Just show up for work

Romanticism and photography can go hand in hand, but what if you take away romance?

- Michael Freeman

I thought I’d try the blunt approach to Creative Paths for a change, and that means not pandering to the ethereal school of creative expression! One of the worst ideas in creativity of any kind, including photography, is that of the muse. How many times have we heard ‘my muse’ being trotted out as an explanation for art? It sounds good, lyrical and deep – to have a personalized spirit who appears when needed to inspire you – and it may even work, but the problem with this kind of high-philosophy thinking is that it’s also a good excuse for not doing any work… Chuck Close, the American photorealist painter and photographer, says rather bluntly, “Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work.”

The one tool for the job