Do you have ...

[Chiller]

I did the cartooning thing for about a year when I was in my 20s. I taught a class, had a weekly thing and sold a few freelance. Too hard coming up with ideas- especially after I started getting drunk all the time. I think I wasn't happy with things. Photography, which came much later, seems to work for me and my imagination. Always something I want to try. Sometimes, when I've had a good day, I feel like throwing everything in the garbage can and moving on, on a high note. I probably would too. I'd like to get more/back into writing, but I know I'd need a picture of something and have to dig all my junk out of the can.

My cartooning started during lunch at work. I had worked at a company with about 150 employees and quite a few "cartoon characters" there. I would sit on lunch and start to turn fellow employees into cartoon charcters, and after a while, they were at battle in cartoon form. It was strange to suddenly have this popularity within the company, and then my cartoons started to appear on the lunchroom bulletin board. Word of mouth got around, and then the "not so cartoon character" employees would ask why they were not included in the daily skit.
It was strange at the time, cause at night, I created death, gravestones, halloween props, and during the day, I was creating humorous cartoons. That company eventually sunk during the last recession. Many of my cartoons became dark.
With my imagination, it constantly grows. One vision leads to another, and somehow it either leads to my halloween stuff, or a photograph. I even get people at work bringing me "stuff" they find on the side of the road, and say...."can you do something with this" I just had a WWII Stretcher givin to me. The thing is mint condition. :mrgreen:

 

[Overread]

I have such a good imagination that I thought I had posted in this thread already!

Ok in truth I do have a good imagination though I often find it tricky to get from brain to anything else (so it usually stays in brain). Never learnt to draw (was never taught - at school they seemed only to bother teaching the students who seemed to already know how to draw well - the rest of us just sort of pottered along doing little projects till GCSEs/Alevels when were are expected to quite )

I have tried writing though I rather lack the disiplin needed to really sit and work on a project - but its something that I know I will probably do in time - just not at this time in life.

As for photography my imagination for it was lesser at the start than it is now - I am starting to get a feel not only for what the camera is capable of creating, but also what I am capable of creating with it. Takes time and lots of dud frames - but I think I am getting there! I even have ideas for quite a few shoots, but I do somewhat suffer from a lack of motivation at times

 

[sarallyn]

I'm starting to think everyone loses imagination and curiosity after the age of 6...
I read an interesting article in... was it Newsweek? I can't quite remember. Anyway, it had said that school basically sucks the big C out of every kid.
I think I can agree.

 

[Overread]

it not only does it for kids - it does it for the teachers too!
At least in the UK the whole teaching year planned out by the education department (government department that is) and the sylabus is made - teachers then just have to teach the contents of that to the students in preparation for the exams - even if the information in the sylabus is wrong or misleading they still have to teach it - its made even worse now by the fact that tickbox exams are being brought in.
There is no space in such a teaching environment for a good teacher to shine or inspire their students or react to each class (And students) needs. I guess its good that it sort of sets a (rather low) standard for everything but it drasticly inhibits the chances of beating the standard; unless your at one of the very few schools who opt out of the government education system - there are few as for the bits of paper at the end to mean anything, the school has to have a nationally recognised name and also be recognised for being a school of excelence.
[/rant]

 

[table1349]

I think one reason I don't get into a rut photographically comes from and exercise that one of my first college instructors had us do. He gave each person a single simple object and gave us 7 days to shoot a 24 shot portfolio, including darkroom time. I got an egg. There could be no static simple stupid shots like an egg just sitting in the grass or on a table.

The subject of each photography had to have the object as a focal point and had to convey a thought or idea outside of what the object was. You learn to get real creative at that point. I think it helped develop the ability to look at thing a bit differently.