CAROLINE FRASER PHOTOGRAPHY
  • welcome
    • news
  • Photographic works
    • Shore Life
    • rain dance
    • fire on water
    • findings
    • Conversation pieces
    • unbearable lightness
    • previous works
  • artist books
  • Workshops
  • Blog
  • shop

blog - an ordinary life

Coping with a creative lull.....

2/1/2023

3 Comments

 
Picture
Cacti in the snow at Red Rock National Park


Happy New Near! 

I wonder if you felt as jaded as I did at the end of 2022?
I had lost my creative mojo, and was struggling to remain positive about my creative endeavours.

Having launched my online  book making course, which had taken many hours of work to create, I simply ran out of steam. And then I caught covid (again), which totally knocked any remaining stuffing out of me. 

My other half (OH) and I travelled to Canada for Christmas, to see our children. When we left I was still recovering. We had a few days in the desert of Arizona because OH thought it would be a warm and sunny place to get over our jet lag before heading north to Vancouver.

Picture
Sedona, Arizona

​

It turned out to be below freezing much of the time, with snow on the ground. I never thought to see cacti blanketed with snow. My thermal clothes for the  mountains of Vancouver came in very handy. A few days later we headed north, to the snowy mayhem of the mountains.

We arrived at our daughter's home in Vancouver a few hours before a snowfall of some 12 inches,  stepping out the next morning to a winter wonderland, befitting Narnia.

OH spent hours clearing the drive with a shovel, as did everyone else in the neighbourhood. Icy driveways and steep hills do not make for a good mix. Canadian law demands that you keep the sidewalk clear of snow outside your home too. 

For a couple of days we barely ventured out. Larger branches were breaking and falling in the forest due to the weight of snow, which made for anxious walking.

​Bears in summer...... snow in winter...... that's Canada for you.
Picture
December snow, Vancouver



​
Picture
Beaver Lake, Vancouver


Once we could get out, OH and I made a trip downtown to walk at Beaver Lake.

I have never seen it frozen before. Low cloud on the ice made it very atmospheric.

​
Picture
The beaver dam, Beaver Lake


The beaver dam was clearly visible emerging from the icy water.


Then the rain came, and washed all the snow away. 
​
Picture
Vancouver rain


​As the days passed, filled with family activities, card games and shared meals, I began to feel more like my usual self. I reflected on the benefits of taking time out from creative practice, to recharge my batteries, and to take the pressure off for a while. 

Creative lulls
​

Creative lulls are normal; even when fighting fit. Most artists experience them intermittently. 

They are hard to predict, but often come after a burst of activity. Recognising this, and finding other ways to pass the time is the best way forward in my experience.

Before leaving home I had filled my period of recovery from covid with different activities, that didn't require too much effort, but that still had a creative element.

Be kind to yourself. Accept the lack of creativity as normal. Spend time with friends, go to the cinema, listen to poetry podcasts, go for walks. I tried all of these.

I visited the Tate to see the beautiful  'Dead Forest Quipu' sculptures by Cecilia Vicuna. A quipu is an ancient Inca device for recording information using different ways of knotting coloured threads. Words expressed without writing. 

I found the work an incredibly moving expression of concern for the future of her native forests. It encouraged me to pursue further my work about the coastal environment.



​
Picture
Cecilia Vicuna at Tate Modern

A paper bag book



One evening I learnt how to make a paper bag book, using sandwich bags from the supermarket. This was surprisingly therapeutic. Cutting and sticking is something that feels very calming. 

​
Picture
paper bag book


I chose random images from old magazines, coupled with words that felt appropriate. It turned into a book about waiting to feel better, and the colour blue. The subconscious has a lot to answer for.

​
Picture
Picture 'Feeling Blue' - a paper bag book

I enjoyed the ability to hide words inside the openings of the bags, making for a more subtle read.


Learning on-line


I also took a very good online course on creating a cinematic look using colour in photography with 
Teresa Freitas on the website Domestika.

​

Picture
Architectural study by Teresa Freitas



Teresa uses a pastel, slightly dreamlike colour palette in her photographs, and I really enjoyed understanding the theory behind her images. She discusses the role of colour in cinema, and suggests a number of useful tools for approaching colour when processing images and researching locations. 

I experimented with some earlier images from Spain, trying to emulate her work. Trying to emulate the  work of an artist that you admire is a great way to explore new ideas and techniques. 


Picture
Cordoba, Spain


​Whilst abroad I didn't attempt to be creative. And that in itself was a good thing. 

A complete break. Walking and exploring without intent.

​A total refresh.

​
PictureForest stream, Vancouver



​And now that we are home again I feel ready to jump back onto that creative bandwagon. I don't know what 2023 will bring, but I am hoping to surprise myself with new ideas and goals. 

I feel another dragon book coming on........ what about you?

​
3 Comments
Jocelyn Horsfall link
13/1/2023 09:59:01 am

For a creative lull there is a lot in this post! Always interesting, thank you.

Reply
caroline fraser link
14/1/2023 03:58:52 pm

Thanks for reading Jocelyn; I suppose I was busy filling time without working on a serious project!

Reply
Lenka
27/1/2023 04:08:43 pm

Very interesting to read about Canada, and always good to learn ways of dealing with lulls(a better word than blocks ) which we all get. Perhaps though we may not like them at the time they may be essential .

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Caroline Fraser - an ordinary life

    on life, suburban living, art, creativity, photography, book art and travel.

      Sign up here if you would like to be notified of future posts, news, tips and special offers.

    Join my mailing list

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    September 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020

    Categories

    All
    Art And Creativity
    Book Art
    Lockdown Life
    The Art World
    Travel

    RSS Feed

    This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies.

    Opt Out of Cookies
Welcome to Caroline Fraser Photography

Colourful abstracted and traditional photographic landscapes, book art and workshops. Capturing the moods and beauty of nature whether in wild open places or in small sanctuaries in suburbia.

About Caroline Fraser
Picture
Picture
Picture
  • welcome
    • news
  • Photographic works
    • Shore Life
    • rain dance
    • fire on water
    • findings
    • Conversation pieces
    • unbearable lightness
    • previous works
  • artist books
  • Workshops
  • Blog
  • shop