Creative February 2023
So what is Creative February all about? This is the second year in a row I have been participating in Creative February. The project itself was created by Takeyce Walter, an Adirondack painter in the greater capital region of upstate New York. She’s loaded with talent and is also an exceptional person. Several years ago she started the project to help spur some creativity during what is otherwise a sort of down month here in this part of the state. Post-holiday blahs with often cloudy skies and biting cold temperatures. I enjoy the month, but there is a noticeable lull if not desire to hibernate.
I’ll spare you the history of the project as I cannot speak to it well this morning with insufficient amounts of coffee coursing through my body. It is, however, described excellently by Takeyce herself on the A Creative Affair Podcast! I’d highly recommend a listen here: “Creative February with Takeyce Walter.” You can see the work of others this year on Instagram at @creativefebruary.
All are welcome to join the project, there are not guidelines as to who can participate. It doesn’t even need to be photography. In very general terms, it’s totally approachable and can even be boiled down to a focused initiative on your end to dedicate an hour or two a week for the month to focusing on creativity. That can be creating art, thinking about it, writing about it, or even reading about it. Take the time to reflect, create, or get inspired by others!
My approach to it this year is similar to last year. This approach is one of self-imposed constraint or self-imposed limits. I found this to really push me last year, and thus far this year it’s been helpful. The general idea for me is to limit what camera I use. Limit myself to monochrome. And then limit it to only one aspect ratio – the 1:1 square. Why? Well, I have found over time that one way to spur creativity for me or to get myself out of a creative rut (see also writers block) is to limit myself to one lens or one focal length or one genre. Shoot nothing else, and it will flow more often than not .
Here are the self-imposed guidelines I placed upon myself during this 28-day project, and some of the rationale for each “limit.”…
#1. All images are shot on the iPhone 13 Pro. It’s what is in my pocket, it’s highly mobile, and it can shoot images in fairly high resolution in RAW format. (The ability to shoot in RAW is key as it allows me flexibility in processing, I get to choose the data instead of the camera choosing the data as in a JPEG image.)
#2. All images are to be monochrome. For me, this is a more creative approach to photography and gets me seeing and thinking differently. (That’s just me.)
#3. All images are to be processed on the iPhone. To process each of the images I use Lightroom Mobile on the iPhone. Here and there I may opt to open the iPad Pro and process the image in Lightroom. This doesn’t change up the options I have at hand much, but rather eases the amount of time needed to process each image. Spot healing, for instance, is a lot faster on the iPad than on the iPhone. All told, it may amount to only four to six of the images published in February.
#4. Apps may be used for recording the images. One of the things about the iPhone is that you can use apps to record photograph. Unlike the mirrorless or DSLR cameras, I can use a different interface at the time of capture. The two that I have been using are “Slow Shutter” and “Halide”. Additional apps will be noted on the Instagram posts if that occurs.
#5. All of the images will be images of nature from my surroundings. Further, they will show next to no signs of humanity. Nature in its purest forms, untouched by humans.
#6. All images will be recorded during February, 2023. Do not fret about doing this project for fear of not having the time! That’s simply not true, you do have the time. You will find it and it doesn’t not require any big commitment. It can be whatever you are comfortable with. If it means an hour every Sunday morning for four weeks, so be it. For me, I go out a couple times a week for maybe an hour or two to shoot. That’s it, nothing more. I try to grab as many images as I can during those trips and then process the ones I like in any order I like on the days in between.
#7. Do not visit any locations you photographed last February. Ouch, this one hurts! I love the places I photograph, they are my guideposts. So this month I am cutting myself off and am forcing myself to only use places I didn’t photograph last year. I will admit this as of day 12, this has been alright. I’m finding inspiration and am finding images I have been really enjoying. I may, in fact, be finding stronger and more diverse images because I really have to be in these places with eyes and mind open. I have to see and think clearly or I’ll have nothing to work with!
#8. Seek inspiration from the work of others, write about your experience, and try to encourage others.
Those are my eight self-imposed guidelines for approaching this project. I did not have to do this. I do not even have to do this project. You certainly don’t have to set guidelines, either. Its my experience, however, that tying a hand behind your back can help spur your creativity and imagination. It works for me, maybe give it some consideration!
You can take on your own Creative February project at any point! Give a shout, let me know what you’re doing, and have fun with it! To see my images from this month, look elsewhere in my blog!
One last note, my images from last year can be seen in my Recent work gallery.