Creativity Does Not Have Any “Must Haves”.

I want to talk about taking advantage of what you have. Specifically in terms of photography/content creation/art. Today I see a lot of creatives feeling like they have to spend money every session to have good pics. While this can be fun sometimes, in my opinion it is simply not sustainable. Especially if you are just getting started or not making any money yet. The key word here is “resourceful”. Growing up that word was a huge part of my life as a one income, homeschooling household; my mom had to be very resourceful and likewise we children had to be as well.

What did this look like? It looked like creating a fort out of random things that were not of use, it looked like saving everything that could be used for crafts, it looked like repurposing fabric and clothes, it looked like making your own “American Girl” food for your dolls that you already had. Often people look at not having excess to buy whatever you want as a bad thing. We were not dirt poor. We were still very blessed. I recognize that. We had a home and food. We had our needs met. Some things just weren't in the budget and I wouldn’t change that for the world. You see, that is how I have learned to improvise so well. That is how I can pick a tiny section of an area and see that it will make a beautiful photograph even when what lies to the left and right may not be such a pretty sight. That is how I have curated my house without spending that much money. It's how I have learned to stretch my closet and make something I have had for years feel new by changing up the way I wear it.

The reality is that we will never reach the state of being able to have everything we want. There will always be something “bigger and better”. I say all of this not to brag but to hopefully encourage you to do whatever it is you want to do. Be creative and find a way. Some of my favorite photos cost me nothing. No new props, gear, outfits, presets, ect. Not that these things are inherently bad, I just believe that many people are hindered from creating because they are overwhelmed by the amount of “must haves” that they are bombarded with. Creativity does not have any “Must haves”.

While Photography might require a camera, and lightroom is very helpful, the camera is the only necessity to start learning. I am speaking of photography as an art form and not a business, though you may end up a business down the road, who knows. I am speaking to the people who have a camera that is collecting dust or want to get a camera but it's not in the cards right now. I am also speaking to people who want to create art or content to post online but feel as if they need to spend money on props for every session. I want to encourage you to start right now with what you have. I was thinking of maybe starting a series of blog posts on "resourcefulness in photography". I'd love to even get into taking photos specifically with this in mind.

These are some photos I recently took with the aid of my husband. I basically set everything up (including the settings in the camera) and told him how to shoot what i'm wanting. It is a lot easier than setting up a tripod and self timer, though I do that sometimes as well. I did not spend one dime on this concept! The black tank I have had for years and the tulle skirt was given to me by a friend a year or so ago. The glass Is a goblet that I already had, and the flowers are an edible plant that is native to Florida called "Spanish Needle". Note I did not eat/drink the flowers but I did drink the matcha lemonade (which I also made). The flowers were growing right in my yard. I am lucky enough to know about these plants and live where they grow like wildfire, but even if you did not have these or know what is edible you could do something similar with water and flowers and just not eat them or drink the water. I also created this preset myself.

I obviously took these with a nicer camera than many have access to (I am a photographer) and Lightroom, but I also recorded a video on my iPhone using instagram filters and I thought it came out really pretty. You can find it on my TikTok here if you want to see. If I had taken these photographs on my phone camera the quality would not be as good but it would be good enough to start learning. You may not be able to blow them up huge, make major adjustments, take photos in extremely low light, or it may take a bit of work to get things in focus but it is a starting point. All that to say don't let anything hold you back! Find a way. Be resourceful. Make art with what you have, even if just for yourself!