Cultivating My Creativity (Creative Editorial Photography, Greenville, SC)

I want to keep growing. After all, growth is part of the cycle of life and seems a natural inclination for any of us to have, right? Of course I can easily confuse the discontent I can have in life as my "need for growth". But that would just be hiding behind a "righteous goal" that has little to do with true growth, and more to do with not living in the present—content to leave the past in the past, and the future up to…. well, something much bigger than I.

But there is a yearning for growth that IS natural and good. This type of growth is part of my "exploration wiring" that begs me to ask "what if?" and "I wonder?" But how to grow is as important as the actual need. I have found that all growth involves effort, and most of that effort comes with it's own special form of "growth pain" that helps refine the process.

Recently, wonderful spirits have entered my life and stirred my need for growth. These souls are creatives I have come to know and respect, and who for the most part, don't realize the impact they are having on me. It's hard to push past how I normally "see" and try to achieve a new "style of sight" in which to interpret my creative world. But with patience and an open mind, growth is happening.

Something I've started doing is asking questions without judgement or expectation. When asking in this way, I open myself up to solid growth. This means resisting my need to defend my artistic decisions or trying to validate my current point of view. If I want to keep my point of view, there really is no need to ask another person for advice in the first place. But asking for the sake of further pondering is healthy, and a key way I'm continuing on in my creative path.

Free yourself from the need to validate yourself and see if you don't find growth within your own vulnerability!

much love,
-TJ

*This was an editorial style image I shot of Eric Brown for Eric Brown Interiors and TOWN magazine.
Eric is a source of inspiration flowing with amazing creative rhythms. His mind is fascinating to my own soul and is someone who instills a desire in my own creative growth.

A Journey Down the Rabbit Hole (Editorial Photography, Greenville SC)

The Answer is "Yes"
Would you believe the path I take during each project is as much of a "journey of surprises" for me as it is for our clients? Yes, It's true, I have a vision, and that's what each client is paying for. But within my vision there is a doorway. And this doorway must be opened each time if I'm to bring that "special sauce" that opens the magic to each shoot. This doorway is more like a rabbit hole that I fall into, selecting ingredients along the way that lands me at the bottom of a tree, where I see my vision come to life.

There is more than one answer to most projects, and I think the images below are a perfect example of two solutions leading to very distinct destinations.

If you're a creative soul, I encourage you to fall through your own rabbit hole, and find a world within that pushes you beyond the obvious. The way you get there is not to be laid out in strict terms, it's the ability to find the way that helps you continue to grow.

much love,
-TJ

*These images were shot for The Houseplant for TOWN. Eric Brown, who I introduced in an earlier post, helped me style this shoot into the whimsical scene that you see before you. You don't have to do it on your own. Finding inspiration within others is all part of the journey of growth!

The Houseplant Floral Series (Commercial Photography, Greenville SC)

Good Drama
I love how simple these arrangements are. By adding dramatic lighting to these, I created a mood altogether different than if I had shot them outside, or next to a window. This is another example of "falling through the rabbit hole" to achieve something different and unique.

wishing you well,
-TJ

Pelham Architects: Double Feature (Editorial Photography, Greenville SC)

I love how lighting affects the mood in every photography. Take this photo for example. It's the same room, one with the man standing and the other sitting. Without capturing the ambiance inside the room, these could have come across more standard and missing that "punch factor". However, by showcasing the incandescent lights reflecting off the warm coloring of the wood, mixed with window light from a side window off camera, the scene takes on a personality of it's own.

looking forward,
-TJ

Giving Our Dreams a Voice (Beyond Bridal, Greenville SC)

Moving through your dreams
I have a friend who says dreams stay dreams as long as they remain unspoken.
Until we tell someone a dream, it won't become realized; where's the push, the accountability?
Granted there's a few self motivators out there that have the dream and pursue it from their "inner dreamer", but the large majority of us need a catalyst that sets us on a journey outside our comfort zone and into the unknown.

One of our dreams at Getzcreative is to create fashionably artistic imagery for the non-celebrity; the everyday person. Why should celebrities have all the fun, Certainly there's more everyday people than celebrities?! Each one of you have something to offer that's unique. And with every client, we find something special given to us that could only come from that particular personality.

We don't take pretty pictures because we have expensive cameras or know how to use photoshop, we take amazing imagery because we have a vision that includes giving something back to each and everyone one of our clients—a version of themselves they don't easily realize.

Our best work is not our own. No, our best work comes from capturing what God has already put out there for us to capture. You're part of the billion plus personalities on this earth, and reminding you that you're special is something we strive to do each and every day.

We can't wait to meet you.

much love,
-TJ