Episode 235

If you have ever tried to put together a piece of furniture from IKEA or have been pulling your hair out because your friend can’t give you good directions to their house, this week’s podcast is for you.

This week we take a look at how important it is to understand the instructions we are following when we do something creative like create a photograph. There is so much that goes into a photograph and processing of an image. I would argue that most of us aren’t aware of all the decisions we are making. There is an old phrase that says something like those who can’t teach, which is a load of garbage. Those who can’t explain what they are doing can’t teach. Teaching is a lot about understanding how, what, when, and why something is happening. If you really want to know how to do something, teach someone else.

That is a challenge that I am asking you to take on this week. I want you to create some instructions for how you take a photograph and edit a picture. Then use those instructions to teach you about your process. What have you missed, skipped, repeated, or do for no reason you can figure out. Then examine what you can shift to try and find a new way to access your creative process. One of the most significant challenges we often face is understanding why we do something. By slowing way down and focusing on the smallest task, we might find some insight into why we make our work.

Gear used in podcast