Stress - The Enemy Of Creativity

LarissaPhotography · Feb 13, 2009

Every day, there is a certain amount of stress we all have to deal with, but there's a point when it begins to affect our creativity. We can't dream, create, imagine when we're overwhelmed with a problem. Maybe it's just too much on our plate. That's why we're trying to give ourselves more time between sessions. It seems like if you stack sessions back to back that you're just asking for more stress.
What do you guys think? How do you avoid or remove stress?

Overread · Feb 13, 2009

For me photography is the stress relief, but there are times when I want to go out and come back and know that I have got some keepers for defiant. For me this means going out to a bughouse/butterfly farm and having a day (or half a day those places are hot!) shooting macro. I can do macro shots reasonably well and can play around with things = plus the subjects are generally quite easy to find and shoot. Further my handheld macro is all flash supported to ambient lighting is not too much of a bother (a cloudy day is fine).

I find that sort of shoot to be very relaxing - shooting in a place with a subject where you are comfortable and can get some good results at the end of it. Not saying that is no challenge, there always is, but just that its a more familiar ground.

for me that is relaxing - though for some it might be best to put the camera down and go do something else - exercise works well, burning yourself out running or hiking and then comming home (making sure beforehand that you have some good instant food on hand to come back to) then have a good meal - then go rest your tired body watching a good film or reading a book

Joves · Feb 13, 2009

For me it is photography and astronomy. I also hike in the silence that is N.Az.

tsaraleksi · Feb 13, 2009

I can't function creatively if I'm unstressed. Causal walks around with my camera rarely lead to anything special-- I turn on under the gun, if you will.

usayit · Feb 13, 2009

For me the creativity killer is time... the sheer lack of it. Once I figure out how to improve things... I'll let you know.

Photography is a stress reliever.. better than anything else I have tried. The only issue is finding time to dedicate to it. No time == no photography == no creativity += stress.

blash · Feb 14, 2009

usayit said:
For me the creativity killer is time... the sheer lack of it. Once I figure out how to improve things... I'll let you know.

Photography is a stress reliever.. better than anything else I have tried. The only issue is finding time to dedicate to it. No time == no photography == no creativity += stress.

Same here - I like to take my time. A major reason why I was dissatisfied with a lot of my shots this past summer was that I was trying to take pictures while we were hiking, which meant stopping, composing, taking a picture, etc. - all very rushed with people telling me to move along so they could find a spot to sit-down for a water break. That's not how photography works, photography is about stopping and smelling the roses, and then examining the angles around the rose so that you can perfectly capture the smell with a macro lens on a carefully positioned tripod. It's not about having a slow shutter speed, making the roses seem in motion if you catch my drift.

I'm not too sure if my creativity really relies or is afflicted by my stress since I've cut out a lot of the stress in my life through time management, prioritizing, and a fresh perspective on life. I don't have too many worries right now and I have a clear mind for serious photography, but if I was seriously stressed out (like I was in high-school) I'd be going down to the mall and shooting everything that moved (with my D80).

Alleh Lindquist · Feb 14, 2009

Do you actually get enough work to book sessions back to back?

blash · Feb 15, 2009

Alleh Lindquist said:
Do you actually get enough work to book sessions back to back?

Hey, as a college student taking photography as a class.... I just spent 10:30 AM - 4:15 PM today straight between darkroom and photography, and that was me catching up, let alone the photography I do on the side :S But hey, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't love it.

craig · Feb 17, 2009

Stress for me comes when I have not heard back from a client or when I am not working. When I was in the newspaper game I continually had back to back shoots. Strangely enough I got off on it. Personally the stress of getting the shoot done in x amount of time made me think of creative and efficient solutions.

Love & Bass

Prophotoworkshop · Mar 1, 2009

Having your back up against the wall when your shooting can be a positive,
And often is for me. I'm a professional photographer and I thrive in those moments. There's never enough Time, Money, or Space, that's the nature of photography. It's important to work on your technique so that when your in a time crunch situation your able to create automatically.
I've made some of my best images with my back against the wall. when your stressed it could be a good time to just let go stop thinking and just do. I learn a lot from analyzing the work that comes out of those moments.
Photoworkshop