Tag: creative process

  • After the Momentum

    What remains when the work is finished and the urgency is gone. The studio is finished now, or at least as finished as I had imagined it would be. For weeks, nearly everything had a clear next step. There were decisions to make, things to move, problems to solve, and a deadline quietly pressing against…

  • Staying Present in an Age of Novelty

    There is something strangely revealing about watching attention drift in real time. Not dramatically. Not catastrophically. Just slowly enough that it begins to feel normal. A few days ago, I caught myself circling the release of the Sony A7R VI again. Reading specifications I do not need. Watching videos from people whose enthusiasm feels almost…

  • What Is Given, What Is Made

    I’m asked occasionally why I’ve stopped taking landscapes. The honest answer is that I’m not entirely sure. I still find them. Light moving across distance. Weather shaping a scene in ways I could never construct. There is still a quiet satisfaction in simply being there when something reveals itself. For a long time, that felt…

  • On Effort and Value

    I’ve noticed a recurring question when artificial intelligence enters the conversation. How can I compete with that? The concern is usually framed in terms of effort. Time invested. Skill developed. Years spent learning to see, to compose, to refine. There is an assumption beneath it. That effort creates value. It is an idea we have…

  • Talk to Me Like I am AI

    I was in a conversation recently where references were made that I didn’t understand. There simply wasn’t enough background for me to find a reference point. My only honest response was, “I’m not sure what you are referring to.” It reminded me of the cinematic plea: “Talk to me like I’m a three-year-old.” The intent,…

  • Freedom Inside Process

    One of the ways my mind tends to work is by reducing things to a process. At first glance that sounds antithetical to creativity. Creativity is supposed to be spontaneous and intuitive. Yet for me the opposite often turns out to be true. A well-designed process removes friction. When the details take care of themselves,…

  • A Familiar Anxiety

    My first camera was an old Lordox 35mm, fully manual. It was a gift from my brother when I was young. Film was expensive, so I rarely had any. Instead, I learned about depth of field by placing Scotch Magic Tape across the back of the camera to mimic a ground glass and watching how…