Overcome creative block: unleash your imagination and go from a good photo to a great one

In this article, I’ll take a look at what makes a really great photograph, what makes it a work of art rather than just a really good shot. I’ll explore the imaginative process and provide tips and ideas on how to break through your creative block.

What is a great photograph?

A great photograph intrigues and delights the senses. It evokes a sense of place and a surge of feeling; there are some works that instantly transport the viewer to another reality, giving them an almost spiritual experience. There is an immediate emotional response, you can feel how that place smells, see the particular quality of the light and feel its temperature; At the same instant, many associated images develop in the mind triggered by memories or associations, but what does it take to go from good to great?

In order to make the leap from a great photograph to one that will take viewers’ breath away and provide the kind of inspiring experience described above, it is necessary to engage the imagination and work together with the technical skills of the photographer. That can be a problem: The creative spark shines brightly in young children, but for many adults it’s often dimmed almost to extinction. Why is this?

For many people, the imagination dies progressively during the years spent within the constraints of formal education, where the imagination is channeled and forced into ever-narrowing channels of thought and stifled by “one size fits all” systems of learning. Mass learning and rule-based systems have an especially detrimental effect on the creative artistic aspects of the personality. They clog the creative flow until all that remains is a thin, sedimented thread. And once set “in stone”, it is very difficult to break through the concrete and rediscover the source of native inspiration.

Creative people are often somewhat rebellious and manage to hold on and nurture their imaginative traits, but every creative individual faces a solid creative block from time to time and stressing over it only makes things worse. Here are some tips to help open the floodgates and restore the flow of the imagination.

Look through portfolios of past work for ideas and approaches. It’s also a good idea to compile an archive of work you’ve found inspiring. Write down in the file what you liked about it and the ideas that came to mind when you first saw the work.

Go window shopping.

If you’re trying to find ideas related to a specific subject or theme, browse the web by entering keywords and viewing the results; look in particular at the search results on Google images as well as normal web search. Browse magazines and books on the subject and also related topics.

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Collect books such as 101 things to do – these are popular around Christmas and each page usually contains an (often silly) idea or task. Open it randomly as many times as necessary. Examples of good books of this type are the series “This Journal Will Change Your Life” or try “The Museum of Lost Wonders.” Other books already in your library may work better for you, but I think the snippet type is nice because you can dive into it at any time.

Go to a museum or gallery.

Put on your favorite music and SING (more oxygen to the brain!). Go for a walk/run/bike/swim, chase a balloon around the studio, or do an exercise session of your choice (also more oxygen to the brain…).

Browse clip art or collections in your Photoshop organizer, etc.

Look at the finished projects and review in your mind all the stages from start to finish.

What all of the above ideas are trying to accomplish is to wake up your brain and shift your mind into a new “state.” To create you need the correct “state”. Notice how your body feels and what’s going through your head. If you are not uplifted, relaxed, and connected, then do something positive to get yourself into a new state.

To minimize attacks of creative block, you have to be good to yourself. Look at your calendar and choose at least one or two days per month to be inspirational break days. These days, visit an amazing museum, gallery or event and fill your soul with inspiration. Keep a journal of what you have seen.

In this article, I’ve suggested several ways to break your creative block and find new inspiration. My suggestions sound in harmony with my soul. For you it could be different activities that will get your head in shape, but you get the idea…

To you!