Chasing Optimal Experience, Flow

Most mornings I begin my day with a long walk. I sometimes listen to music, or a podcast, or simply just appreciate my surroundings. Frequently my walk generates a creative idea or vision. I mindfully conceptualize new photographs or compose newsletters, blog posts, essays, and articles as I walk. It’s my way of exercising both my mind and my body at the same time.The ‘works of creativity’ I construct get stored in my brain’s neurocomputer to be summon later. 

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I suppose this daily game of mental gymnastics may sound strange to some people, but it is actually an important creative process for me. It’s a way of eliciting and ‘trying out’ creative ideas. The best part is, it is all done risk free! I can be a master of any creative topic or technique I choose. I can ignore any knowledge gaps I might have. If there are impractical logistics required to make it happen I can ignore them too. It’s kind of refreshing actually! No restrictions.

Why do I bring this up? Well, because I’ve decided to do more than just catalog my creative ideas in my neurocomputer. I’ve decided to act on some of them. I’ve decided to accelerate my journey along the creative continuum undeterred by potential mainstream criticism or its impact on ‘business’. 

I don’t actually know where all this will lead. The transition is flexible, fluid, unstructured. I’m not talking about a revolutionary departure from what I have been doing. The truth is this whole exercise is a way to give myself permission to think and work outside my current creative box.

Why now? Well, the reality is, I have fewer years going forward than are already behind me. I want to exercise the creative juices I have before well runs dry! Besides, what’s the risk? Failure? A bruised ego? Reaching a dead end? It’s unlikely any of these outcomes will impact the world order!

I’ve been learning about optimal experience or flow. I’ve been studying flow’s characteristics, its benefits in a creative setting, and what it takes to achieve it. The whole idea is to be in the moment, command direct control of consciousness, focused on the creative effort, able to eliminate distractions and create order. I’ve already been consciously developing ways to achieve flow. So far I’ve discovered it is easier to read about it than to achieve it! REFERENCE: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 1990, Harper & Row

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Aside from the flow experiment, I’ve begun to expand my repertoire of nature and landscape subjects or, at least how I interpret them. I’ve become less interested in photographing icon locations and more interested in looking deeper and longer for subjects that will tell a different kind of story. For instance, I am composing more natural world abstracts, like the image below. Plus I am exercising more subjective editing techniques.

In the end none of this will change the world but, it will keep me engaged and challenged. What’s in it for you? Hopefully new, more creative and meaningful photographs that prompt thoughtful review. I’m hoping you will be encouraged to take a second or deeper look. Here’s an example of what I hope will happen.

I recently shared, Line Dancing (below), a new image I took in Death Valley National Park. It has been well accepted. I could tell you what was going through my mind when I took it, but I think it is more interesting to hear what others have said about it. 

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Not one but two people told me the image had a sensuous feel to it. Another said the title was perfect for the photo, that the curved horizontal lines were rhythmic, dancing.

Eureka! This kind of deep look response is exactly what I hope for. I’d like to think my conscious composition of the scene and deliberate subjective edit of the image influenced the comments. Even if this is not the case, I’m happy the response was more than, ‘what a beautiful sand dune photo’.

Let me conclude by saying I’ll keep trying to improve my craft everyday. And, I hope you’ll keep looking at the work and providing your honest impressions and constructive feedback. Your support and your words of encouragement along the way mean a lot to me.

Cheers,
Steve