As photographers, we learn lessons in all kinds of ways. We read them in books, take classes, attend workshops, view the work of other photographers and experiment in the field. It is tempting to think that all of these things offer a complete learning experience — that by utilizing some or all of these things, we are learning everything that we need to know, or at the very least, we are learning to
the fullest extent possible.
However, upon thinking about it further, I’m sure that you’ll see that there are many more ways to learn, probably more ways than you can count. One method that is often overlooked is the type of learning that we can do by examining the creative process of others. I don’t necessarily mean learning the creative process from other photographers, but from anyone who has
a creative hobby or profession.
Whether a person is a writer, painter, musician, photographer or even a businessperson, everyone has, or should have, a method or trick that helps to fuel their creativity. These people could be people that you know personally, or they could be famous creatives. It doesn’t matter who you look at or talk to. The most important thing is that you gain a window into
the tools that person uses to create their art.
To show you what I mean, here are a few famous creatives and the methods that they used to produce their works. Through these examples, you’ll be able to see the kinds of things that you can learn from friends, colleagues, famous artists and anyone else that pursues creative ventures...