ramya's photo journal

Category: creativity

  • Just as it is.

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    This is a found word accordion book I made from scratch, when I was in San Francisco recently. It was an exercise that involved discovering an order in the randomness of tearing out words from a novel, and placing them in a new context, or the lack of it. By the end of the exercise, the pages had developed a flow of sorts, unbeknown to me. There are images, image transfers, dry leaves, twigs and whatnot that overflow through the rest of this book, but what held my specific grasp was tearing out words and unconsciously letting them rearrange themselves.

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    This little project was momentous to someone like me, who likes to have things in “control”  What it started, I don’t know, or it was perhaps just a catalyst to something that was already on a roll. I just don’t feel there’s any need to tamper with the natural order of things and the universe. Simple but a constant awareness seems to be enough for now – it does the job and has the immense capacity to take us through, complete with the unraveling of directions to wherever it is we want to go. It is working for me. How, I don’t know. And I’m trying not to fight that too much. I’m not asking. When I was a little girl my father once flung me into the pool because he thought there was no better way for me to learn how to use my wings. He said, don’t ask too many questions, just learn. The wisdom behind that, I feel in it’s entirety.

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    As we speak, in the background there are looming deadlines, bills to be paid, responsibilities, and that big little rascal, ego, always telling me what to do. But for now, this moment is beautiful. Just the way it is. My puppies beside me breathing peacefully as I write, my heart is beating fast and I’m letting it be. The heady fragrance of lemongrass and roses in my studio fills me. A moment of euphoria. A pang of post run hunger. My favourite old tamil music keeping rhythm with my fingers as I type out these words….the natural order of things…

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    What’s up next.

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    I don’t know, and I’m exhausted looking for what I don’t need to know. It is beautiful just as it is.

  • Layers and Letters

    image transferportrait of a  tribal mother-infant from the nilgiris, transferred using acetone onto a page of my grandfather’s book

    A quick entry before I disappear.

    I’ve been getting my hands dirty at image transfers for sometime now (sporadically, however) – as a part of prep for one of my next projects. Must say I haven’t really gotten far with these trials, but I’m loving every bit of the process and to be actually using my hands. I liked what came of one of these experiments and thought it was share-worthy :) Intend to peruse this a lot more next month when my current state of affairs is a little more relaxed. Any thoughts, ideas with regard to this are more than welcome.

    I will be back soon, with a post  about a favourite topic of mine – Indian Dogs.

  • Blues and Random Thoughts.

    “Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again”

    – L Frank Baum

    …and wonder at how fresh those citrus hues look against the blues

    …or catch the tingling aroma of street food and watch how it colours the air with it’s steam

    and then stop to greet this patiently waiting basket…

    and the dispersed petals about to join the winds of change.

    It’s ironic that I have so much to say here, but feel completely blank once I start a new post. It’s not a rut for sure, but a blankness that comes with being overwhelmed by life’s potpourri in general – but in a good way. That heavy, heady blend of  joy, confidence, sadness, love, creative flow, and fear.

    So. on another note, I was surprised to see how many images of blue had found their way into my computer. Mostly from strolls in the mountain markets while scouring for fresh produce – sights and smells thereof. Like the fiery reds of the Indian summer, I like to think that these blues correspond with the Indian winter, which, I am savouring completely at the moment.

  • Books : The Moon & Sixpence

    “Strange as it may seem, he always appeared to me not only practical, but immensely matter-of-fact. I suppose his life during this period was romantic but he certainly saw no romance in it. It may be in order to realize the romance of life  you must have something of the actor in you; and, capable of standing outside yourself, you must be able to watch your actions with an interest at once detatched and absorbed. But no one was more single minded than Strickland. I never knew of anyone who was less self conscious.”

    ~ W Somerset Maugham, excerpt from The Moon and Sixpence

    Turbulent and sensitive at the same time, I thought this book  – very loosely based on the life of Paul Gauguin – would make for an interesting read for the creative bunch. Though WSM has dramatized certain parts of his protagonist’s life and brings in an uncouth element into him, there’s a lot to consider. Will be back soon with a fat post on San Francisco’s gastronomic pleasures :)

  • Books : An Illustrated Life by Danny Gregory

    I am absolutely loving this book by Danny Gregory. It takes one into the personal visual journals of artists from across mediums and is a little window into their vast imaginations and lives. Looking at these fascinating sketches, writings and private scribbles of so many creative people is indeed a privilege and also a reminder that creativity springs out of  curiosity, trials and errors and lies within everyone.

    The compilation is a real source of inspiration for all creatives alike. Has mood lifting qualities and I like to keep it by my desk and glance every now and then.

     

  • This Dream is Real

     

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    Galibore, on the banks of Cauvery and in Coonoor, August 2011
     
     

    I am in love with the Lensbaby ! Talking gear is definitely not among my favorite pastimes, but it does feel amazing not to be walking around with an immaculately engineered heavy duty lens but opt for a completely new way to see my world. And feel it, swimming through abstractions and infinity. I've been playing so much with this baby and doubt if I'll ever tire of how it lets me interact with the world. There's nothing like simplicity. Don't you agree ?

     

  • Finding the Flow

     
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     The Nilgiris, November 2010
     
     
    While I'm on a constant search to fill up on inspiration, I see a positive shift in how I feel about photographing and making images in general. Less inhibited. Less afraid of perceptions and criticism. The need to conform to set moulds is also on a receding path. It has something to do withgrowing up for sure but beyond that, I think it has also to do with making peace (gradually, of course) with both the devils and angels of one's creative life. Not the most fun thing to do particularly for the sorts like me, but I'm learning to like all states right from melancholy to joy. Just let them all be. Come and go. Let the negativity and fear hit-and-whizz past without too many questions or confrontations, so there's less chance of setting off new chains of unwelcome reactions. Become also a spectator and not just the experiencer is basically what I'm trying to say. It is liberating and lets ideas stem from one another and from places you'd never expect – simply because we are letting our playground become more expansive and less aggressive, besides bringing an element of objectivity into the volatile lives of those of us who thrive on creativity. I'm trying. So far so good. I'm in the process of developing some new work and the newly alert spectator cap puts me in a better state of flow while I think and work. I like this state of flow and the uninhibitedness that comes with it. Who knows how long it will last , so I'm going to make the most of it for now and report back if this little theory of mine backfires.

    Hope all you people are living your most creative lives! I will be back next week with a little post on my favourite season, the monsoon, which is in full bloom right now this side of the world. Meanwhile, I thought this quote by JK reflects the spirit of Flow so beautifully.

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  • Along the creative path…

    "Creativeness comes into being when there is constant awareness of the ways of the mind, and of the hindrances it has built for itself."
     
    ~ J Krishnamurti
     
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    Sasseruwa, Srilanka, December 2010

    One of the most perplexing aspects in the life of a creative person(I mean this in a broad sense) is having to deal with periods of vacuum and darkness inside the head. Just as we start to think that the uncomfortable lull is at the end of cycle, it somehow resurfaces. Apparently the situation needs some sensitive handling and T-L-C, which I have just about started to figure, mostly by trial and error. There's also some fantastic reading available on the subject which I find immensely useful (I will share the reading list). These are just some thoughts and observations that have roots in the familiar creative cycles that are a big part of my life – open to becoming more rounded, meaningful and deciphered; so your participation is very welcome. 

    Firstly, why does this 'dip' happen when we are on a roll ? Simply put, I think it is the mind's way of coping with it's own complexities that show up during the task of creating, during which it must also align with the heart, somewhat at the least. And then there's also the quest of having to carve out that unique creative vision. As invigorating as it may seem, ideating can be exhausting and seeing it to its final stage is often a long arduous  haul. Like the other organs, the brain/mind has its way of recuperating which first hits a dip before reviving. Maybe it’s a  natural mechanism essential to complete a cycle, so we can appreciate the end results truly. But we can look at it this way only if we acknowledge and accept what is, I think. At least, that’s what helps in my case. What that acceptance seems to do is create an airy space in place of the vacuum. Gradually. But definitely. I also like to visualize this as a space filling up with fresh air and all things good. Still. Why does the strange discomfort linger ? Because as creative souls, our way of making sense of the world is by creating constantly. When the results produce insufficient meaning(degree of which is subjective) or sense, we tend to feel this way. Filling up time with lots of other things of interest during this time helps. For example, I like tanking up on my reading, travel, take on photo shoots that are standardish in approach, exercise, editing/cleaning out my archives – a fairly mechanical job that can be accompanied by listening to music and podcasts that I’ve been waiting to pay attention to. And so, my ‘meaning making’ happens when I’m wholly absorbing all these and a sense of preparation for projects ahead also begins to happen. . . When information, ideas and inspiration fill up in place of vacuum – thereby feeding the cycle of creating – a light filled new phase is born. For now, I am learning to like the detachment from creatingand the stress of having to create or photograph something.

    Seen another way, these phases(if we embrace them) can help us steer clear of  the rather disappointing I-must-create-NOW-no-matter-what facet of this cycle. Creative juices are after all, at their best when they flow from the heart and give into its impulses. Since these cycles have become fairly familiar and there’s some sort of a recurring pattern here, penning it all down and sharing made sense.

    Surely, there are several stages and complexities between where all of this starts and ends. Some of which I would like to break down and explore in future posts. Please look for posts tagged as creativity and join in with your thoughts !