you enjoyed it - means the world coming from a visionary like you!! xoxo

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  2. These are such beautiful portraits Caitlin! I don't know which one I love more. You looked like you had so much fun too. I look forward to seeing more. x

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    1. thank you so much, carmen!!! i am so glad you loved them!! and i had such a fun time doing this - total creative release!

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  3. Great photos!

    One of the thing that always stumps me is when I tell people I'm an artist is the responding question, "what's your medium?" I'll usually answer, "well, uh, I don't have a particular medium per se. But I like to pick the medium with whatever fits the idea the best." Not letting the medium overtake the message. But not letting the message overtake the medium (where it gets too heady). But then again, sometimes it's good to let one overtake the other.

    But i often let the idea/message overtake me. And I don't carry it forth into the medium. So that's my own personal balance i need to attain. I'm happy to see you having the freedom of medium.

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    1. thank you, matt!

      isn't it funny that people are always wanting you to define your work in such exact terms? when i used to exhibit i always felt like i owed people an apology for defining my work as 'mixed media.'

      i never really saw this type of exploration as a positive thing {i always thought of it more as unwilling to commit} until i saw the film on charles and ray eames: the architect and the painter. just hearing about how charles and ray viewed every day, mundane experiences with creative promise was so profound to me.

      since then, i have really encouraged myself to indulge any creative ideas that come to mind and it has literally been therapeutic and i feel so much more fulfilled knowing that i am being true to and not censoring my creative self.

      it's so easy to get caught up in the message - especially if it's something you really want to discuss. i think i maybe get too caught up in the aesthetic and wish i had more of a message! one day we'll both find the proper balance - i know it!

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